Q; Can I get a DUI because I take Ambien? And I have a prescription for Ambien.
A: Yes, you can be charged with DUI for prescription drugs. The United States Food And Drug Administration ("FDA) has described "sleep driving" as "driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event". Ambien and other popular sleeping medications like Lunesta are sedative-hypnotic products that can cause this condition.
"Sleep driving" while under the influence occurs after you take the prescription medication, go to sleep, unknowingly wake up (and start sleep-walking) and then drive a car. It's a real and growing danger that police departments are well-aware of, as hundreds of people continue to suffer Georgia DUI Ambien arrests.
Even though sleep-driving, like sleep-walking, has become a recognized phenomenon, it is nevertheless illegal. If you useAmbien, Lunesta or any other "sedative-hypnotic" medication and then drive, you face conviction for a Georgia DUI-Drugs charge.