Ambien, The Wake Up Pill? [Vegetative State Breakthrough?]

CBS-TV Ch.3 Philly ^ | 7/22/2008 | Stephanie Stahl - CBS3

[brityank]

Ambien, The Wake Up Pill?

Reporting
Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―

In health, a remarkable breakthrough, a sleeping pill that can help people in a vegetative state wake up. Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has one Northeast Philadelphia family's story of hope.

29-year-old Jimmy Trainor has a brain injury so devastating, he is completely incapacitated.

For his heartbroken parents, the silence is devastating, the caretaking grueling and the memories too painful.

"I don't think about the way he was. I can't, I won't survive like that," said Bonnie Trainor, his mother.

But there's a glimmer of hope. At certain times Jimmy can interact, follow commands.

"We just couldn't believe it. Is this happening? What's going on?" said Bonnie.

Most doctors said there was no way.

Jimmy has been in a permanent vegetative state after a devastating car accident five years ago.

But last year, he was part of a drug experiment at Moss Rehabilitation.

"When you actually see something like this you think, okay, he's got to be in there," said Bonnie.

Of all things, it was the sleeping pill Ambien that helped Jimmy wake up a little, within an hour.

The effects lasting for about five. He's among a small group of patients in a vegetative state who respond to the drug.

"We just thought this is opening the door for us to bring him out," said Jim Trainor, his father.

"I think it's pretty dramatic," said Dr. John Whyte, a researcher at Moss Rehabilitation who led the Ambien study. He says it can have a reverse effect on some vegetative patients.

"We think this drug helps re-energize parts of the brain that are not destroyed but are not working," said Dr. Whyte.

"It just reassured us that he was, he is in there," said Jim.

So when insurance denied Jimmy further Ambien treatment, the Trainor's decided to continue it themselves at home. They put crushed up Ambien pills into Jimmy's feeding tube.

"We'd like to establish a line of communication. Something. Let us know how you feel? Are you in pain? Yea, that would be wonderful," said Jim.

At this point, when Jimmy is on Ambien, he sometimes follows directions, but doesn't appear to be expressing feelings. His parents say they're going to keep trying.

"I think I can get him back, but not the way he used to be. But I know, I think I can get him back," said Bonnie.

The family gets the Ambien prescriptions and some guidance from doctors, and sure they worry about potential dangers but say doing nothing would be worse.

For more information on future Ambien studies, for people in a vegetative state at Moss Rehabilitation, contact their Neuro-cognitive Rehabilitation Research Network at 215-663-6737 or by emailing them at ncrrn@einstein.edu.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[brityank]

There was a video report on the 11:00PM Newscast that showed Jimmie reacting to commands that showed he is responding. Puts the lie to the 'vegetative case' killers.

[brityank]

Ping to another East Coast story with a better outlook than the DE one you had from WND.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Could it truly help to successfully “wake up” the entire Republican Party prior to November 4?

[brityank]

Found the video link:

Wake Up Pill

[brityank]

Oh, they’re awake alright — just not headed in the right direction. Pitchforks and baseball bats would be better!

[murron]

This sounds like something right out of the movie “Awakenings” with Robin Williams.

[Ronin]

I could use one of those every afternoon between 2:00 and 3:30.

[TexasBeth]

Very cool story. I took one of these tablets last night for the first, and last time. It scared me to death. I was out for an hour and then wide awake, and freaked out!!! Called Dr. and asked if we couldn’t try something else. Rather deal with the insomnia than see the weirdness I saw last night, lol.

[TASMANIANRED]

They are sleeping pills.

[Scotswife]

“Jimmy has been in a permanent vegetative state after a devastating car accident five years ago.”

ummm....no. Apparantly Jimmy has NOT been in a “permanent” vegetative state.

But hey....go ahead and slowly dehydrate these people, right?
George Felos tells us it is a “euphoric” experience.

[brityank]

ummm....no. Apparantly Jimmy has NOT been in a “permanent” vegetative state.

