Zolpidem User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• Goi...
• March 24, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Been taking this for years. The only thing that has worked for me. I can stay up all night without it. I have learned you have to go to bed hungry, that way it has nothing to compete with in your stomach. No side effects the next morning. Get about 4 to 5 hours now, which is good for me. Now if my insurance would pay for this! Just got new insurance this year, and they consider this a tier 4 medication. Don't know which is worse. Going broke or not getting any sleep."

• Joh...
• May 19, 2015

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I love this stuff! It's improved my quality of life immensely. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. I now take 5 mg at bedtime, and I still wake up after about 4 hours, but then take another 5 mg (I cut the pill in half) and fall right back asleep for another 3 to 4 hours. I've been taking it for 2 years now, and it still works as well today as the first day I took it!!"

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 17, 2020

For Insomnia "With zolpidem, watch out for different manufacturers. Stick to Sanofi or Actavis and do not use the Sun brand. I could not believe that the Sun Ambien was not just a placebo pill, and I highly recommend someone call for it to be analyzed, as I tried it three different times and it did not help me sleep. The other brands I take, brush my teeth, get in bed, and fall asleep immediately. On Sun brand zolpidem, I did the same (three different nights) and got no sleep. I am so happy I did not start taking it with the Sun brand because I would have believed this medication was effective. When using the Sanofi or Actavis, it cures my insomnia. I imagine there are discrepancies between more manufacturers, but these are the only three I have tried."

• Mor...
• June 7, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and bipolar disorder. I've been on Seroquel for three years. I kept having to increase the dosage to help me sleep, as well as to keep away delusions and such. I was at the point where it wouldn't help me sleep at all. I'd take it at 10 and go to bed when the sun was coming up. I tried Ambien 10 mg last night for the first time. I fell asleep in one hour. I was out! I slept a good 10 hours. Amen for Ambien."

• Can...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 19, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "This Ambien doesn’t work for me at all. I took 1 pill (10 mg) on an empty stomach and waited an hour, and nothing happened at all. So then I took another pill (10 mg), and still could not sleep. Only thing that happened was I felt a little foggy."

• dav...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 11, 2023

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have been on zolpidem ER 12.5 mg for well over 10 years. It is my miracle drug. Am age 76 with no major medical issues. It usually doesn't even make me feel tired or have less concentration. I wait 1 hr and force myself to bed. About as soon as horizontal, I seem to go immediately to sleep. I say 'ish' since once I was at about a 45-degree slumping pitch on the couch and fell asleep while on the phone with a friend. I have BPH but only have 1 get up to pee at night. I go right back to sleep even though I am beyond the 2.5 hr half-life. When I first started using it, I had slight amnesia about what I did just before going to bed. But that has not occurred for many years. Once while my regular doc was away, I had another who 'doesn't do for long-term use.' I did extensive research and have peer-reviewed medical studies in NIH, etc., for 3 and 5-year use showing no negative effects. One study said it improved sleep after longer-term use."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 25, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I’ve had horrible, horrible insomnia for years. I’ve always just laid in bed with my mind racing for hours. It took a big toll on me mentally and physically. I’ve been on Ambien for over 2 years, and it’s a true lifesaver. I take it every night. If I try to go to sleep without it just to test it, I can’t sleep. No side effects with this medicine. I wake up just fine in the mornings."

• Bar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 30, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have taken 2.5 mg of Ambien off and on for 20 years. It has saved me as I have insomnia and cannot sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a night. I take Ambien in the middle of the night and feel rested with no side effects in the morning. I am 81 years old and feel tired if I have only 3 hours of sleep. I take Ambien several nights a week so I am not exhausted during the day."

• ona...
• November 17, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "This medicine works to get me to sleep and stay asleep. However, I quickly become dependent on it and can't get to sleep without it, so I can't take it as needed. Also, I noticed that I seem to need larger doses rapidly. My insomnia issues are generally manageable if I avoid caffeine and don't eat too close to bedtime."

