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.

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.

For guidance on this, check out our page on getting support with your medication.

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.

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 that you can get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep if you are going to take zolpidem.

Alcohol

Do not drink alcohol while taking zolpidem, because having the two together might make you go into a deep sleep where you find it difficult to wake up.

If you need to drive a car or ride a bike, or use machines at work, taking alcohol and zolpidem together could be dangerous to yourself and other people.

Street drugs

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

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. For more information, have a look at our drugs and alcohol page.

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.

Zolpidem does not mix well with some other medicines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines

Do not drink caffeine 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 (milk-based) foods, as they contain lactose.

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.

Taking zolpidem may make you feel tired, dizzy or confused, and may give you double-vision during the day when you start taking it.

These effects are made much worse if you take zolpidem with alcohol.

This could affect you if you drive a car, ride a bike, or do anything else that needs a lot of focus. It might be best to stop doing these things for the first few days, until you know how it affects you.

Do not worry - most people drive as normal while taking zolpidem.

Pregnancy

Women who are pregnant should not take zolpidem without first discussing it with the doctor.

Small studies suggest no higher risk of malformations or miscarriage when usual doses have been taken.

If you are taking zolpidem during the last three months of pregnancy, you should tell your midwife and doctor so that they can look out for withdrawal symptoms.

Post-natal

Similar type drugs to zolpidem have been reported to cause muscle weakness, breathing difficulties and low blood sugars in newborn babies. Zolpidem itself does not appear to cause any of these problems but only further studies will confirm this.

Your baby may have breathing or feeding difficulties for a while.

They may also have low body temperature and their muscles may be floppy.

Breastfeeding

Zolpidem is passed to the baby through breast milk, but only in very small amounts.

If you must take zolpidem, talk to your doctor or midwife about your feeding options.

Sex

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

• not feeling like you want to have sex

These effects should pass after the first couple of weeks. If they do not, and this is a problem for you, go back to the doctor and see what else you could try.

If it works for you, zolpidem may have a positive effect on your sex life as your symptoms settle, and you can concentrate on your relationships.

Fertility

There is no evidence to suggest that zolpidem affects fertility.

If you want to get pregnant, however, you should discuss taking zolpidem with your doctor. Promethazine is usually the first choice. (Please see more information below).

Zolpidem is not a banned substance in sport.

Zolpidem has side effects, however, that might make you less able to take part in sports that need a lot of focus.

These side effects include feeling sleepy, dizzy, confused and having double vision.

Do not worry - many people play sport while taking zolpidem, and the good effects of zolpidem may have a positive impact on your sporting performance as you sleep better.

Try not to start or stop zolpidem just before your exams.

Zolpidem can make you feel tired or confused, and may give you double vision when you start taking it.

Stopping zolpidem can give you rebound symptoms of sleeplessness.

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 days away, however, you might find that it is better to start zolpidem to improve your sleep and your motivation to study.

Do not worry - most people take exams as normal while taking zolpidem.