A Dutch man who has been unable to walk, talk or eat for eight years after taking the sleeping pill Ambien has healed

A man who had been unable to walk or talk for eight years due to a brain injury regained full consciousness 20 minutes after taking the sleeping pill Ambien.

A 39-year-old from Amsterdam (only called Richard in the medical journal Cortex) was diagnosed with akinetic mutism at the age of 29. After choking a piece of meat, he suffered from a rare mental disorder, depriving him of his ability to perform brain oxygen and basic tasks.

Richard could only answer questions and commands by making visual gestures, but he did not move spontaneously and had to be supplied through a tube.

Doctors decided to give him zolpidem (sold as Stilnoct in the UK and Ambien in the US) as a last resort after reports from studies around the world that sleeping pills temporarily cured paralyzed patients. Said that.

Within 20 minutes Richard walked with the help of a caregiver and was able to call his father, who hadn’t heard his son for nearly a decade.

The doctor wrote in his diary that giving Richard the drug once a day could be vigilant for two hours. However, his body becomes tolerant of it, so after taking it in trot for 5 days, the drug begins to lose its effect.

Akinetic mutism does not physically paralyze a person, but it significantly impairs mental function, causing the brain to struggle to signal, talk, and eat. Researchers believe that Ambien will help resume these pathways.

A 39-year-old Dutch patient (only called Richard (right) in the medical journal Cortex) was diagnosed with akinetic mutism at the age of 29. After choking a piece of meat, he suffered a rare mental illness and starved.Oxygen brain

Ambiene is one of the most commonly prescribed in the United States, surpassing painkillers such as percoset and maximum strength ibuprofen.

Willemijnvan Erp, a PhD student at Radboud University, was training to become an elderly care physician when he met Richard at a professional nursing home.

She said Richard’s family had agreed to administer Ambien. His situation “looked hopeless” because the other drugs had no effect.

Within 20 minutes, Richard asked the nurse how to operate the wheelchair, walked with the help of a caregiver, requested fast food, and called his father.

The effect of the drug lasted about two hours before he lost consciousness.

His body began to tolerate the drug after five days, so his medical team had to be selective about when they would give Richard the drug.

They say: ‘It takes an average of 2-3 weeks without medication to re-recognize the effects of a single dose of zolpidem. As a result, management was restricted to special occasions.

According to the scan, after the 2012 accident, when Richard tried to perform a basic task, it appeared that part of his brain shut down due to sensory overload.

Hisse Arnts, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam Medical Center who cares for Richard, said: “You can compare your brain to, so to speak, a large string orchestra.

“With Richard, the first violin plays so loudly that it drowns the other members of the string orchestra and people can no longer hear each other.

“Zolpidem ensures that these first violins play more” pianissimo “and ensure that everyone is back in time.

“This sleeping pill can suppress this unwanted brain overactivity and create space for speech and movement.”

Previous studies have shown that approximately 1 in 20 patients with impaired consciousness who receive Ambiene improve their condition at least temporarily. Dutch researchers are looking for long-term solutions.

Akinetic mutism is found not only in patients with stroke, cancer, and tumors, but also in people with brain trauma.

It is categorized as a term that also includes people with impaired consciousness, coma or vegetative state.

Patients in rare conditions do not respond to commands or questions, but appear awake and usually communicate through eye movements.

The first patient, a 14-year-old girl from England, was diagnosed with a rare condition in 1941.

Named after the medical terminology of people who do not tend to move (kinesia) or speak (akinetic mutism).

Treatment options are limited. In some cases, removing tumors and cysts in the brain can relieve symptoms almost immediately.

For others whose disability has been caused by an injury or stroke, doctors may use intravenous magnesium sulphate.

Naturally occurring minerals can revive dead or over-damaged brain cells that are no longer functioning.

Doctors may also prescribe antidepressants and stimulants that try to jump start the brain’s pathways.

Patients who recover say that when they try to move or gesture, their body “resists” and becomes difficult to perform.

Ambien is one of the most commonly prescribed in the United States, outselling painkillers such as percoset and maximum strength ibuprofen, and doctors prescribe about 15 million Americans each year. I will.

An estimated 6 million British people are prescribed Stilnoct, the brand name for sleeping pills in the UK.

They are used to treat insomnia, helping people fall asleep faster and reducing their chances of waking up in the middle of the night.

The most common side effects of taking Ambien and Stillnoct are drowsiness and dizziness.

Some patients report “syncope” in which they cannot remember their behavior for hours after taking high doses of the drug.