SUFFER FROM MIDDLE-OF-THE-NIGHT WAKEFULNESS? ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT BRAND NAME AMBIEN CR

AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR may cause serious side effects including complex sleep behaviors. After taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. These activities may happen with AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR whether or not you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy. Some of these complex sleep behaviors have caused serious injury and death. People taking AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR have reported:

• sleep-walking
• sleep-driving
• making and eating food
• talking on the phone
• having sex

Stop taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR and tell your doctor right away if you find out that you have done any of these activities after taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR.

Do not take AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR if you:

• have had complex sleep behaviors that happened after taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR in the past.
• are allergic to zolpidem or any of the ingredients in AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR.

AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR are federally controlled substances (C-IV) because they can be abused or cause dependence. Keep AMBIEN in a safe place to protect it from theft. Never give your AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR to anyone else because it may cause death or harm them. Selling or giving away this medicine is against the law.

Before taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts or actions
• have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
• have kidney or liver disease
• have a lung disease or breathing problems
• have sleep apnea
• have myasthenia gravis
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • Tell your doctor if you become pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment with AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR.
  • Babies born to mothers who take AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR during the third trimester of pregnancy may have symptoms of breathing problems and sedation (such as sleepiness or low muscle tone).
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR passes into your breast milk and may harm your baby

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

AMBIEN and other medicines can interact with each other causing serious side effects. AMBIEN may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how AMBIEN works.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you:

• take benzodiazepines
• take opioids as it may increase the risk of breathing problems (respiratory depression)
• take tricyclic antidepressants
• take other medicines that can make you sleepy or affect your breathing (including other zolpidem medicines)
• drink alcohol

AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR may cause serious side effects, including:

• AMBIEN can make you sleepy or dizzy and can slow your thinking and motor skills. Next-day sleepiness is common with AMBIEN CR, but can be serious. Because AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR can make you sleepy or dizzy you are at a higher risk for falls.
  • Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR affect you.
  • Do not drink alcohol or take opioids or other medicines that may make you sleepy or dizzy while taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR without first talking to your healthcare provider. When taken with alcohol or other medicines that cause sleepiness or dizziness, AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR may make your sleepiness or dizziness much worse.
• Severe allergic reactions. Symptoms include swelling of the tongue or throat, trouble breathing, and nausea and vomiting. Get emergency medical help right away if you develop any of these symptoms during treatment with AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR.
• Abnormal thoughts and behavior. For AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR, symptoms include more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion (delirium), acting strangely, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions.
• Risk of suicide and worsening of depression. Worsening of depression, including suicidal thoughts and actions can happen during treatment with medicines like AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop any thoughts of suicide, dying, or worsening depression during treatment with AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR.
• Breathing problems. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you develop breathing problems during treatment with AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR.
• Problems with your nervous system caused by severe liver disease (hepatic encephalopathy).
• Withdrawal symptoms. You may have withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms can be serious and include stomach and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, shakiness, seizures, and confusion (delirium). Talk to your healthcare provider about slowly stopping AMBIEN and AMBIEN CR to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

The most common side effects of AMBIEN include drowsiness, dizziness, diarrhea, grogginess or feeling as if you have been drugged.

The most common side effects of AMBIEN CR include headache and dizziness.

Take AMBIEN CR tablets whole. Do not break, crush, dissolve or chew AMBIEN CR tablets before swallowing.

Call your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.

If you take too much AMBIEN or AMBIEN CR or overdose, get emergency treatment.

Click here for full Prescribing Information including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide for AMBIEN.

Click here for full Prescribing Information including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide for AMBIEN CR.