Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) Drug Information: Medication Guide and Patient Information

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May 24, 2012

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Insomnia is defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both, despite adequate opportunity and time to sleep, leading to impaired daytime functioning. Insomnia may be due to poor quality or quantity of sleep.

Insomnia is very common and occurs in 30% to 50% of the general population. Approximately 10% of the population may suffer from chronic (long-standing) insomnia.

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Insomnia may be divided into three classes based on the duration of symptoms.

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PATIENT INFORMATION

AMBIEN®
(am'be-en)
(zolpidem tartrate) Tablets

Read the Medication Guide that comes with AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) before you start taking it and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This Medication Guide does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

After taking AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) , 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 (zolpidem tartrate) . 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 (zolpidem tartrate) .

Important:

1. Take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) exactly as prescribed

Do not take more AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) than prescribed.
Take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) right before you get in bed, not sooner.

2. Do not take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) 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 (zolpidem tartrate) with your other medicines.
cannot get a full night's sleep

What is AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) is a sedative-hypnotic (sleep) medicine. AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) is used in adults for the short-term treatment of a sleep problem called insomnia. Symptoms of insomnia include:

trouble falling asleep

AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) is not for children.

AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) 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.

Who should not take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

Do not take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) if you are allergic to anything in it. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) .

AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) may not be right for you. Before starting AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) , tell your doctor about all of your health 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. Medicines can interact with each other, sometimes causing serious side effects. Do not take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) with other medicines that can make you sleepy.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of your medicines with you to show your doctor and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine.

How should I take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

Take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) exactly as prescribed. Do not take more AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) than prescribed for you.
Take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) right before you get into bed.
Do not take AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (7-8 hours) before you must be active again.
For faster sleep onset, AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) should NOT be taken with or immediately after a meal.
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 (zolpidem tartrate) or overdose, call your doctor or poison control center right away, or get emergency treatment.

What are the possible side effects of AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

Serious side effects of AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) include:

getting out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. (See “What is the most important information I should know about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?)
abnormal thoughts and behavior. Symptoms include more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions.
memory loss
anxiety
severe allergic reactions. Symptoms include swelling of the tongue or throat, trouble breathing, and nausea and vomiting. Get emergency medical help if you get these symptoms after taking AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) .

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the above side effects or any other side effects that worry you while using AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) .

The most common side effects of AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) are:

drowsiness
dizziness
diarrhea
“drugged feelings”
You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) . Do not drive or do other dangerous activities after taking AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) until you feel fully awake.

After you stop taking a sleep medicine, you may have symptoms for 1 to 2 days such as: trouble sleeping, nausea, flushing, lightheadedness, uncontrolled crying, vomiting, stomach cramps, panic attack, nervousness, and stomach area pain.

These are not all the side effects of AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) . Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1–800–FDA–1088.

How should I store AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) ?

Store AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) at room temperature, 68° to 77°F (20° to 25°C).
Keep AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) and all medicines out of reach of children.

General Information about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate)

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide.
Do not use AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) for a condition for which it was not prescribed.
Do not share AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) with other people, even if you think they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them and it is against the law.

This Medication Guide summarizes the most important information about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) . If you would like more information, talk with your doctor. You can ask your doctor or pharmacist for information about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) that is written for healthcare professionals. For more information about AMBIEN (zolpidem tartrate) , call 1-800-633-1610.

What are the ingredients in AMBIEN?

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.

This Medication Guide has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Last reviewed on RxList: 1/24/2011
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.