[killagorilla40]

Hello all, does anyone happen to know a ballpark figure for when ambien is going to be available in generic form aka zolpidem ?

My pharmacist mentioned to me in passing that it should be available soon. I didn't ask him anything further on it, as he was very very busy at the time, and I was so happy about the good news I lost my train of thought.

Ambien has been a godsend for me as I work a crazy night shift at a very stressful job, and ambien helps me get a good quality sleep, and wake up refreshed and not groggy. I have been prescribed it for about two years now, at one 10mg pill a day. I know that it is supposed to be for short term, but to me the benefits far outweigh the risk, and my doctor doesn't seem to be too concerned,rightly thinking that good sleep is very important for good health. On the few occasions I had to go without it, the only noticeable "withdrawl" symptom I noticed was that I had a very hard time going to sleep, nothing like the withdrawls of opiates (which I have experienced) and is not near as horrible as the stories that I hear about benzo withdrawl (never experienced personally)

On to the money, I hope and pray that the generic zolpidem is much less expensive. I have to pay 35.00 for a script through my insurance whether I get 14 pills or 30 pills. This is another problem I have. My insurance company only wants to pay for 14 pills a month (they claim that the reason for this is that ambien should not be taken for more than 14 days in a row, and it's true, ambiens web-site does state this ), but my doctor prescribes me 30 a month. And the only way that I can get the insurance to cover the whole 30 is when my doctor is kind enough to fax a physians approval report to the insurance company stating that I need 30 pills a month. They ask for this every three months or so. On the few times that I did not get the p.a. report for the pharmacy, I got the first 14 on the insurance (35.00), and the second 14 I paid cash for, and they averaged around 6.00 to 8.00 dollars a pill !! wow.I also tried to switch to the new ambien cr, because it is approved for long term use (even says so on ambiens site), and they still only would pay for 14.And we had our pharmacist call the insurance company, and explain to them that ambien cr is a different medicine (at least delivered to the body differently, it's still zolpidem )than regular ambien, and that it was approved for long term use, and therefore should be no problem to cover the whole prescription of thirty, but of course they didn't listen. I know a couple of people that switched over to ambien cr, and their insurance company paid for all 30 no questions asked.

[justwhatever]

killa gorilla--

I have heard anything lately, but I read that the manufacturers of ambien made a ton of money on the drug, and extended their pantent a couple of times. It was supposed to expire in 2005 to coincide with the release of Ambien cr and Lunesta... so I'm guessing that the generic will be hitting the market pretty soon. I'll post any updates if I hear anything.

this forum is about helping and healing-- feel free to correct my mistakes

[zippysgoddess]

It appears that the patent stay is limited to 30months, and they cannot do multiple stays, so it shoud be available very soon.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/generics/

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[Joan Bond]

I just read that Ambien is going generic in October of 07 in response to Killagorilla's question. I asked my pharmicist when and she did not know exactly but she said it would take some time for the price to be reduced. Killa you are lucky you have insurance that will pay any portion. I do not and I buy 15 tablets (10 mg.) and break them in half and the 15 cost me $70.00. I think it is a shame that the drug companies take advantage of us. I have been paying around $60 for the 15 at WalMart and the last prescription was $70. I asked why the increase and she said with the news about it becoming generic she guessed the company felt like they could increase their prices...!! I agree with everything you say about the safeness and effectiveness of Ambien. I have been taking it for 4 years now and my Dr. has no problem in prescribing it...sometimes I think the Dr's are getting kickbacks and perks from prescribing drugs anyway, and they have no concern about giving them to you. Ambien has been a Godsend to me also...I have tried everything on the market and it is the only product I can take that does not leave me hung over..I am alert the following day after a good nights sleep.


Joan Bond

[MattyGit]

Tradename
AMBIEN
Applicant
Sanofi Aventis Us
Ingredient
zolpidem tartrate
NDA Number
019908
Approval Date
Dec 16, 1992
Type
RX
Patent Number 4,382,938*
PEDPatent Expiration
APR 21,2007

[JaxB]

Just thought I'd share with y'all that you can order generic ambien (zolpidem) from "north of the border" see canada rx dot net. my doctor told me about it, her patients have ordered it from them and i've just ordered but not received yet, takes a few weeks. very official, requires an Rx and lots to fill out. what a lifesaver. 3 months supply for 65 dollars including shipping!!!

[Director]

Wow, I can't believe some of the prices some people are forced to pay for their meds, and most of the time it's by their insurance company. In some instances it's like "highwy robbery".

I have the ability to log onto my insurance company and see the prescriptions that I send in to be filled and what my co-pay is and what the insurance company pays. For Ambien, 10 mg, I just had a script filled for 90 days supply (90 tabs) and it cost me $80 co-pay and the insurance paid $326. That's $4.50 a pill. So, if you have to pay $8 or $10 a pill, you're getting ripped off. Not to mention, some of you can only get 14 pills a month, where I'm getting a script filled for #90.

[Sleepyhead]

Originally Posted by JaxB

Just thought I'd share with y'all that you can order generic ambien (zolpidem) from "north of the border" see canada rx dot net. my doctor told me about it, her patients have ordered it from them and i've just ordered but not received yet, takes a few weeks. very official, requires an Rx and lots to fill out. what a lifesaver. 3 months supply for 65 dollars including shipping!!!

So, have you found the generic to be as effective as the brand-name Ambien? Any additional side effects, etc.?

It just seems too good to be true, since I'm now paying $135 for 10mg x 30 @ Costco (best price I've found). I had to drop my coverage, so it's totally out-of-pocket. They've really jacked the price in the last few months.

[Director]

Generic Ambien is now available in the United States, effective 4/24/07. I read the news on Medco Health's website. FYI...

[MattyGit]

Over a dozen companies have been FDA approved to market generic Ambian, however, only one gets to market it for the fisrt 6 months... so basically, only Sano and one other maker will still have the corner on the market for the next few months... you may have already seen a bit of a price drop like 20 - 30 dollars per/30 pill Rx. They will go down a bit more over the next few months, but around October you will see a large drop in price. There are a few places on the web where you can find it for approx. $1.65 per pill... which is still less than half of what you pay in the US.