Ambien Side Effects
Generic name: zolpidem
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 16, 2023.
Note: This document contains side effect information about zolpidem. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name Ambien.
Applies to zolpidem: tablet. Other dosage forms:
Warning
Sublingual route (Tablet)
Warning: Complex Sleep BehaviorsComplex sleep behaviors including sleep-walking, sleep-driving, and engaging in other activities while not fully awake may occur following use of zolpidem tartrate. Some of these events may result in serious injuries, including death. Discontinue zolpidem tartrate immediately if a patient experiences a complex sleep behavior.
Serious side effects of Ambien
Along with its needed effects, zolpidem (the active ingredient contained in Ambien) may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking zolpidem:
Less common
- Clumsiness or unsteadiness
- confusion about identity, place, and time
- discouragement
- drugged feeling
- false or unusual sense of well-being
- feeling of unreality
- feeling sad or empty
- hives or welts
- irritability
- lack of appetite
- lack of feeling or emotion
- loss of interest or pleasure
- lack or loss of self-control
- memory problems
- mood swings
- nightmares or unusual dreams
- sense of detachment from self or body
- slowing of mental and physical activity
- tiredness
- trouble concentrating
- trouble sleeping
Rare
- Difficulty with breathing
- dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
- falling
- fast heartbeat
- seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
- skin rash
- swelling of the face
- unusual excitement, nervousness, or irritability
Other side effects of Ambien
Some side effects of zolpidem may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.
Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
- Sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
Less common
- Abnormal or decreased touch sensation
- abnormal sensation of movement
- appetite disorder
- balance disorder
- binge eating
- bladder pain
- bloody or cloudy urine
- blurred vision
- burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
- change in hearing
- chest discomfort
- chills
- constipation
- continuous ringing, buzzing, or other unexplained noise in the ears
- daytime drowsiness
- diarrhea
- difficult, burning, or painful urination
- difficulty with moving
- difficulty with swallowing
- double vision
- dry mouth
- earache
- eye redness
- frequent bowel movements
- frequent urge to urinate
- headache
- hearing loss
- heartburn
- itching ears
- joint pain
- lack of appetite
- lack or loss of strength
- longer or heavier menstrual periods
- loss of balance
- muscle aches, cramping, pain, or stiffness
- nausea
- redness of the skin
- redness or soreness of the throat
- sneezing
- stomach pain
- stuffy or runny nose
- swollen joints
- vision changes
- vomiting
For Healthcare Professionals
Applies to zolpidem: oral capsule, oral spray, oral tablet, oral tablet extended release, sublingual tablet.
General
The most commonly reported side effects included dizziness, headache, and somnolence.[Ref]
Nervous system
Very common (10% or more): Dizziness (up to 23.5%), headache (up to 19%), somnolence (up to 15%)
Common (1% to 10%): Amnesia, amnestic effects, anterograde amnesia, ataxia, attention disturbance, balance disorder, burning sensation, cognitive disorders, daytime drowsiness, drowsiness, drugged feelings, hypoesthesia, involuntary muscle contractions, lethargy, lightheadedness, memory disorders, memory impairment, paresthesia, postural dizziness, tremor, vertigo
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Cerebrovascular disorder, decreased cognition, difficulty concentrating, dysarthria, migraine, sleeping (with daytime dosing), speech disorder, stupor, syncope, taste perversion
Rare (less than 0.1%): Abnormal gait, dementia, depressed level of consciousness, gait disturbance, hypokinesia, hypotonia, neuralgia, neuritis, neuropathy, paresis, parosmia, restless legs, sciatica
Frequency not reported: Central nervous system (CNS)-depressant effects, impaired concentration, next-day impairment, next day somnolence
Postmarketing reports: Dysgeusia, memory disturbances, reduced alertness[Ref]
Psychiatric
Common (1% to 10%): Abnormal dreams, agitation, anxiety, apathy, binge eating, confusion, depersonalization, depressed mood, depression, disinhibition, disorientation, euphoria, euphoric mood, exacerbated insomnia, hallucinations, inappropriate behavior, insomnia, major depression, mood swings, nervousness, nightmare, psychomotor retardation, restlessness, sleep disorder, stress symptoms
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Aggression, confusional state, detached, emotional lability, hypnagogic hallucinations, illusion, irritability, somnambulism, visual hallucinations
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Abnormal thinking, aggressive reaction, attempted suicide, decreased libido, delusion, hysteria, libido disorder, manic reaction, neurosis, panic attacks, personality disorder
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Dependence, withdrawal effects/symptoms
Frequency not reported: Abnormal behavior, abnormal thinking, aggravated depression, anger, behavior changes, complex behaviors, continuing depression, hallucinations not otherwise specified (NOS), psychosis
Postmarketing reports: Aggravated insomnia, other adverse behavioral effects, perceptual disturbances, rages[Ref]
Gastrointestinal
Common (1% to 10%): Abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, abdominal pain upper, abdominal tenderness, constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, dyspepsia, flatulence, gastroenteritis, frequent bowel movements, gastroesophageal reflux disease, nausea, vomiting
