Zolpidem is a special medicine used to treat insomnia in people who have trouble falling asleep on their own. Zolpidem comes as regular tablets and extended-release capsules taken by mouth at bedtime without food and about a couple of hours after you had a meal. Taking this medicine this way will help it to absorb faster, and you will be able to feel the results sooner. The extended-release tablets should be swallowed whole without crushing or chewing them to prevent the release of the active ingredient. Do not take zolpidem unless you are planning to sleep for 7-8 hours. If you wake up before this time you may experience memory problems. If you have been prescribed zolpidem and have been taking it for the past two weeks do not stop the treatment without talking to your health care provider first. This is necessary as taking zolpidem for a long time is likely to make you addicted to this medicine, as a result you can experience withdrawal symptoms if you try to stop taking the medicine abruptly. Your health care provider will guide you though the process of stopping your treatment to avoid health effects mentioned.

Bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, heavy snoring, myasthenia gravis, sleep apnea, breathing problems, liver or kidney disease, and depression are the few health conditions that must be reported to your doctor if you have or used to have them. This is very important as this way your health care provider will be able to determine the dose of zolpidem you need and that will be beneficial for you. Zolpidem can cause drowsiness during the day even after you have woken up, so make sure you do not get engaged into any activities that require you to be alert. Zolpidem can sometimes affect your mental health by making you feel confused and causing hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, memory problems, slowed speech or movements and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms may be serious if they continue, so make sure you let you health care provider know about them as soon as possible.