Ambien led to sleep cleaning and driving

Q. I need help getting off Ambien. I have discovered that I am driving, cleaning the house, cooking and eating while I am “sleeping” after taking this pill.

How can I get a decent night’s sleep without a drug like Ambien? Without sleep, I feel like death warmed over, so I am desperate.

A. You are not the only one to discover that zolpidem (Ambien) can lead to unplanned nighttime activities, including sleepwalking, sleep driving and sleep sex. Several readers have been arrested for DUI after driving in their zolpidem-induced sleep.

Although the Food and Drug Administration has reduced the recommended dose of zolpidem, some people will still benefit from nondrug approaches to overcoming insomnia. Our Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep provides information on herbs and supplements such as chamomile, lemon balm, magnesium, passionflower and valerian.

Q. My daughter is a nurse who likes to keep her mum healthy. She recently brought me soy-based lecithin. I mix the granules into food, and I’ve noticed that my nails have become very strong. All my life before this they were weak and broke and splintered easily.

My knee pain has disappeared, and my other joints are greatly improved. I know the brain contains a lot of lecithin. Is there any research into lecithin for memory?

A. Lecithin is a natural complex of fatty substances that is found in foods like soybeans or egg yolks. It is a building block for choline and other phospholipids.

Preliminary research suggests that lecithinlike compounds may have anti-inflammatory activity (Current Opinion in Lipidology, December 2010). This might explain your decreased knee pain.

As for the brain, rat research shows that lecithin may reverse memory impairment in old rats (Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry online, July 22, 2014). We were unable to find clinical trials supporting lecithin for boosting human brain power.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or email them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”

2014 King Features Syndicate Inc.