YOU
YOU HEAR
YOU HEAR ABOUT SLEEP 4@AID ALL THE TIME... YOU PROBABLY HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF
COMMERCIALS FOR AMBIEN...
LUNESTA... AND MORE THAN A
DOZEN SIMILAR DRUGS BUT
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
4@
DOZEN SIMILAR DRUGS BUT WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE RISKS THAT COME WITH THEM?
AS ZACH 4@MERCHANT TELLS US...
ONE WOMAN FOUND OU4@T THE HARD
WAY.
4@4@
I 4@4@
I FELT
I FELT FINE... I TURNED ON 96 AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW THE SHERIFF WAS ASKING ME TO GET
OUT OF THE CAR LINDA
MEADE SAYS HOW SHE4@ GOT TO THA
MOMENT... IS A WILD RIDE A
HOUSTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE REPORT SAYS THE 69 YEAR
OLD WAS DRIVING THE WRONG WAY
DOWN HIGHWAY 96 NEAR HER
BONAIRE HOME EARLY ONE MORNING
LAST JULY. WHEN DEPUTIES
GOT TO HER, THE REPORT SAYS
SHE WAS "UNSTEADY ON HER FEET"
AND "HAD A HARD TIME STANDING
UP." SHE FAILED A FIELD
SOBRIETY TEST... AND WAS TAKEN
TO JAIL I WAS VERY
EMBARRASSED, VERY HUMILIATED
FROM THE TIME SHE 4@TURNED
OUT OF HER NEIGHBORHOOD TO
THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE
DEPUTIES... SHE 4@SAYS SHE CAN'
REMEMBER A THING WHAT SHE
áDOESá REMEMBER... IS TAKING
AN AMBIEN SLEEPING PILL THE
NIGHT BEFORE. SHE SAYS HER
DOCTOR PRESCRIBED IT.
MEADE SAYS SHE BLACKED OUT
BEHIND THE WHEEL... EVEN
THOUGH SHE FOLLOWED ALL 4@HER
DOCTOR'S ORDERS 4@ZM: YOU TOOK
THE AMBIEN THAT YOU WERE
PRESCRIBED AS PRESCRIBED?LM:
YESZM: YOU TOOK THE DOSAGE
THAT WAS PRESCRIBED.LM:
YES.ZM: YOU DIDN'T DRINK
ALCOHOL WITH IT?LM: NO.ZM: YOU
WERE INSTRUCTED TO SLEEP EIGHT
HOURS BEFORE DRIVING AND YOU
SLEPT MORE THAN EIGHT HOURS
BEFORE DRIVING?LM: 4@RIGHT.ZM:
YOU DID EVERYTHING YOU WERE
TOLD TO DO--LM: EVERYTHINGZM:
AND YET YOU 4@STILL BLACKED OUT
AND END UP IN JAIL?LM: RIGHT.
THAT HOUSTON COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORT SAYS A
BLOOD TEST WAS ADMINISTERED...
AND SENT TO THE GBI CRIME
LAB... WE GOT THE RESULTS
OF THAT TEST AND SURE
ENOUGH... SHE HAD NO ALCOHOL
IN HER SYSTEM...4@ NO
ILLICIT DRUGS THE ONLY
SUBSTANCE FOUND IN HER SYSTEM
WAS ZOLPIDEM... THE
GENERIC NAME FOR 4@áAMBIEN.á
DR. AVINESH BARR... A SLEEP
SPECIALIST AT MEDICAL CENTER
NAVICENT HEALTH... SAYS 4@
EXTREME REACTIONS TO SLEEPING
PILLS ARE RARE... BUT THEY CAN
HAPPEN AB: ASSAULT... YOU KNOW @
DRIVING, CAUSING INJURY.. EVEN
RAPE AND 4@THERE'S BEEN MULTIPL
CASE WITH WITH WITH 4@DRUG USE
OR ANY KIND OF SLEEP AID THAT
AFFECTS YOUR SLEEP//ZM: SO IN
THEORY IT IS MEDICALLY
POSSIBLE THAT YOU COULD HAVE A
REACTION LIKE THIS WHERE YOU
WOULD...AB: NOT BE AWARE OF IT.
4@ MEADE SAYS THAT HAPPENE
TO HER... SHE PLED GUILTY TO
DUI--áDRUGSá IN JANU4@ARY.4@
DUI--áDRUGSá IN 4@PLED GUILTY T
TO HER... SHE PLED GUILTY TO
DUI--áDRUGSá IN JANUARY.
