Zolpidem and Insomnia: What Users Say

• nig...
• February 25, 2020

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I was prescribed Ambien by a well-meaning doctor around 2014. She had no trouble refilling my Rx. I took one at night and was simply knocked out to sleep. It was lovely! Then, I had a calm period and tried to get off it. Nope. I was dependent. Keep in mind, I was taking as prescribed, no more, and right at bedtime. Fast forward 2016. Now I took it once then drove to Walgreens! Not proud of that at all. I took it a little before bedtime while I was still awake reading in bed and everything was muted. By 2017 I could not sleep without it but was not sleeping much with it. I began taking 1 1/2 pills. For to 6 hours sleep. I would wake up in a panic! I tapered for 2 months then took my last piece on Feb. 15 in 2019. I had a month of horrible insomnia... Just one or two hours. I thought it would never end! But it did. And I will never take another Ambien as long as I live."

• Chr...
• October 5, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "After being a good sleeper, out of the blue, I began to suffer bad insomnia, taking hours to fall asleep or having repeated awakenings, which was not like me! Possibly because of neighbor issues for years causing stress, which finally started to impact my sleep, I tried over-the-counter meds with no success. Then my doctor gave me Ambien and it works so well for me at 10 mg. It does not always keep me asleep all night, but at least it knocks me out and destroys any anxiety due to insomnia. It seems those of us with insomnia find it hard to calm the brain down, and repeated sleepless nights make us more anxious, making sleep increasingly hard to come by. Medications like Ambien are effective, as they increase GABA in the brain, leading to relaxation and then making it easier to sleep. I would say this drug is safe, surely better than drinking alcohol to sleep, which has bad health impacts. Regular good sleep improves my mood, appetite, lowers anxiety and depression. Ambien does this, it's a good thing!"

• Bba...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 9, 2019

For Insomnia "Teva...best manufacturer for zolpidem! Never had a problem sleeping with this manufacturer, but since my pharmacy switched to Aurobindo zolpidem, they SUCK! I used to fall asleep easily within 15 mins of ingestion @ 11:00+ and sleep until my alarm went off at 6:45 with no problem, but this new manufacturer, Aurobindo, is a faux. I wake up at 3:00-4:00 am EVERY SINGLE NIGHT NOW!!! Please let Teva make my Ambien because insomnia is a killer when you actually have to work for a living! Give me my meds that work back because I CANNOT sleep! Cheap pharmaceutical companies are the degradation of this medication-induced society! You created me...now let me sleep and be in a functional workforce to survive!"

• Bad...
• February 4, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien on and off for 8 years for severe insomnia, mostly related to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Over time, my body has built up a dependence and a tolerance. I will lay awake until 5 am if I don't take it, miserable and exhausted for days. The generic doesn't seem to work as well, and since I have been on it so long, I usually have to take 20mg to get a full night's sleep. But with certain generics, I still wake up at 3 am and can't go back to bed. It has been a godsend over the years as I tried everything else. I was treated for depression, but those medications made it harder to sleep. At some point, I would like to stop being dependent on the medicine, but every time I try to quit, I go through weeks with no sleep."

• Klb...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 11, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "After having gastric bypass in '08, I ended up in the hospital for a month. It took one of the night nurses to notice I never slept. He talked to other nurses, and they noticed too but never said anything. They called the doctor that night and gave me an Ambien. I was in heaven. I've always had problems with insomnia. It kept getting worse, so I took 2 a night. I'm lucky if that works every 2 or 3 days, and that only works for 4-5 hours. We tried the extended release, and if you can believe this, it's worse. Maybe 2 1/2 hours. I've tried every sleep medicine, done so many sleep studies, and no one has any ideas on how to help me at all. Seven days was the longest without sleep, and I ended up in the hospital for the same amount of days. No sleep is the most horrible mind-screwing thing ever. It's horrible, horrible, horrible, and I don't wish it on anyone!!!!"