• Nes...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 27, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've also been on this medication for about 10 years on and off. It can be highly addictive for some. From experience, I started with 5 mg, which worked great! I was finally able to get 7-8 hours of sleep. After 1 year, I noticed it wasn't working (I was only getting 3-4 hours of sleep), so my doctor prescribed me 10 mg. I went back to getting a good night's sleep, but after 2 years it wasn't working again and I went back to getting less sleep. I decided to take 1½ pills (15 mg) but it still wasn't working. I felt very groggy in the morning and couldn't remember certain things, which worried me. I decided to stop completely and experienced really bad withdrawals. I began to have seizures and ended up in the hospital, now I have to take anti-seizure meds. So my suggestion to you is: don't take this medication for a long time, it's only meant for short-term use, and do not take more than prescribed. Now I take a sleep aid that's not a controlled substance. There are other options other than sedatives/hypnotics that work."

• Liz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 20, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "After a car accident where I suffered a head injury, I had horrible insomnia worsened by pre-existing fibromyalgia. Nothing over the counter was working at all to help me sleep. My doctor put me on this. When it works, it's awesome. I cannot have any food on my stomach if I want this to work, though. I don't take it until I've washed my face, brushed my teeth, and am actually in bed for the night. That's the trick! I hate that the FDA cut the dosage by half for women - the lower dose doesn't work for me because I'm big and tall. Weight makes a difference in this medication's case. Not everyone sleep-drives or sleepwalks on this."

• Nut...
• February 27, 2009

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I think I have the story of all stories about Ambien. I used to take it, and I loved it. I woke up refreshed without any strange things happening. Until one night I had taken a few. I took one, and I had built up a tolerance for it, so I took another. Next thing I know, I'm naked out in my backyard and I couldn't remember why. Then I come in the house, and there were cops there. I got upset because A) I was naked and B) I didn't know why they were there. Apparently, I went nuts and started throwing things at my boyfriend, and he didn't know what was wrong with me so he called the police. Then they were cuffing me and I was struggling because I could not remember our fight whatsoever."

• llc...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 5, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have many incurable diseases that are very painful. One of those is called fibromyalgia. When you have fibromyalgia, you rarely, if ever, go to stage 4 sleep. Without Ambien, I can be awake for 2-3 days. In pain, exhausted, crying, and not able to sleep. I have been on all OTC medications for sleep. I have also tried Ambien CR (which for some reason doesn't work at all for me), Lunesta, Sonata, and chloral hydrate. (For those who don't know, chloral hydrate is VERY strong). None of those worked. Ambien does!"

• Mis...
• January 10, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've been taking Ambien for about 8 years now due to chronic insomnia. Multiple medical issues have caused most of the problem with not sleeping. I already have 3 fusions in my neck (one of which is falling apart and causing a compressed spinal cord that my NS is trying to avoid further surgery on so that I don't have to have rods in addition to the screws and plates that are already in there), plus I have laminectomy from L2 to S1 with bulging discs, fibromyalgia, bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees, and I also need both hips replaced. Oh, there are also a couple of bulging discs and bone spurs in my cervical spine in addition to the problems already mentioned. I have never had any side effects or trouble with the Ambien at all."

• Mik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 16, 2020

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I love this formulation of zolpidem because when I used to take the oral pill form, it would force me to not eat hours before taking it, or it wouldn't be effective. It took much longer to kick in, and in general, the pill, still 10mg, isn't enough to manage my insomnia. I've tried Lunesta, Sonata, Rozerem, Remeron, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Saphris, Restoril, Doral, Halcion, and Trazodone. When I asked my psychiatrist about Edluar 10mg SL tablets, she was excited to prescribe them and get some feedback from me on how effective it is. Turns out, Edluar 10mg gets me such great sleep compared to Ambien generic, it's like I am taking an entirely different medication. Edluar, 10/10 for decreasing the time it took to fall asleep, 10/10 for keeping me asleep, and 9/10 for how alert I felt when I woke up in the morning. I feel somewhat not there for a few minutes, but that goes away quickly. This Edluar stuff is a tough competitor to my Halcion (also super effective)."

• Kev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Have been having insomnia for about 45 days related to some family stress. Used trazodone with some success. Then it decreased in effectiveness, and I was getting maybe 3 hours. Went to Ativan, and it worked some days and some days nothing. Back to trazodone, hoping for 3-5 hours of sleep. My NP suggested Ambien. First night last night. I was a little nervous. Took it and slept 7 hours 50 minutes without interruption. Night 1 would give it more stars if I could. The question is how long it lasts."

