The Incidence of Zolpidem Use in Suspected DUI Drivers in Miami-Dade Florida: A Comparative Study Using Immunalysis Zolpidem ELISA KIT and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Screening

Abstract

In 1993, Zolpidem (Ambien), a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic agent, was approved for use in the United States for the short-term treatment of insomnia. Zolpidem has a rapid onset of action and short elimination half-life, rendering it ideal as a sleep aid. The objective of this study was to evaluate, and retrospectively compare, the use of the Immunalysis ELISA kit and gas chromatograpy-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to screen blood/urine specimens for zolpidem. In addition, results for the incidence of zolpidem in suspected DUI drivers in 2007 are compared to previous years' data. The ELISA kit was evaluated for cross-reactivity with zaleplon and zopiclone and zolpidem metabolite I. Urine samples (n = 100) and blood samples (n = 100) were selected from specimens received into the DUI laboratory in 2007 and were screened via the Immunalysis Zolpidem ELISA kit and on GC-MS in full EI scan mode following an alkaline liquid-liquid extraction. Results show 5% of the urine and blood samples screened positive for zolpidem using the ELISA kits, and all 5% confirmed positive for zolpidem using GC-MS. The ELISA kit demonstrated no cross-reactivity to zaleplon or zopiclone at a spiked urine concentration of 1000 ng/mL. Ten cases of suspected DUI drivers in 2007 confirmed positive for zolpidem by ELISA and GC-MS in blood/urine, a higher incidence rate than in the previous years. Because of the low percentage elimination of the parent compound in urine, a screening method for the detection of the main metabolite of zolpidem may be needed for better detection of drug impairment driving due to zolpidem.

UHPLC‐MS/MS and UHPLC‐HRMS identification of zolpidem and zopiclone main urinary metabolites and method development for their toxicological determination

“…Their determination in biological fluids is indeed of primary importance, and they are often included in the screening methods developed for the detection of drugs in DFSA in various biological matrices, such as blood, [5][6][7][8][9] urine, [9][10][11][12][13][14] and hair. [9,10] Despite this, they are reported to be extensively metabolized; [15,16] published papers (mainly for zolpidem) report the mere determination of the unchanged compound also in urine samples and no analytical methods are described for the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) determination of the main metabolites of zolpidem in urine.…”

Risks of the Meiliang Bay Source of Drinking Water in Taihu Lake (MLBSDW- THL) on Environmental Health

“…Many methods can be used to measure the serum biochemical parameters such as reported by Chan et al [7], Reidy et al [30], Maresova et al [24], Han et al [16] and Zhao et al [44]. In this research, the eighteen serum biochemical parameter levels for the sampled mice were measured by Automatic Biochemical Analysis/ RerLi 600 (Japan Product).…”

The Benzodiazepine Stigma Persists

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Some of these medications have been associated with impairment in on-the-road driving tests and psychomotor tests in addition to being associated with motor vehicle accidents.…”