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 2, 2020

For Insomnia "I agree with other people who have taken this drug in that there are definitely differences between manufacturers. I'm in the UK, and the brand name Zolpidem is called Stilnoct, made by Sanofi. I believe this is exactly the same pill that is called Ambien in North America and made in the same factory in France before being shipped around the world. This works great for me, but I've also tried one made by Teva, which, while it put me to sleep, did not keep me asleep beyond 2 or 3 hours, and this was a consistent issue. I've tried one made by Mylan, and this worked better. So, without a doubt, there are differences in strengths. Some drug companies make Zolpidem better than others."

• dan...
• July 15, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Ambien saved my life. I’ve suffered from severe panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias since I was 5 and 6. I was also diagnosed with ADHD when I was 11. The anxiety has come and gone, and I have been on 25 mg of Zoloft for years. Well, I’m 21 now and thought that I could get off my anxiety meds about a year ago, and boy was I wrong. It was fine for about a year, but in December, something snapped and I was in full-fledged panic mode. I couldn’t eat or sleep or even function. I felt like I was dying. Anyway, my dad used to take Ambien for travel and he happened to have some left. I was in a fit and was bawling because of sleep deprivation, and he’s like, here, take half of one of these. I took my first 5 mg of Ambien and I could sleep! I cried when I woke up because I started to feel better. I then got my own prescription and eventually I didn’t need them and I went back to normal. I have some in case of emergencies, but I don’t need to take it every night."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2015

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I was in a horrible car crash Sept. 7th, 2014. I was air cared to UC. I was in ICU for 9 days and remained hospitalized 3 months. I never used to have trouble going to sleep, but since my accident, I will lay in bed for hours. On really bad nights, sometimes it's all night, with my eyes closed, trying to fall asleep, but I just can't. I believe being on a dilaudid drip for so long during my hospital stay, then morphine and oxycodone for a while, plays a big role in my sudden insomnia. Also, I was diagnosed with GAD 6 years ago, which I'm sure sometimes adds to my trouble sleeping. ZzzQuil or Benadryl helped some at first, but now neither helps at all. Finally, I was given Zolpidem 10 mg, and I LOVE it. I fall asleep and sleep all night. Definitely recommend it!"

• Adi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Over a period of time, my doc prescribed me a whole list of medications to see which one worked the most. Right now, I'm on Ambien CR, and just like most others I had tried, it worked the first few nights. Now, when I take it, I'm wide awake for 5 to 6 hours, and then I'll end up sleeping all day the next day."

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 16, 2020

For Insomnia "Great drug for insomnia for short-term use - and there's a reason for it being recommended for short-term use, and it's because over time it loses its effect and you build tolerance. Then you are in trouble as you either have to up the dose for it to work again or quit for a while to increase tolerance, and this means riding out withdrawal with pretty bad rebound insomnia, which can mean zero sleep for a few nights in a row depending on how long you've taken the Zolpidem. But as I say, a great drug if used widely. 2 or 3 times a week max."

• Geo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2020

For Insomnia "I started using zolpidem a few years ago, due to severe insomnia - wasn't able to sleep for 4 days. Since then, I've been trying to treat some depression, but insomnia remains a terrible symptom. I rely more and more on zolpidem, but it only works when it wants, I know. I'm so frustrated. Why is it so impossible to experience a full night of sleep, even on meds!"

• Uta...
• September 17, 2015

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I personally have not taken this medication, but my mother has. I am 19, and she started taking it when I was 12. It, for the most part, helped her insomnia, but the side effects were extreme. I would have to stay up until she had fallen asleep, because if I didn't, she would do things and not remember them the next morning. She would take our dog for a walk in the dark at 10 at night by herself. There was one occasion where she woke up on our neighbor's cement front porch with our dog. She had no recollection of how she got there. She would eat strange things like vinegar and ketchup chicken quesadillas, she would fall down the stairs, she would lose things, and she got very addicted. Coming off it was horrible. The night terrors were insane."

