Zolpidem: the worrying side effects of the drug that has become fashionable among young people
Zolpidem can help with acute episodes of insomnia, but it shouldn't be taken for a long time.
In the early hours of the morning, the name of a drug is a frequent topic on social media.
"Date idea: take zolpidem together to see who hallucinates the most and blacks out first."
"Last night I took zolpidem and chopped my hair all over."
"I've taken four zolpidem pills now and it makes me want to buy a llama."
Reports like these, published within a few hours on Twitter, show how a drug developed to treat insomnia has become a cultural phenomenon, especially among younger people.
Launched in the early 1990s, zolpidem is a hypnotic (sleep-inducing) drug that should be used for a short period — a maximum of four weeks — by those who have difficulty sleeping or staying asleep for a while. adequate.
According to doctors interviewed by BBC News Brasil, its use has become more popular than ever — which opens the door to worrying side effects and dependence.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) calculates that, between 2011 and 2018, the sale of the drug grew by 560% in the country.
In 2020 alone, 8.73 million boxes of this drug were sold in Brazilian pharmacies.
switch off
João Fellet tries to understand how Brazilians reached the current degree of division.
episodes
End of Podcast
Zolpidem acts on a receptor on our neurons and messes with a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known by the acronym Gaba.
"This, in turn, promotes a cascade of events that makes us feel sedated and sleep", explains doctor Sandra Doria, from the Instituto do Sono, in São Paulo.
"It's as if our brain had a switch and zolpidem pressed off to turn it off", he compares.
When we sleep naturally, this process happens slowly: little by little, the brain relaxes and disconnects from reality, until we enter the state of sleep.
Zolpidem does this quickly and abruptly—which is temporarily welcome for people who can't sleep at all.
But the use of these pills has a very clear and precise indication.
"It can be useful in situations where the person is going through a very stressful event, such as the death of a family member or the loss of a job, and cannot sleep because of it", exemplifies Doria.
In these cases, treatment takes place for a short period, which reaches a maximum of four weeks.
If, after this period, the night's rest continues to be insufficient, doctors usually go for other approaches, which involve different medications, changes in habits and psychological therapies.
misused
The big issue, the researchers point out, is that zolpidem is being indicated for any sleep difficulty and for too long.
"Although the sale is controlled and requires a prescription, it is relatively easy to obtain a prescription nowadays", observes neurologist Dalva Poyares, from the Brazilian Association of Sleep Medicine.
"And this causes us a lot of concern", he adds.
Let it be clear: the drug is safe and may benefit some patients. The problem happens when there is indiscriminate and prolonged use.
The doctor points out that this popularity among young people is also related to an inappropriate indication of zolpidem.
"It is being prescribed to treat rhythm disorder, which happens when individuals, usually younger, sleep later and have difficulty waking up early and going to school, college or work," he describes.
"In this context, zolpidem is seen as a quick solution and as a way to sleep earlier, but it is not indicated for this purpose", he warns.
Zolpidem has become a kind of 'cultural phenomenon' among young people
Doria recalls that when zolpidem was launched nearly three decades ago, it was believed that it would not lead to dependence or tolerance (when a person needs higher doses to get the same effect).
"Today we know that it is not so. We have seen over the years that inappropriate use can generate dependence and tolerance, which makes the drug not as free from side effects as expected", he evaluates.
About 5% of individuals who take the drug may suffer from sleepwalking and amnesia.
The risk of this adverse event increases if the person takes the tablet and does not lie down in bed soon after, as recommended by doctors.
"In this situation, the brain starts to function as in somnambulism, in which the patient is neither fully awake nor fully asleep", describes Poyares, who is also a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp).
This is where the risk of unforeseen and inappropriate behavior arises.
"There are those who shop, take the car, eat, call others, post on social networks... The next day, the person doesn't remember having done these things", characterizes the doctor.
One of the reports that went viral on social media was shared by Pedro Pereira. In one post, he claims to have spent 9,000 reais buying a travel package to Buenos Aires, Argentina, during a zolpidem-related hallucination.
No comments:
Post a Comment