Phoebe Judge
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
One plaintiff was a woman who'd been arrested for shoplifting DVDs and a candle from the Navy base where she worked.
Others found themselves sleep-eating or driving after they'd taken Ambien.
In March 2007, the FDA began requiring a stronger warning on the Ambien label and told the manufacturer to let doctors know about the risk of sleep-driving.
That year, the generic equivalent of Ambien came out, Zolpidem.
Manufacturers added a similar warning, and millions of people started taking it, including Lindsay Schweigert, who'd just started a new prescription the day she was arrested in 2011.
Lindsay was charged with a DUI and for running a stoplight.
As for the car she hit, no one was hurt, and the damage was minor.
Lindsay says the repair cost something around $450.
Lindsay's lawyer argued that what had happened was a known side effect of Ambien.
She ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge, careless driving, to avoid jail time, and her license was suspended for a year.
She also paid thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Is it still hard to believe that you were able to do all of that while asleep?
She says she hasn't taken Ambien or Zolpidem since.
Our producers are Susanna Robertson, Jackie Sajico, Lily Clark, Lena Sillison, and Megan Kinane.
Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal.