Last week we heard the reports surrounding the dangers of the sleep medicine ambien—that it caused those taking the drug to sleep walk and sleep eat.

But was all the hubub much ado about nothing?

That’s what many experts are saying, along with the pharma that makes the medicine.

You’d think that there has been an explosion of sleep walkers and sleep eaters from the sleeping pill Ambien.

But Dr. Michael Thorpy, a sleep expert at Montefiore Medical Center, says, “The number of people who have this compared to the number of people who are taking medications that help them sleep at night is a very tiny number of people.”

Dr. Thorpy says the news surrounding Ambien is really no surprise, no big deal. “Sleep walking and sleep eating have been reported in people using Ambien but it’s a very small number of people where this happens. About four percent of the population sleep walks. So you’re likely to see the people who take Ambien who have a tendency for sleep walking or even getting up and eating at night. It may be totally independent of the medication.”

Dr. Martin Fitchet, Vice-President of Medical Affairs for Sanofi-Aventis, which makes Ambien, says, “The prescribing information is accurate and sleepwalking is a rare adverse event.”

The other sleep aids, like lunesta and sonata, are also well tolerated in most. But they also make sleep deeper, and so it’s expected these too may very well prompt sleep walking and eating in someone who is prone to them and is sleep deprived.

Dr. Fitchet adds, “We have always stressed the importance of using Ambien under a doctor’s supervision and under certain conditions. That is at the exact dose prescribed, to be taken immediately before the patient is ready to go to bed, when the patient has sufficient time for a full night’s sleep and always in the absence of alcohol.”

Dr. Thorpy does say if someone who prone to sleep walking or eating is sleep deprived, that will make these rare events more likely to occur because the sleep is deeper. In fact, if you’re not getting 7 and a half hours a night, and then take a sleeping pill, watch out.

Otherwise, no worries.

Dr. Thorpy states, “I’m concerned if people are scared by these reports and they don’t take it, the prescription medications, when they should be taking these prescription medications. Despite a few reports of some abnormal events occurring with these medications, in general they are very well tolerated. Most people don’t have any problems and in fact the reverse happens and they sleep so much better.”

According to Sanofi-Aventis, the most common side effects associated with Ambien include daytime drowsiness, dizziness and difficulty with coordination.

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