The nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic zolpidem, widely used as a sleep aid under many different brand names such as Ambien and Sublinox, seems to be linked to a more than doubling of the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. They found that 1.2% of the patients who took zolpidem developed Parkinson’s, compared to 0.5% in the control group. “Among the patients with sleep disturbance, zolpidem use increased the risk of PD after 5 years of follow-up,” the researchers concluded. “Further mechanistic research of zolpidem effect in PD is needed.”Zolpidem and the risk of Parkinson’s disease: A nationwide population-based study (Yang, Yu-Wan et al. Journal of Psychiatric Research.