Check their license by using the FDA’s BeSafeRx website. Find out their license employing the online tool available on FDA’s BeSafeRx site.
AMBIEN use late in third trimester can cause newborn respiratory depression. Advise patients to avoid drinking and taking prescribed drugs or street drugs prior to and following treatment with AMBIEN.
Dosage
AMBIEN is known to cause impaired psychomotor function the next day. It shouldn’t be combined with alcohol, or any other substance that enhances the zolpidem metabolic rate. Certain elderly patients may fall after taking doses of 10 mg tartrate zolpidem. Ambiaen can cause patients to fall. They should be advised to gradually get up from the bed following taking AMBIEN.
Instruct pregnant women that breastfeeding is not recommended and that AMBIEN can enter breast milk. Infants should be monitored for hypotonia and excessive sedation. Respiratory depression may also develop.
AMBIEN can precipitate severe hepatic impairment in people with severe liver impairment. The likelihood of experiencing this reaction increases when zolpidem is co-administered with drugs that act on GABA receptors such as the benzodiazepines as well as anticholinergics (see INTERACTIONSand DRUGS INTERACTIONS. AMBIEN may cause tolerance and dependence. The moment you notice it stop the medication.
The side effects
The most common negative effects of AMBIEN can be described as drowsiness, dizziness, headache as well as stomach discomfort. The negative effects associated with AMBIEN tend to be mild, and disappear on their own within few days.
Be cautious when driving or performing other tasks that require attention if you’re taking AMBIEN. Particularly when taken when there is less than a full night’s sleep remaining (7 to 8 hours) or in combination with alcohol or when combined with other drugs that affect the CNS (e.g., the use of other antidepressants and sedatives). Refer to the Medication Guide for further information.
AMBIEN has been shown to prolong the time that sleepers spend in their deepest stage of sleep (stage 4.) in addition to REM (paradoxical) sleeping.
AMBIEN can cause impairment in psychomotor function over the next few days if consumed within 8 hours of nighttime, when combined in combination with other drugs or alcohol which raise blood levels of Zolpidem. (See Warnings and Precautions). Instruct patients that AMBIEN must only be taken in the evening and not in the morning.
Precautions
Many online pharmacies claim to offer convenience, privacy, and price savings through selling prescription medicines without a doctor’s prescription. Not all online pharmacies are legitimate. Certain pharmacies sell expired, counterfeit, or dangerous medicines. The FDA advises people against purchasing prescription medications from unlicensed online pharmacies. In order to help customers find secure and accredited pharmacies, the FDA has created the BeSafeRx website, with tools to determine unsafe websites.
Inform patients to not use AMBIEN more than the amount prescribed. Inform patients not to drink any alcohol or go now other drugs which cause them to sleep while taking AMBIEN. Remind patients to stay awake for at least 7-8 hours before driving or taking part in any other actions that require full alertness after the administration of AMBIEN.
Examine for indications of breath problems, sedation and limpness in breast-fed infants [see Specific Populations]. Studies of older patients (>70 years), AMBIEN Cmax and T 1/2 scores were elevated compared to older adults.
Alerts
The unlicensed online pharmacies could sell counterfeit medicine or medicines containing hazardous ingredients. The FDA strongly suggests purchasing prescription medicine only from online pharmacies that are licensed with your state board of pharmacy. It is possible to check a pharmacy’s license status at the FDA’s BeSafeRx website.
Patients are advised to follow the AMBIEN dosing instructions. This could result in complex sleep behaviors which includes walking, driving or eating food, preparing and preparing meals calling, or even having sex when not awake. This can cause serious injury or death. If you are experiencing one of these signs, take off AMBIEN immediately and advise your patients that they need urgent medical care.
The combination of other medications that work on GABA receptors may raise the chance of CNS depression (see DRUGS INTERACTIONS). Inform pregnant women to speak to their physician in the event that they fall pregnant during treatment with AMBIEN.