One of the iconic questions that has been bandied about the political arena is that emergency phone call at three am, and who is better equipped to handle the national emergency that such a call heralds.
Something has been bothering me. In the twelve hundred pages of McCains medical history is a list of the prescribed medications that he takes with regularity. Ambien is a powerful sleeping seditive and hypnotic. We've seen the commercials on tv with the caveat not to drive or operate heavy machinery while taking Ambien. So will that three am phone call be answered (or not) by a blitzed President? If driving is not advised, what about steering the ship of state in an emergency?
McCain's Ambien Use: a Security Threat?
Sleep Drug Known for Memory-Linked Side Effects; Most Doctors Unconcerned
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
May 23, 2008
In a presidential race marked by references to preparedness in the face of the 3 a.m. call, the revelation that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has taken the sleeping pill Ambien during his travels raises concerns that the rare side effects of the medication could impair his judgment
Apparently, I'm not alone in my concern. further investigation has revealed an article by Dan Childs of the ABC News Medical Unit titled
McCain's Ambien Use: a Security Threat?
Sleep Drug Known for Memory-Linked Side Effects; Most Doctors Unconcerned
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
May 23, 2008
In a presidential race marked by references to preparedness in the face of the 3 a.m. call, the revelation that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has taken the sleeping pill Ambien during his travels raises concerns that the rare side effects of the medication could impair his judgment.
There are apparently some doctors concerned about it, as this NY Times article questions Ambien use without relating it to McCain.
The presentation refers to Zolpidem, which is the chemical name for Ambien. Ambien, the nation's best-selling prescription sleeping pill, is showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later say they were sleep-driving and have no memory of taking the wheel after taking the drug.
In some state toxicology laboratories Ambien makes the top 10 list of drugs found in impaired drivers. Wisconsin officials identified Ambien in the bloodstreams of 187 arrested drivers from 1999 to 2004.
Some Sleeping Pill Users Range Far Beyond Bed Jean-Phillipe Defaut for The New York Times
Sean Joyce, after taking Ambien, became "like the Incredible Hulk all of a sudden" on a flight to London last year, according to his lawyer.
McCain's Ambien Use: a Security Threat?
Sleep Drug Known for Memory-Linked Side Effects; Most Doctors Unconcerned
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
May 23, 2008
In a presidential race marked by references to preparedness in the face of the 3 a.m. call, the revelation that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has taken the sleeping pill Ambien during his travels raises concerns that the rare side effects of the medication could impair his judgment.
There are apparently some doctors concerned about it, as this NY Times article questions Ambien use without relating it to McCain.