Zolpidem

Zolpidem starts to work very quickly in your body. You should start to feel sleepy soon after taking it.

There is no information to suggest that zolpidem affects weight directly.

There have been cases of sleep-related eating disorders (SRED) reported with this medicine. This is a bit like sleepwalking, where people largely remain asleep but are unable to stop the desire to eat food. You may not remember this in the morning.

This is a rare side effect of zolpidem. If you think you are affected by this, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. It is recommended that zolpidem is only taken for short periods of time (two to four weeks), and if this side effect does occur it is reversible when you stop taking zolpidem.

You may want to let your family and friends know you are taking zolpidem so they can support you and help you look out for side effects.

Zolpidem is prescribed to help improve your sleep, so should make you feel sleepy and make it easier to get to sleep and stay asleep after taking it.

It is important to continue following other advice to help improve your sleep alongside zolpidem.

Some people have reported doing things like walking, preparing food, making phone calls, having sex and even driving while they were not fully awake. They do not remember doing these things after they wake up.

If you take zolpidem with alcohol, or with other medicines for mental health conditions like antidepressants, this is more likely to happen.

If this happens to you, go back to your doctor to try another medicine.

Zolpidem can affect your recent memory, especially if you do not go to bed just after taking it, or if your sleep gets interrupted. Make sure to get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep if you are going to take zolpidem.

Zolpidem is not expected to make you feel sleepy the following day, but if it does (or if it makes it more difficult for you to get to sleep or gives you strange nightmares) and this is a problem for you, you should go back to your doctor as soon as possible.

When you stop taking zolpidem you may experience ‘rebound insomnia’. This means your sleep might be worse and you might get more vivid dreams immediately after stopping it, but this should improve again. If it doesn’t, discuss this with your doctor.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol if you are taking zolpidem is not recommended as this is likely to make you very sleepy. Zolpidem may lower your tolerance to alcohol, and you may experience more side effects which could be dangerous.

If you need to drive a car, ride a bike, or use machines at work, taking alcohol and zolpidem together could impair your ability to do this safely and be dangerous to yourself and others.

Drinking alcohol every day, or in large amounts, can disrupt your sleep and make your symptoms worse.

Street drugs

It is very easy, and serious, to overdose with any combination of zolpidem and street drugs. Any combination could be dangerous.

Using cannabis with zolpidem will make its sedative effect worse. You could go into a very deep sleep where you may have difficulty waking up.

Cannabis and other drugs may have their own side effects on your mental health, like anxiety or psychosis.

Using heroin or methadone with zolpidem may increase their combined sedative effects. You may have difficulty waking up.

Using cocaine or other stimulants (like ecstasy, amfetamines, MDA, or 6-APB) with zolpidem is dangerous. It might lead to less of a high but can cause hallucinations.

There are many other street drugs, but we don’t know what effect taking them with zolpidem will have, so it’s best to be cautious. There is no regulation of street drugs or ‘legal highs’, so even if there are no known issues with the medication you take, the supply you receive might be mixed with other substances that could be dangerous.

Get more advice on our drugs and alcohol guide.

Zolpidem does not mix well with some other medicines, including herbal remedies. It may affect the way in which they work or could cause more side effects.

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications including over-the-counter medicines for common illnesses and things you put on your skin.

You should be very careful if you take zolpidem with other medicines that can cause sedation, especially medicines for pain relief that contain opioids (for example dihydrocodeine or morphine). When combined, these medicines may make you extremely sedated or could affect your breathing. Your doctor will monitor this carefully if you are prescribed these medicines together.

Always tell the pharmacist that you are taking zolpidem if you buy any medicines from a pharmacy.

Look at the leaflet inside your medicine box for more information about other medicines that can interact with zolpidem. With some medicines your doctor may need to adjust the dose of your medicines if you take them together. Ask a doctor or pharmacist for more information if you have any questions.

Try not to drink caffeine drinks (like coffee, cola or energy drinks) while you are taking zolpidem.

Caffeine has the opposite effect of zolpidem in your body, and stops it working.

Caffeine can also cause anxiety and sleep loss. Stopping these drinks might help to improve your symptoms.

