In the coming week Ladan is likely to be given a medicine called Zolpidem. It is commonly used as a sleeping tablet but when, several years ago, somebody in a persistent coma-like state was given the drug to make them more restful they miraculously awoke and started speaking. Several hours later the drug had worn off and the patient was unconscious again. The tablet has since been tried with many people who have suffered some form of brain damage and in many cases the success has been repeated.
For people in a persistent vegetative state (long term coma with no signs of awareness or communication) or a minimally conscious state (long term coma with some signs of awareness but no reliable communication) the success rate of the medication in having some form of measurable benefit is approximately 10-15%. In less severe cases of brain damage the success rate climbs up to just over 50%. In all cases where there is success there is the possibility that continued use brings about gradual recovery from the underlying condition.
Zolpidem was in the news a lot last year for these unexpected results being experienced around the world, an article that appeared in The Guardian can be found here.
Zolpidem is not the only medication that has been found to bring recovery to people in long term coma-like states. A drug called levodopa, which is generally used for treatment of parlinson’s disease has been found to have a much more dramatic and long lasting effect on people in these conditions and this has been known about for a long time now.