Czolpidem Tartrate — or Stilnox — was a medication primarily prescribed for sleep, although in some rare circumstances it has been used in cases of schizophrenia. I took it many years ago and experienced some undesirable symptoms. Some people use it recreationally — don’t ask me why — but if you force yourself to remain awake the consequences can be frightening. I took it roughly twenty years ago and had one particularly bad episode. Apparently similar things happen to many people who use the drug; several of those accounts resonate with my own experience. One especially alarming phenomenon is driving while under its influence. I found myself on a road many miles from home and, as the drug’s effects faded, had no recollection of where I had been going or why. I cannot remember leaving my house, navigating traffic, or how I got there, and I was terrified. I turned the car around, made it back home, and went straight to bed. Later, after consulting Dr. Google, I learned that such episodes are disturbingly common. Thanks for the warning, Professor Burrows. I also knew a mate who, after taking it, started heating washing liquid in a frying pan — he had no recollection of what had happened the previous night.

Fortunately this drug has now been taken off the market for the reasons outlined above. Good to see it removed.