Generic Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate)
Medical Guidlines
Zolpidem tartrate is indicated for short term treatment of insomnia or sleep loss.
It is known that there is a low occurrence of side effects following the short term use of zolpidem tartrate. In controlled clinical trails it was observed that some of the more common side effects were, in 2% there was drowsiness, 1% dizziness and 1% diarrhea.
Patients taking zolpidem tartrate should take particular care first thing in the morning when engaging in any activities that require complete alertness until they know how they will react to zolpidem tartrate. It is known that people suffering memory problems can be helped in most cases by taking zolpidem tartrate and getting a good night’s sleep, normally 7 to 8 hours before becoming active again. As with any medication alcohol should be avoided when taking zolpidem tartrate. Prescription sleep medications can be addictive and doctors usually advise that these are taken for 7 to 10 days then reviewed.
Your doctor has prescribed zolpidem tartrate to help you sleep. The following information is intended to guide you in the safe use of this medicine. It is not meant to take the place of your doctor’s instructions. If you have any questions about Ambien tablets you should ask your doctor or pharmacist.
There are many types of sleep problem for which zolpidem tartrate is prescribed to help. These are having trouble falling asleep, waking up too early in the morning, or waking up often during the night. Some people may have one or more of these problems.
The group of medicines to which zolpidem tartrate belongs, are known as seductive/hypnotics, put more simply sleep medicines. There are many of these medicines available to help people sleep better. Sleep problems are usually temporary, which require treatment for only 1 or 2 days up to 1 to 2 weeks. There are people that have chronic sleep problems that would require prolonged use of medication. However, it is important that you should not use these medicines for long periods without consulting your doctor about any risk or benefit of prolonged use.
Side Effects
All medicines have some side effects and the most common of associated with sleep medicines including zolpidem tartrate include; drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, and difficulty with co-ordination. It may be that you find that these medicines make you sleepy during the day. How drowsy you feel depends upon how your body reacts to the medicine, which sleep medicine you are taking, and how large a dose your doctor has prescribed. By taking the lowest possible dose, it may be possible to avoid this daytime drowsiness, but still aid your sleep loss problems. Your doctor will work with you to find the dose of zolpidem tartrate that is best for you.
To help manage these possible side effects when taking zolpidem tartrate, until you know whether this has some carry over effect on you the next day, you should use extreme care when doing anything that requires complete alertness, for instance extreme care should be taken while doing anything that requires this alertness, such as driving a car, operating machinery, or piloting an aircraft.
As with other prescribed medications, you should never drink alcohol while you are being treated with zolpidem tartrate, or any sleep medicine. Alcohol can increase the side effects sleep medicines, including zolpidem tartrate. Other medications should not be taken in conjunction with zolpidem tartrate without first consulting your doctor; this also includes medicines that can be bought without a prescription. As some medicines can cause drowsiness, they should be avoided whilst taking zolpidem tartrate.
You should always take the dose of zolpidem tartrate that was prescribed by your doctor. Never change your dose without first consulting your doctor first.
Special Concerns
There are some special problems that may occur while taking sleep medicines such as zolpidem tartrate.
Sleep medicines can cause problems with a type of memory loss, or amnesia. After taking the medication a person may not remember what has happened for several hours, this is usually not a problem since most people fall asleep after taking the medicine.
If zolpidem tartrate is taken before travelling, such as an aeroplane flight, if the person wakes before the effect of the medication has worn off, this can be a problem and is known as travellers’ amnesia.
It is not common to suffer memory loss when taking zolpidem tartrate and memory problems are avoided if you take zolpidem tartrate only when you are able to get a full night sleep of 7 to 8 hours before you need to be active again.
Be sure to talk to your doctor if you think you are having memory problems.
Should zolpidem tartrate be taken every night for more than a few weeks, it can start to lose it’s effectiveness, this is known as tolerance. Medicines used to aid sleep, including zolpidem tartrate, should be used for short periods of time, for instance 1 to 2 days and generally 1 or 2 weeks. If your sleep problems continue, consult your doctor, who will determine whether other measures are needed to overcome your sleep problems.
If medication to aid sleep is used for long periods of over just a few weeks, or at high doses, they can cause dependence problems. Some people have been known to develop a need to continue taking the medicine which is described as dependence, or addiction.