• Djd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2017

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I was prescribed 5 mg Ambien after 3 months of not getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep in each 24-hour period. I had tried Benadryl, hydroxyzine, and Valium previously, all of which kept me wide awake. I took the 5 mg right before bed, as instructed, and laid there awake all night. The next night I decided to try 1 1/2 (7.5 mg) as I kept reading horror stories about 10 mg. I took it, waited about 10 minutes, then went to bed. It took me over an hour to fall asleep, but once I did, I'm thrilled to say I slept all night! Unfortunately, even after a full night of sleep, it was very hard to wake up. I'd wake up then doze back off. That happened several times for about an hour. Once I was able to wake up enough to get up, I was fine."

• kfp...
• October 24, 2010

Zolpidem for Insomnia "After the birth of my child, I had a difficult time sleeping. The tireder I got, the less I could sleep. My OB gave me Ambien to help me get sleep. At first, I was concerned, but I hadn't slept in days, so my husband promised to listen for the baby. I have to say, without this medicine, I would never have made it through my insomnia. I would advise that if you take this drug, you let a loved one know so they can look out for you. I have tried to do a few stupid things while on this drug, like put stupid things on Facebook and email people stupid things. Each time, my husband stopped me... YOU CANNOT USE THIS MEDICINE WITHOUT A WING MAN!"

• Sum...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 22, 2023

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I was on Ambien for over 3 years. Honestly, I'm not sure why I stayed on it for so long, probably because I was afraid to withdraw from it. The side effects I experienced were waking up in the middle of the night and doing things without any memory in the morning, for instance, eating, cooking, shopping online, and waking people up in my house in the middle of the night to have bizarre conversations. My family finally convinced me to get off Ambien, and I slowly tapered myself off. I still have some sleepless nights, but it's slowly getting better. My advice for anyone starting Ambien is to make sure you are in bed before taking your pill because if you're up when it kicks in, you can become very disoriented and loopy."

• Lex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2021

Zolpidem for Insomnia "This medication is the worst. The first night, I only took a half, it did put me right to sleep. It was not a restful sleep. When I woke up, I was groggy, stumbling. The next night, I took the other half, it did not put me to sleep at all, and when I did fall asleep, once again not restful, not deep, terrible. Did not wake up groggy. On the third night, tonight, I did not take any Ambien. As I’m writing this now, it’s four in the morning, and I did not sleep. In fact, insomnia feels triple in strength-no sleep, not tired, night terrors, sleep paralysis, trembling. This is horrible. I’ve been up the entire night. I’m exhausted. I will never take Ambien again. It made things much worse for me."

• Dra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 18, 2022

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I had lots of anxiety and depression that interfered with my sleep and was worried about losing my job. The doctor put me on Ambien, and I felt like lights out within minutes. It quickly became necessary as I would suffer from rebound insomnia if I tried to quit it, so I kept taking it. I finally found that the 10 mg wouldn't last the night, so I began taking 1 1/2 pills. This was my wake-up call. I started trying to come off it. It took a terrible year of starts and stops, but I've been free of it for 3 years now. I still have occasional problems sleeping, but not like trying to come off this medication. I'm glad that it helps some people, and it is very addictive."

• Jud...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 1, 2022

For Insomnia "Been prescribed zolpidem for about 20 years. Major problems started when pharm switched to Aurobindo and Torrent, I began waking up, taking more, falling down stairs, going out, etc. I switched to a different pharmacy carrying a different NorthStar, and it was better. Now using (NorthStar is based in Tennessee). USA! Besides efficacy, I like that it easily breaks so that I start the night with a large 'half', then when I wake up in about 2 hours, take the remainder and fall right back to sleep. Teva and Sanofi were acceptable but not as effective as NorthStar. I cannot have more than 1 pill in my home at night, otherwise, I'll wake up and take another - as many as 10 times. I was lucky that nothing bad happened to me. I came up with a plan (leaving my prescription in the hands of a trusted friend and getting only 1 per day) to alleviate the possibility of overdosing. I didn't realize I took extras until they were gone one morning - no one was in my home besides me."