The tablets may not be suitable for you if you have problems eating some sugars or dairy foods, as they contain lactose.

Always let your pharmacist know if you have any food allergies or intolerances, and always check with them if you’re concerned about any of the ingredients in your medication.

If you need to avoid animal products, please note that non-active ingredients used in the production of medicines may sometimes be of animal origin. Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about the ingredients.

Further information about practical considerations for medicines if you need to avoid animal products can be found on the Vegan Society website.

Do not drive a car or ride a bike just after you start taking zolpidem.

Taking zolpidem may make you feel tired, dizzy or confused, and may give you double-vision during the day when you start taking it. Even if you don’t feel tired, it could affect your ability to make quick decisions. These effects are made much worse if you drink alcohol whilst taking zolpidem.

This could affect you if you drive a car, ride a bike, or do anything else that needs a lot of focus. If you are not sleeping well, this could also make driving dangerous for yourself and other people.

For these reasons, you should not ride a bike or drive a car until you know how you will be affected.

Most people drive as normal while taking zolpidem. If you are worried about this or have any concerns you would like to discuss, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

Pregnancy

If you become pregnant while you are on zolpidem, you should carry on taking it and make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible. They can discuss the benefits and risks of continuing zolpidem and help you to make a decision that is best for you and your baby.

They may refer you to a specialist perinatal mental health team to support you with this decision.

You can find out more information about taking zolpidem during pregnancy at Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy).

Untreated illness can also be harmful to you and your developing baby, so decisions about medication when you are pregnant need to be discussed carefully with your doctor. If you and your doctor agree that it is best for you to continue taking zolpidem while pregnant, you should tell your midwife. If you are planning to get pregnant, it is recommended that you take folic acid while you are trying for a baby and during pregnancy. It is safe to take this together with zolpidem.

Post-natal

If you take zolpidem regularly leading up to the birth of your baby, let your midwife or doctor know. Some newborns whose mothers take zolpidem might have some withdrawal symptoms at birth or just after. Let your doctor you are taking zolpidem so they can monitor your baby if they have any breathing difficulties, muscle weakness or problems with feeding.

Breastfeeding

Zolpidem is passed to the baby in breastmilk in small amounts.
If your baby was born early or has any health problems, then breastfeeding while you are taking zolpidem may not be recommended.

If you breastfeed while taking zolpidem, seek urgent medical advice if your baby becomes restless, very sleepy or develops feeding problems.

Sex

Zolpidem can have side effects that might impact your sex life. These include:

• not feeling like you want to have sex

Most side effects happen when you first start taking zolpidem and get better over time. If you have any concerns, speak to your doctor.

Untreated illness can have a negative effect on your sex life, so if zolpidem helps you to recover, positive effects can include improving your desire, experience and enjoyment of sex as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again.

Fertility

There is no evidence to suggest that zolpidem affects fertility. Talk to your doctor about your zolpidem if you are trying to get pregnant or planning a family.

Zolpidem is not a banned substance in sport.

Most people play sports as normal while taking zolpidem, but if zolpidem affects your concentration, eyesight or co-ordination, then you may want to wait to see if those effects go away before playing sports that need a lot of focus. If you have any concerns, discuss this with your doctor.

Zolpidem can help you to sleep better, so in the long term might help you with your performance in sports.

Zolpidem may affect your concentration, give you double vision or make you feel tired of dizzy when you start taking it.

Ideally it is best not to start or stop zolpidem just before your exams.

It is not possible to predict how the medication will make you feel, and if you do get any side effects, these are more likely to occur when you first start taking zolpidem. Stopping zolpidem quickly can also make you feel more tired.

You should talk to your doctor about any future exams if you are starting or stopping zolpidem. You might decide together to delay starting or stopping it until you have done them.

If they are more than a few weeks to a month away, however, you might find that it is better to start zolpidem to improve your sleep, motivation and ability to study.

It’s important to not drink caffeinated drinks whilst taking zolpidem as it can stop them from working.

Most people take exams as normal while taking zolpidem, but if you have any concerns, discuss this with your doctor.