Emergency Department and Clinical Toxicology Unit, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
Zolpidem is a recently introduced sleep-inducer which is thought to act on the central-type benzodiazepine receptors. This observation is the first report of drug poisoning with this compound. The toxic response was characterized by the development of a profound but short-lasting coma, associated with pin-point pupils and respiratory depression, as observed in a narcotic overdose. These clinical signs were not influenced by the administration of naloxone, but responded dramatically to flumazenil. Some analytical data on zolpidem toxicokinetics are presented.