Conservative media pioneer Matt Drudge slammed drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis on Wednesday for mocking Roseanne Barr’s suggestion that her racially charged remark about Obama White House aide Valerie Jarrett was induced by Ambien.
“The drug company mocking Roseanne for her mental illness while they drug a generation is a new low!” Drudge tweeted at the drugmaker’s Twitter handle, @SanofiUS, including three sources detailing the drug’s scary side effects.
The first report — published by Thought Catalog, titled “44 Ambien Stories That Will Creep You The Eff Out” — is a listicle of people recounting their bizarre experiences while on the drug.
One person says they had no recollection of purchases they made on Amazon.
I tried Ambien for a while. I would take it about 30 minutes before going to bed and browse around online, waiting for it to kick in. I started receiving packages from Amazon that I didn’t order. It was all good stuff that I liked, so I called around to family and friend trying to figure out who was so kind to send me stuff. When my credit card bill came, everything was on there, thankfully nothing I couldn’t afford. I checked my Amazon account, and apparently I ordered them myself and don’t recall it. Thanks Ambien. I stopped taking it for fear of what else I might do.
Another alleges they couldn’t recall sending text messages while on the drug.
Last week I took an Ambien. When I woke up I had changed my shirt and was naked from the waste down. An open but unused condom was on the bed next to me. At 4 in the morning I had texted one of my female friends: “Come to our wonderspace Barely come in Geab son quick teickests ourtaude bsx quick ticks t”
The second link is of Ambien’s rating on Ask a Patient, an online database that ranks prescription drugs and their side effects.
“Never should have started when dr prescribed this. I am presently weaning off. Good riddance to this drug. Nothing positive to gain taking it,” one comment reads.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been taking for 12 years and think I’m addicted. I’m working to get off the medication completely,” says another.
The third source, an article featured on Ranker.com, lists 12 “horrifying acts of violence” perpetrated by those who were allegedly on the drug.
Roseanne Barr set off a firestorm of criticism on Tuesday after describing Jarrett as the product of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes, a remark she has since apologized for, later claiming she “Ambien tweeting.”
“Guys I did something unforgiveable so do not defend me,” she said in a now-deleted tweet.
“It was 2 in the morning and I was Ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but…don’t defend it please. ty.”
Responding to Barr’s tweet, Sanofi-Aventis attempted to dismiss the notion that the drug may have influenced the actress-comedian’s comments.
“People of all races, religions, and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world,” wrote the pharmaceutical company Sanofi on Twitter. “While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
Hours after the remark, ABC canceled Roseanne, saying in a statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”