Society and culture
Recreational use
Zaleplon has the potential to be a drug of recreational use, and has been found to have an addictive potential similar to benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics. The mind- and judgment-altering effects of zaleplon are similar to those of many benzodiazepines, but the fast-acting nature and short half-life of the chemical mean high doses set on much more quickly and last for short periods of time (usually from 45 to 60 minutes). Some individuals use a different delivery method than prescribed, such as insufflation, to induce effects faster. A common effect of recreational zaleplon use is the occurrence of (typically short-lived) hallucinations. Fewer visual and auditory hallucinations/disruptions occur with the use of zaleplon than with other Z-drugs, like zolpidem. Anterograde amnesia can occur and can cause one to lose track of the amount of zaleplon already ingested, prompting the ingesting of more than originally planned. However, continuous ingestion is extremely unlikely precisely because of zaleplons quick onset of action.The combination of alcohol and zaleplon can result in fatal respiratory depression and asphyxiation from vomiting. Aviation use
The Federal Aviation Administration allows zaleplon with a 12-hour wait period and no more than twice a week, which makes it the sleep medication with the shortest allowed waiting period after use. The substances with the 2nd shortest period, which is of 24 hours, are zolpidem and ramelteon.
Extracardiac manifestations include:

Macroglossia
Periorbital bruising
Loss of the third and fourth heart sound
Thromboembolisms
Symmetric sensory neuropathy (such as bilateral carpal tunnel)
Postural hypotension (secondary to autonomic neuropathy)
Nephrotic syndrome (secondary to free light chain damage to the kidneys/deposition of amyloid in the kidneys)

Cause
The general cause of cardiac amyloidosis is the misfolding of a specific protein precursor depending on the amyloidosis type. Protein precursors include immunoglobulin-derived light chains and transthyretin mutations. The misfolding of the protein causes it to have insoluble beta-pleated sheets, creating an amyloid. Amyloid, the aggregation, or clumping, of proteins, is resistant to degradation by the body. Amyloids are mostly fibrils, while also containing a P component, apolipoprotein, collagen, fibronectin, and laminin. The P component, a pentameric protein, stabilizes the fibrils of the amyloid, which reduces their clearance from the body. Deposits of the amyloids can occur throughout the body, including the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, adrenal glands, and bones. Deposits in the extracellular cardiac space can stiffen the heart, resulting in restriction of the ventricles. This restriction in ventricular motion results in a decreased ability for the heart to pump efficiently, leading to the various symptoms associated with cardiac amyloidosis. Diagnosis
Echocardiography
Echocardiography is a safe and non-invasive method that can be used to assess the structural and functional disease of the heart. Amyloidosis presents with ventricle and valvular thickening, biatrial enlargement, restrictive filling pattern, with normal to mildly reduced systolic function and decreased diastolic filling. An echo can be used to evaluate for prognosis of the disease, measuring the different strains within the heart.