A JUDGE SENTENCED HER TO 12
MONTHS OF PROBATION... 4@AND 2
NIGHTS IN JAIL IT WAS
SURREAL... VERY
INTIMIDATING... YOU HAVE TO
TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF, THEY
HAVE TO CHECK IF YOU BROUGHT
ANY IN... YOU HEAR PEOPLE
USING AWFUL 4@PEOPLE USING IN..
YOU HEAR PEOPLE USING AWFUL
LANGUAGE ALL NIGHT LONG,
4@HITTING THE DOORS 4@SHE GOT
WITH FINES AND LEGAL FEES I'VE
SPENT 5,000 4@DOLLARS AND MAYBE
THE BIGGEST HIT OF ALL...
SINCE SHE TRAVELS FOR WORK--
SHE LOST HER LICENSE FOR 6
MONTHS ZM: YOU CAN'T WORK
RIGHT NOW?LM: NO I CAN'T WORK 4
AND IF THIS ALL HAPPENED
LIKE SHE SAYS IT DID... THIS
IS WHERE HER BAD LUCK... GOT
EVEN WORSE BECAUSE IN
GEORGIA... DUI áDRU4@GSá AND DU
áALCOHOLá ARE NOT TREATED THE
SAME UNDER THE LAW4@ THE MAN IN
FRONT OF ME IN THE COURT HE
WAS DUI 4@ALCOHOL... WELL THEY
LET HIM DRIVE AND NOT ME
SHE MIGHT BE EXAGGERATING ...
BUT NOT MUCH. ATTORNEY 4@
ANN PARMAN, WHO'S SPENT
DECADES SPECIALIZING IN 4@DUI
DEFENSE, SAYS IF MEADE HAD
MADE THE áCHOICEá TO DRINK AND
THEN GET BEHIND THE WHEEL...
SHE 4@MIGHT HAVE BEEN BETTER OF
LEGALLY... THE CRIMES
CARRY THE SAME CRIMINAL
PENALITIES... EXCEPT WHEN IT
COMES TO YOUR LICENSE
PARMAN SAYS A FIRST TIME
OFFENDER FOR DUI áALCOHOLá
WILL LOSE THEIR 4@LICENSE FOR
FOUR MONTHS... SORT OF4@ 4@YOU
A LIMITED PERMIT AND THAT IS
FOR 120 DAYS..4@. YOU CAN GO TO
WORK YOU CAN GO TO SCHOOL YOU
CAN GO TO 4@MEDICAL YOU CAN GO
TO YOUR 4@PROBATION OFFICE AND
YOU CAN DO YOUR COMMUNITY 4@
SERVICE. BUT OTHER THAN 4@THAT
YOU'RE NOT TO BE4@ DRIVING. 4@
A LOOOONG LIST OF
EXCEPTIONS... MEADE COULDN'T
GET. EVEN THOUGH SHE DID
áNOTá CHOOSE TO HAVE AN
UNEXPECTED REACTION TO A 4@
PRESCRIBED DRUG... BECAUSE HER
WAS A DUI áDRUGSá CHARGE, SHE
LOST HER 4@LICENSE COMPLETELY..
NO EXCEPTIONS 4@A SIX MONTH 4@
SUSPENSION. NO PERMIT. IT'S
CALLED A HARD SUSPENSION ZM:
SO MUCH OF THE OTHER 4@
GUIDELINES ARE JUST DUI
NEUTRAL--DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. WHY
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE 4@4@HERE?
THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTIONS.
THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE UNDER
THE LAW BETWEEN DRUGS EITHER...
AMBIEN... THERE HAS NOT BEEN
AN EXCEPTION CARVED OUT FOR IT @
SO LINDA MEADE... FACED
THE SAME DUI CHARGE AS SOMEONE
WHO GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL HIGH
ON A DRUG LIKE 4@COCAINE 4@
HOUSTON COUNTY, ZACH 4@MERCHANT
13WMAZ NEWS.
MEADE
MEADE SAYS SHE DOES HAVE A LIVER PROBLEM...WHIC4@H DR. BHAR SAID COULD MAKE
UNEXPECTED REACTIONS TO
SLEEPING PILLS MORE LIKELY.4@
HE áALSOá SAID IN HIS
PRACTICE... HE PRESCRIBES
THOSE DRUGS TO LESS THAN ONE