Ambien is a prescription medicine used in adults for the short-term treatment of insomnia (difficulty falling asleep).
Ambien (zolpidem) is an oral medication used primarily for the short term treatment of insomnia, where people may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
It is part of a a class of medications called sedative-hypnotics. It works by affecting the GABA receptors in the brain, producing feelings of sedation and relaxation.
Take Ambien exactly as prescribed. Do not take more Ambien than prescribed for you.
- Take Ambien right before you get into bed. It works quickly.
- Do not take Ambien unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (7–8 hours) before you must be active again.
- Ambien should be taken without food.
- Call your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
- If you take too much Ambien or overdose, call your doctor or poison control center right away, or get emergency treatment.
Take Ambien exactly as prescribed. Do not take more Ambien than prescribed.
Take Ambien right before you get in bed, not sooner. Only take Ambien if you can get a full night’s sleep (at least 7 hours).
Ambien may be prescribed in the form of a tablet or an extended-release tablet to be taken by mouth. Swallow the extended release tablets whole. Ambien may also come in the form of an oral spray or a tablet to place under the tongue.
Your prescription of Ambien should come with a medication guide. Be sure to look over the guide before taking Ambien. If the medication guide is not included with your prescription be sure to contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products. Do not take Ambien with other medicines that make you sleepy. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take:
- antidepressants such as imipramine (Tofranil) and sertraline (Zoloft)
- chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- antifungal medicines such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- medications for anxiety
- cold medicines or allergy medicines
- medicines for mental illness
- pain medicines
- medicines for seizures
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
- sedatives
- sleeping pills
- tranquilizers.
This is not a complete list of Ambien drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Ambien is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep Ambien tablets in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Ambien tablets may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your doctor if you have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs.
In case of overdose, seek medical attention.
Overdose symptoms may include:
- Nausea
- Slowed breathing
- Chest pain
- Coma
- Light headedness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Drowsiness
An overdose of Ambien may cause excessive sedation, pin-point pupils, depressed respiratory function, which may progress to coma and possibly death. Ambien combined with alcohol, opiates, or other CNS depressants may be even more likely to lead to fatal overdoses.
The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) recommended lowering the Ambien dose for women from 10 mg to 5 mg for immediate-release products and from 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg for extended-release products (Ambien CR) on January 10, 2013 because new data show that blood levels in some patients may be high enough the morning after use to impair activities that require alertness, including driving. Women appear to be more susceptible to this risk because they eliminate zolpidem (the active ingredient in Ambien) from their bodies more slowly than men.
After taking Ambien, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and take part in an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You have a higher chance for doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with Ambien. Reported activities include:
- driving a car (“sleep-driving”)
- making and eating food
- talking on the phone
- having sex
- sleep-walking
Call your doctor right away if you find out that you have done any of the above activities after taking Ambien.
- Take Ambien right before you get in bed, not sooner.
- Do not take Ambien if you drink alcohol.
- Do not take Ambien with other medicines that can make you sleepy.
- Do not take Ambien if you cannot get a full night’s sleep or stay in bed 7 or 8 hours before being active again.
- Do not take Ambien if you are allergic to anything in it. Severe allergic reactions have occurred with Ambien use. Seek emergency medical attention if you have unexplained rash, itching, hives, wheezing or trouble breathing, or unexplained swelling (especially of the throat, lips, or mouth).
Before receiving Ambien, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts
- have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
- have kidney or liver disease
- have a lung disease or breathing problems
- are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding
Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
Take Ambien exactly as your doctor has prescribed it. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.
The recommended Ambien dose for adult men is 10 mg once daily immediately before bedtime. The total Ambien dose should not exceed 10 mg per day.
For women, the recommended Ambien dose is 5 mg once daily immediately before bedtime. The FDA recommended lowering the dose for women from 10 mg to 5 mg for immediate-release zolpidem products on January 10, 2013 because new data show that blood levels in some patients may be high enough the morning after use to impair activities that require alertness, including driving. Women appear to be more susceptible to this risk because they eliminate zolpidem (the active ingredient in Ambien) from their bodies more slowly than men.
The recommended dose of zolpidem extended-release tablets (Ambien CR) for adult men is 12.5 mg once daily immediately before bedtime. The total zolpidem extended-release tablets dose should not exceed 12.5 mg per day.
For women, the recommended zolpidem extended-release dose is 6.25 mg once daily immediately before bedtime. The FDA recommended lowering the dose for women from 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg for extended-release products on January 10, 2013. See above.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Ambien will harm your unborn baby.
Active Ingredients:
Zolpidem tartrate
It is important to keep a list of all medications you are currently taking. This should include all prescription, over the counter, and supplemental medications. This list should be kept with you at all times. Whenever you are beginning a new medication, be sure to consult your doctor and provide him or her with your list of medications.
For further information on Ambien speak with a pharmacist.
- Store Ambien at room temperature, 68? to 77?F (20? to 25?C).
- Keep Ambien and all medicines out of reach of children.
- Ambien is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep Ambien in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Ambien may harm others, and is against the law.
Before you take ambient discuss with your physician if you have any of the following conditions:
- Myasthenia gravis
- Sleep apnea
- History of drug or alcohol abuse
- Severe lung disease
- Sever liver disease
- Pregnant women
- Women who are breastfeeding
- Have had an allergic reaction to ambient
Do not take Ambien if you:
- Drink alcohol
- Take other medicines that can make you sleepy. Talk to your doctor about all of your medicines. Your doctor will tell you if you can take Ambien with your other medicines.
- Cannot get a full night’s sleep
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Ambien there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Ambien.
WARNING:
Ambien is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep Ambien in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Ambien may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your doctor if you have ever abused or have been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs.
After taking Ambien, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You have a higher chance for doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with Ambien.
Reported activities include:
- Driving a car (“sleep-driving”)
- Making and eating food
- Talking on the phone
- Having sex
- Sleep-walking
Ambien is available in 5 mg and 10 mg tablets. It is also available as 6.25 mg and 12.5 mg controlled-release (CR) tablets.
Active Ingredient: Zolpidem tartrate
Inactive Ingredients: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, lactose, magnesium stearate, micro-crystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, sodium starch glycolate, and titanium dioxide. In addition, the 5 mg tablet contains FD&C Red No. 40, iron oxide colorant, and polysorbate 80.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or are planning to breastfeed. Ambien is excreted into human milk. It is not known if Ambien will harm your nursing baby.
Ambien is used to treat insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Ambien belongs to a class of medications called sedative-hypnotics. It works by slowing activity in the brain to allow sleep.
Ambien is used in adults for the treatment of a sleep problem called insomnia. The main symptom of insomnia is trouble falling asleep.
Ambien is used for short-term (usually about two to six weeks) treatment of insomnia. Ambien has not proven effective in maintaining sleep and is more used for sleep initiation problems.
Ambien has a potential for either medical misuse when the drug is continued long term without or against medical advice, or recreational use when the drug is taken inappropriately.