Well, you go argue with the Medical community; they are the ones that issued that erroneous decision. Had it not been for his parents and the doctors they bugged, he likely would have been shuttled off to a holding facility and turned over to the tender mercies of the likes of Felos.

[Scotswife]

“Well, you go argue with the Medical community; they are the ones that issued that erroneous decision.”

That’s what I thought I was doing :)

Misdiagnosis rate of 40-45% with recent developments in studies of functional MRIs producing results indicating more brain activity than previously thought.

Yet - doctors think it’s a “good enough” diagnosis to justify dehydration.

“Had it not been for his parents and the doctors they bugged, he likely would have been shuttled off to a holding facility and turned over to the tender mercies of the likes of Felos.”

Thank goodness - many patients don’t have family members fighting for them like this.
Many people get swayed by the doctors’ medical jargon and assume they know best.

[moonpie57]

I got some Ambien a year or so ago and a whole one made me groggy for most of the day. I heard Regis Philbin mention taking half of one, so I tried that and it works great for me. Recently though I took a whole one and woke up after a short while like you did. I was freaking out. It was really weird. I don't need them all the time, but when I do 5mg works well for me.

[radiohead]

I don’t understand. Why would you freak out because you woke up? Maybe you didn’t sleep as long as you wanted, but why freak out over it?

I sometimes take trazodone for sleep. When taking 1/2 a pill, I’d often wake up after a few hours. I didn’t freak out, I just started taking a whole pill.

[rawhide]

Sleeping pill helped my girl wake up from a SIX year coma

[rawhide]

Reborn [Pill reverses "vegetative state"]

[Enterprise]

Sleeping pills offer wake-up call to vegetative patients

Reborn (Schiavo supporters may have been right.)

Reborn [Pill reverses "vegetative state"]

Reborn (Zolpidem - "Ambien" - brings people out of Persistent Vegetative State")

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[redtetrahedron]

Ambien side effects can include: hallucinations, confusion, anxiety, insomnia, etc. See the full report.

[TexasBeth]

This is exactly what happened to me. Hubby said that I was really out there, lol. The whole thing lasted about 5 hours and then things were ok.

[moonpie57]

I guess I should have explained my comments better. I woke up feeling heavily drugged (of course, I had taken a sleeping pill), and felt fear and a sense that something bad was happening. I was disoriented and didn’t know where I was at first. I was in a panic and fought to come out from under it. It’s a bit hard to describe, but needless to say it wasn’t a good experience.

[Nachoman]

The side effects of Ambien are similar to LSD.

[webheart]

The side effects of Ambien are similar to LSD.

How do you know this? : )

[gathersnomoss]

Yeah, how do you know that the side effects o Ambien are similar to LSD? If true, how did I miss this?

[radiohead]

The side effects of Ambien are similar to LSD.
How do you know this? : )

I'd like to know as well. If that is the case, I need to change my prescription!

[cherry]

I have taken Ambien about 3 times a week for a year or two....but I’ve cut back even on that......Ambien really helps me fall asleep but the first night you don’t take it, its like your are wired awake...and I don’t want to take it every night....so for the past 10 days, I haven’t.( it didn’t hurt that I ran out of them...lol)

[TexasRepublic]

I feel a Paul Harvey “Rest of the Story” moment coming on... So Jimmy wakes up for a few hours and turns on the TV. After his appraisal of the Presidential candidates, he requested to be taken off the medication.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"Rather deal with the insomnia than see the weirdness I saw last night, lol."

Isn't it the pill with those creepy commercials with the ghostly green butterfly floating into people's bedrooms? The very thought freaks me out. Creepiest commercials ever, and a real turnoff for the pills. What's next, clowns with daggers hiding under the bed?

[cpforlife.org]

There was an episode of HOUSE a couple years ago where the doc insisted on trying a never before treatment on a PVS patient, It worked. I don't recall if it was ambien but it was an incredible outcome and great episode.

[TexasBeth]

A green butterfly would have been a huge improvement over the red spiders, lol. All of the lights on the vcr and tv appeared to have legs like spiders. Don’t even get me started on the ceiling fan. My poor husband was trying to sleep with one eye open, lol.