Zolpidem

Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and after behavioral changes, such as sleep hygiene, have been tried. It decreases the time to sleep onset by about fifteen minutes and at larger doses helps people stay asleep longer. It is taken by mouth and is available as conventional tablets, extended-release tablets, or sublingual tablets.

Common side effects include daytime sleepiness, headache, nausea, and diarrhea. More severe side effects include memory problems and hallucinations. While flumazenil, a GABA_A receptor antagonist, can reverse zolpidem's effects, usually supportive care is all that is recommended in overdose.

Zolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine, or Z-drug, which acts as a sedative and hypnotic as a positive allosteric modulator at the GABA_A receptor. It is an imidazopyridine and increases GABA effects in the central nervous system by binding to GABA_A receptors at the same location as benzodiazepines. It generally has a half-life of two to three hours. This, however, is increased in those with liver problems.

Zolpidem was approved for medical use in the United States in 1992. It became available as a generic medication in 2007. Zolpidem is a schedule IV controlled substance in the US under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA). More than 10 million prescriptions are filled each year in the United States, making it one of the most commonly used treatments for sleeping problems. In 2022, it was the 66th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 9 million prescriptions.