Zolpidem wins networks with reports of side effects – 04/14/2023 – Equilibrium

It has already become something common to read or watch reports of people using the drug zolpidem. Just open the social networks and videos, texts and even jokes with the side effects of the medicine jump on the cell phone or computer screen. Sleepwalking, compulsive shopping and hallucinations are the most cited.

“I took two because one wasn’t working. But there are two little people going under the bed and taking things away,” says one TikTok user. On Twitter, a boy claims not to remember what he did the night before. “I played VRchat on zolpidem with my friend until dawn. When I woke up, I thought I had dreamed, until he told me what really happened.”

The popularization of the drug has generated an explosion in sales in recent years. According to Anvisa, center 2019 and 2021, they grew 73% for the 5mg version. The increase in sleep problems among Brazilians, added to the numerous reports of users on social networks, causes the demand for the drug and its use without medical recommendation to grow, according to specialists.

In the second half of 2022 alone, more than 10 million boxes of this medicine were sold in Brazil, which represents more than half of what was consumed in the entire year of 2021, according to the CMED (Chamber of Regulation of the Medicines Market). Recommended for those who have primary insomnia (without underlying cause) or secondary insomnia (caused by external factors), the drug helps in inducing sleep and maintaining it.

Neuroscientist and professor Leandro Freitas Oliveira claims that the drug has a hypnotic effect. According to him, zolpidem hemitartrate, the drug’s active ingredient, favors the neurotransmitter gaba, whose action is to inhibit nerve impulses and promote relaxation and concentration. The association of the hypnotic with GABA increases the receptors responsible for receiving inhibitory information, generating depression in the nervous system.

Among the videos published by users on social networks are those in which patients record themselves under the effects of the drug. According to Oliveira, the action of the active ingredient with the neurotransmitter is what can cause memory loss or mental confusion, effects cited by users. “But it’s important to point out that side effects vary from person to person,” she says.

The professional attributes the popularization of the medicine to the need for immediate results, without the search for adequate treatment for what causes insomnia. Oliveira points out that psychotherapy is an effective way to take care of the problem.

“Often, people are not interested in psychotherapy to understand the origin of anxiety and difficulty sleeping. So they opt for drugs, which is faster, since psychotherapy takes time”, he says.

On the other hand, psychiatrist Mayara Cezário points out that the drug has become popular due to the feeling of well-being it promotes, such as relaxation and sleep induction. Improper use, however, carries risks. The professional points out that the use without medical prescription, with doses above the recommended, can cause addiction.

“A follow-up is needed to discontinue use. Also because they can have effects on memory and cognition as a result. We see people who use several pills a day, even one pack a day. And this can have this impact on health “, Maya points out.

Abrupt interruption of treatment can lead to rebound insomnia, a transient difficulty sleeping that may be even greater than what caused the prescription of the drug, according to the leaflet. In addition, stopping taking the medicine without follow-up can also result in mood swings, anxiety and agitation.

Social media reports have made the side effects, which include agitation, hallucinations, nightmares and even depression, become known. Rogério Panizzutti, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), says that the reactions can be reduced or avoided if the patient consumes the medicine and then sleeps.

The professor points out that side effects occur because many people engage in activities that compromise the sleep process, such as using their cell phones or watching television, after the dose.

“Doctors who prescribe often do not warn of the dangers. I, for example, recommend that the person take the medicine in bed ready to sleep, because there is a change in consciousness, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, uninhibited behavior, loss of of memory or even hallucinations”, points out Panizzutti.