Unsafe Drugs: Warnings Strengthened on Sleeping Pills

The warnings on prescription sleeping pills will be strengthened on all sleeping pills because they can potentially cause sleep-driving, say federal officials. People affected by sleep-driving get up in the middle of the night to go for a drive and later have no memory of having done so. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who crashed his car last year after taking Ambien, helped bring sleep-driving into public awareness. While the Food and Drug Administration doesn't say how many cases of sleep-driving can be linked to insomnia drugs, neurology chief Dr. Russell Katz says that the agency has found more than a dozen reports and is concerned that many go uncounted.

Sleeping Pills Can Cause "Sleep Driving"

Katz says that considering the fact that millions of people are prescribed insomnia drugs, the condition is rare. However, because the problem is so dangerous, he says it is important that those who are taking the drugs be made aware of the dangers. Doctors will receives letters alerting them to the new regulations next week.