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Dysphagia
Rare (less than 0.1%): Altered saliva, enteritis, eructation, esophagospasm, gastritis, hemorrhoids, increased saliva, tenesmus, intestinal obstruction, rectal hemorrhage, tooth caries[Ref]
Other
Common (1% to 10%): Asthenia, chest discomfort, contusion, exposure to poisonous plant, fatigue, increased body temperature, labyrinthitis, neck injury, otitis externa, pyrexia, tinnitus
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Fall/falling, fever, malaise, trauma
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Feeling strange, face edema, increased tolerance, intoxicated feeling, otitis media, pain, rigors
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Rebound effect
Frequency not reported: Drug tolerance
Postmarketing reports: Drunk feeling[Ref]
Respiratory
Common (1% to 10%): Hiccup, lower respiratory infection, lower respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, throat irritation, upper respiratory infection, upper respiratory tract infection
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Bronchitis, coughing, dyspnea
Rare (less than 0.1%): Bronchospasm, epistaxis, hypoxia, laryngitis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, respiratory depression, yawning
Postmarketing reports: Cough, dry throat[Ref]
Ocular
Common (1% to 10%): Abnormal vision, altered visual depth perception, asthenopia, blurred vision, diplopia, eye redness, visual disturbance
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Eye irritation, eye pain, scleritis
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Abnormal accommodation, abnormal lacrimation, conjunctivitis, corneal ulceration, glaucoma, periorbital edema, photopsia
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Visual impairment[Ref]
Musculoskeletal
Common (1% to 10%): Arthralgia, back pain, muscle cramp, myalgia, neck pain
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Arthritis, leg cramps, muscle spasms, muscle/muscular weakness
Rare (less than 0.1%): Arthrosis, tendinitis[Ref]
Genitourinary
Common (1% to 10%): Dysuria, menorrhagia, urinary tract infection, vulvovaginal dryness
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Cystitis, menstrual disorder, urinary incontinence, vaginitis
Rare (less than 0.1%): Breast pain, impotence, micturition frequency, nocturia, polyuria, urinary retention
Postmarketing reports: Dysmenorrhea[Ref]
Dermatologic
Common (1% to 10%): Rash, skin wrinkling, urticaria
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hyperhidrosis, increased sweating, pruritus
Rare (less than 0.1%): Acne, bullous eruption, dermatitis, furunculosis, photosensitivity reaction, purpura
Frequency not reported: Angioneurotic edema
Postmarketing reports: Contact dermatitis[Ref]
Immunologic
Common (1% to 10%): Infection, influenza, influenza-like symptoms
Rare (less than 0.1%): Abscess, herpes simplex, herpes zoster[Ref]
Cardiovascular
Common (1% to 10%): Increased blood pressure, palpitations
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Chest pain, edema, hypertension, pallor, postural hypotension, tachycardia
Rare (less than 0.1%): Aggravated hypertension, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, arteritis, circulatory failure, extrasystoles, flushing, hot flashes, hypotension, myocardial infarction, phlebitis, thrombosis, varicose veins, ventricular tachycardia
Postmarketing reports: Increased heart rate[Ref]
Metabolic
Common (1% to 10%): Anorexia, appetite disorder
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hyperglycemia, thirst
Rare (less than 0.1%): Decreased weight, gout, hypercholesteremia, hyperlipidemia, increased appetite, tetany[Ref]
Hypersensitivity
Common (1% to 10%): Allergy
Rare (less than 0.1%): Aggravated allergy, allergic reaction, anaphylactic shock
Frequency not reported: Angioedema, anaphylaxis, serious anaphylactic reactions, serious anaphylactoid reactions[Ref]
Hepatic
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Abnormal hepatic function, elevated liver enzymes, increased ALT
Rare (less than 0.1%): Bilirubinemia, cholestatic liver injury, hepatocellular liver injury, increased alkaline phosphatase, increased AST, mixed liver injury
Postmarketing reports: Acute hepatocellular, cholestatic, or mixed liver injury with or without jaundice[Ref]
Hematologic
Rare (less than 0.1%): Anemia, hyperhemoglobinemia, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukopenia, lymphadenopathy, macrocytic anemia[Ref]
Renal
Rare (less than 0.1%): Acute renal failure, renal pain[Ref]
Oncologic
Rare (less than 0.1%): Breast fibroadenosis, breast neoplasm[Ref]
Local
Tongue paresthesia and sublingual erythema occurred in patients given sublingual tablet formulations.[Ref]
Rare (less than 0.1%): Injection-site inflammation
Frequency not reported: Transient paresthesia of the tongue, transient sublingual erythema[Ref]
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References
1. Product Information. Ambien (zolpidem). sanofi-aventis. 2001;PROD.
2. Product Information. Ambien CR (zolpidem). Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. 2005.
3. Cerner Multum, Inc. UK Summary of Product Characteristics.
4. Cerner Multum, Inc. Australian Product Information.
5. Product Information. Edluar (zolpidem). Meda Pharmaceuticals. 2009.
6. Product Information. Intermezzo (zolpidem). Purdue Pharma LP. 2011.
7. Product Information. Zolpimist (zolpidem). Magna Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2017.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
Some side effects may not be reported. You may report them to the FDA.