When people develop dependence, they may have difficulty stopping the sleep medicine. Should the medication be suddenly stopped, the body is not able to function normally and unpleasant symptoms may occur. They may find they have to keep taking the medicine either at the prescribed dose or at increasing doses just to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
All people taking sleep medicines have some risk of becoming dependent on the medicine. People most at risk are usually those who have been dependent on alcohol or other drugs in the past and they may have a higher chance of becoming addicted to sleep medicines. This should be taken into account before using these medicines for more than a few weeks.
If you have been addicted to alcohol or drugs in the past, it is important to tell your doctor before starting zolpidem tartrate or any sleep medicine.
When sleep medicines are stopped suddenly after being used daily for a long time, withdrawal symptoms may occur. These symptoms can occur even if the medicine has been used for only a week or two.
In mild cases, withdrawal symptoms may just be feelings of unpleasantness. However, in more severe cases, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, shakiness, rarely seizures may occur. These more severe withdrawal symptoms are very uncommon.
One of the problems that could occur when stopping the taking of zolpidem tartrate or other sleep medicines is an effect known as rebound amnesia. This means that a person may have more trouble sleeping the first few nights after the medicine is stopped than before starting the medicine. Should you experience rebound insomnia, do not worry as this problem usually goes away on its own after 1 or 2 nights.
For people taking zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine for more than 1 or 2 weeks, they should not stop taking it on their own and should follow their doctor’s directions.
It is known that for some people taking zolpidem tartrate or other sleep medicines, they have experienced unusual changes in their thinking or behaviour. Whilst these are not common they can include; a more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, loss of personal identity, confusion, strange behaviour, agitation, hallucinations, the worsening of depression and suicidal thoughts.
How often these effects occur will depend on a number of factors, such as a person’s general health, the use of other medicines, and which sleep medicine is being used. Clinical experience with zolpidem tartrate suggests that it is not usually associated with these behaviour changes.
It is not entirely clear whether these behaviour changes are caused by the medicine, an illness, or occur on their own. Should sleep problem not improve this could be due to illnesses that were present before the medicine was used. If you or your family sees any changes in your behaviour, or if you have any unusual or disturbing thoughts, you should call your doctor immediately.
Pregnant women should be aware that zolpidem tartrate may cause the sedation of the unborn child if used during the last few weeks of a pregnancy. You should be sure to consult with your doctor if you are pregnant, become pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant whilst taking zolpidem tartrate.
When taking zolpidem tartrate common sense precautions should be taken and these would include the following:
- Zolpidem tartrate is a prescription medicine and should be used ONLY as directed by your doctor. Follow your doctor’s instructions about how to take, when to take, and how long to take zolpidem tartrate.
- Never use zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine for longer than directed by your doctor.
- Should you or your family notice any unusual and/or disturbing thoughts or behaviour during treatment with zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine, you should contact your doctor.
- You should tell your doctor about any medicines you may be taking, including medicines you may buy without a prescription. You should also tell your doctor if you drink alcohol. You must not use alcohol while taking zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine.
- Do not take zolpidem tartrate unless you are able to get a full night sleep before you must be active again. For example, zolpidem tartrate should not be taken on an overnight airplane flight of less than 7 to 8 hours since "travellers’ amnesia" may occur.
- Do not increase the prescribed dose of zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine unless instructed by your doctor.
- When you first start taking zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine, until you know whether the medicine will still have some carryover effect in you the next day, use extreme care while doing anything that requires complete alertness, such as driving a car, operating machinery, or piloting an aircraft.
- You must be aware that you may have more sleeping problems the first night or two after stopping zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine.
- Please be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant, if you are planning to become pregnant, or if you become pregnant whilst taking zolpidem tartrate.
- In common with all prescription medicines, never share zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine with anyone else. You should always store zolpidem tartrate or any other sleep medicine in the original container out of reach of children.
- Zolpidem tartrate works very quickly. You should only take zolpidem tartrate just before going to bed and you are ready to go to sleep.
Zolpidem Tartrate
| Dosage | Quantity | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 30 x 10mg | €54 (£36) | |
| 120 | 60 x 10mg | €99 (£66) | |
| 180 | 90 x 10mg | €135 (£90) | |
| 400 | 200 x 10mg | €240 (£160) |