• Jba...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 8, 2019

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've been taking 10 mg of Ambien every night for years. There are no withdrawals. I've gone on vacation for 10 days and forgotten them. The worst thing I felt was not being able to fall asleep. But, duh, it does not make you high. It makes you tired."

• Lia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2018

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Been taking these for a few weeks, and so far, they are effective for making me fall asleep. I have never had any weird side effects like sleepwalking, shopping, driving, etc. I think if you take the recommended dose and steer clear of alcohol when taking them, you should be fine. It seems when people don't heed that advice is when they run into problems. And like other people say, you should starve for at least 4 hours before taking this medication, as food (especially fatty foods) competes with Ambien."

• sle...
• April 3, 2008

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I've taken this medication three different nights now and honestly, I haven't slept this deeply in ages! However, from the time I take the medication to the time I get to sleep - I have no memories of this time period the next day. Also, if I am sleeping and someone wakes me up after I've taken the Ambien, I won't remember anything the next day from being awake at the time. Really upsetting to my boyfriend the next day..."

• Bub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2014

Zolpidem for Insomnia "It helped me sleep, but I did the most bizarre things while I should have been sleeping and had no memory of them the next day. I initiated sex with my husband twice and had no memory of doing so, called and ordered things that I had no use for from some shopping networks, and even gave out my credit card numbers to open an account. This stuff scares me, and I quit taking it. Worried about what I could do next!"

• cra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 21, 2015

Zolpidem for Insomnia "It works to put me asleep, too well! I was told by my husband that I was doing stuff I don't remember doing. One time, I became sexually aggressive, and last night, I didn't recognize my husband and was doing stuff totally off the wall. I will not be taking it again!"

• Tex...
• February 9, 2010

Zolpidem for Insomnia "Although Ambien did the job to rid me of insomnia, the side effects were too frightening, so I had to stop using it. I began sleepwalking, sleep cooking-yes, an entire meal at 2 AM-and I don't remember, and finally sleep driving. I was stopped by a state trooper in my pajamas on I-80 heading west at 11 PM. I don't remember any of it. I never took it again."

• Ell...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 6, 2024

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I have been taking Ambien (Zolpidem 10mg) for over 20 years. I recently decided to taper off and have been taking 3/4 of a tab for the past week. The first couple of days I slept lightly, but now I am sleeping very well. Next week I will taper to 1/2 tab (5mg) and see how that goes. I am determined to stop taking it completely. In the beginning, I didn't really have insomnia, there were maybe a few times I couldn't fall asleep right away. But my doctor gave me free samples of Sonata at that time. I am very hopeful to get this monkey off my back, lol. Updates will be coming."

• lis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2013

Zolpidem for Insomnia "I love it. I am a very restless sleeper, wake up almost every single hour, then have a hard time falling back to sleep. The only time I could sleep through the night is if I drank a load of alcohol. Well, first I started out with half of a 5 mg Ambien just to see how it would affect me. I slept a solid 4 hours, woke up, but it didn't bother me. I didn't get all upset because I woke up, and I easily fell back to sleep. So even 2.5 mg took the edge off for me. It depends on how good I want to sleep as to how much Ambien I take. Last night I took 5 mg and slept a solid 6 hours, got up, went to the bathroom, slept another 3 hours. I don't have all the weird side effects. I feel like a whole new person taking this medication."

• set...
• June 16, 2021

For Insomnia "It is important to realize that different generic brands will affect people significantly differently. The FDA allows the active ingredient to be within certain standard deviations statistically. If the medicine works fine, and the next time you get a pill a different color, it means a different generic by a different company. Aurobindo Pharma zolpidem does not have good reviews and does not work for most people and is associated with unpleasant side effects. I can only bear witness for myself. The pharmacists are very helpful and will gladly provide you with feedback from customers on which brands work and which ones do not. Their loyalty is to the customer, not who they work for, it is ethically correct. Do your research for unedited reviews, which is not the case here. Best, S. Thomas."