Zolpidem
General Information
Zolpidem, brand name Ambien, Stilnox is a Z-drug prescribed by doctors to help patients sleep. Zolpidem has very weak anxiolytic, myorelaxant, and anticonvulsant properties but very strong hypnotic properties. In low doses and without mixing, zolpidem is great for people who have trouble sleeping. In high doses, you may black out and do very dangerous/risky things and not remember it. Zolpidem is not a recreational drug and should be used only as prescribed.
History
The United States patent for zolpidem was held by the French pharmaceutical corporation Sanofi-Aventis. On April 23, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 13 generic versions of zolpidem tartrate. Zolpidem is available from several generic manufacturers in the UK, as a generic from Sandoz in South Africa and TEVA in Israel, as well as from other manufacturers such as Ratiopharm and Takeda GmbH (both German).
Dosage
Oral
Light: 10mg
Common: 20-30mg
Strong: 40-50mg
Heavy: 50mg NOTE: Any more and you risk blacking out and becoming a ambien "walrus", unable to function well physically and mentally.
Duration
Oral
Onset: 15-30 min
Peak: 90min
Total Duration: 8-10 hours. Half life 2-3 hours
After-effects: Drowsiness, physically and mentally tired. Look below for potential negative side effects
Effects
Some users have reported unexplained sleepwalking while using zolpidem, as well as sleep driving, binge eating while asleep, and performing other daily tasks while sleeping.
Postive
- Helps with insomnia/sleep
- Euphoria and/or dysphoria
Neutral
- Hallucinations, through all physical senses, of varying intensity
- Increased appetite
- Increased or decreased libido
- Uninhibited extroversion in social or interpersonal settings
Negative
- Headaches (mostly withdrawal symptom)
- Nausea (mostly withdrawal symptom)
- Vomiting (mostly withdrawal symptom)
- Dizziness
- Anterograde amnesia
- Delusions
- Altered thought patterns
- Ataxia or poor motor coordination, difficulty maintaining balance
- Increased impulsivity (mostly withdrawal symptom)
- When stopped, rebound insomnia may occur
- Impaired judgment and reasoning
Harm Reduction
General info and things to avoid.
- Do not exceed your prescribed dose.
- Do not drive or opporate heavy machinery
- Its best to just go to bed
Overdose
An overdose of zolpidem may cause excessive sedation, pin-point pupils, or depressed respiratory function, which may progress to coma, and possibly death. Combined with alcohol, opiates, or other CNS depressants, it may be even more likely to lead to fatal overdoses. Zolpidem overdosage can be treated with the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazenil, which displaces zolpidem from its binding site on the benzodiazepine receptor to rapidly reverse the effects of the zolpidem.
WARNING
Chronic users of high doses are more likely to develop physical dependence on the drug, which may cause severe withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, if abrupt withdrawal from zolpidem occurs.
Potentiators
- Benzodiazapines
- Alcohol
- Opiates
- Other CNS depressants
Interactions
Notable drug-drug interactions with the pharmacokinetics of zolpidem include chlorpromazine, fluconazole, imipramine, itraconazole,ketoconazole, rifampicin, and ritonavir. Interactions with carbamazepine and phenytoin can be expected based on their metabolic pathways, but have not yet been studied.
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Zolpidem is a short-acting nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic that potentiates GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, by binding to GABAA receptors at the same location as benzodiazepines.
Legal status
- US: Schedule IV controlled substance in the U.S., according to the Controlled Substances Act, given its potential for abuse and dependence.