• CME...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 1, 2022

For Insomnia "I started taking zolpidem in 2008. Started with 5 mg and it worked for about 4 years. I suffer from anxiety as well. Due to additional stress, I moved up to 10 mg in 2013 and got great results (8 hours sleep). I moved to another state in 2017. Stayed on 10 mg until about a year ago and noticed 10 mg wasn't cutting it. I decided to cut back, and it was difficult. After about 6 months, I did start adjusting to the 5 mg. I still have sleepless nights about once a week but now on 5 mg. I'm 63 years old, retired, and the difficulty of getting off the drug has been a nightmare. I plan to try to taper off again in the winter months. I hope I can. If it works for you, great. I also take generic 10 mg of Lexapro and cholesterol meds. I wish I had never started with this drug, but sleep was more important at the time. Chances are you will have a hard time getting off this drug, but it's possible. Expect more sleepless nights."

• bip...
• September 7, 2011

Zolpidem for Insomnia "For the first time, I can get to sleep every night. It usually gives me about 5 hours of sleep, and if I wake up and take about 0.15 Klonopin, I can go back to sleep for another 3 hours. Feel rested for the first time in years! I don't take it until I am absolutely ready to lay down in bed, then lay down and think happy thoughts to carry with me to dreamland. Previously, due to bipolar insomnia, I would take tons of Nyquil, Benadryl, Sominex, l-tyrosine, melatonin that only gave me a few hours of sleep, and I'd wake up and take more pills. For years, I couldn't sleep in a bed but would wander through the house at night trying to get comfortable on the floor, etc., as my husband just bumping me would wake me up. I thank you, Ambien!"

• Sch...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 15, 2021

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have taken CR for over 10 years. It is generic, and there are many. However, the blue 12.5 mg worked great while taking Vraylar and Trintellix, bipolar meds, which I am not, but they seemed to work on my depression. Until I was diagnosed with addiction. We stopped the Vraylar and Trintellix, switched to Wellbutrin XL, 2 100 mg tabs in the morning. Amazing miracle drug for addiction. HOWEVER, THE AMBIEN CR GIVES ME ONLY 4 HOURS OF SLEEP. That sucks. Any suggestions, PLEASE HELP."

• Lon...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 22, 2021

For Insomnia "I've been on Ambien for over 6 years, and while it's been amazingly successful, I can confirm that I have had no less than 50 midnight drives where I had zero knowledge of the next day. I have also crashed my car numerous times specifically because of this drug. The danger lies in part that the drug sometimes does not kick in for a while due to the irregular flow of stomach contents into the intestines, especially if you're on opiate painkillers. Then you get bored, go for a midnight snack at 7-11, and then it kicks in, and you're asleep at the wheel. I literally just crashed my car into a tree, and I woke up surrounded by people and cops, tree branch inches from my head. I am also taking Temazepam, Lyrica, Codeine, and Oxazepam for anxiety, sleep, and pain. This drug will almost always work and works consistently to put you to sleep... but it may give you only 3-4 hours of sleep, often not enough to give you REM sleep. Temazepam will keep you asleep if you take it in combination. Suicidal thoughts."

• epi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Works fine, but the rebound insomnia can be awful. Used sparingly, it can be a useful medicine. Once again, watch for the rebound insomnia."

• nay...
• March 18, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I can take 2 Ambien and be wide awake. I tried melatonin, ZZZ Quilt, Unisom... sometimes take my Valium at bedtime. My sleep cycle got messed up, and I'm trying desperately to get it back."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 7, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Works, but had rebound insomnia after about 2 weeks of taking it."