Zolpidem is a prescription drug used for the short-term treatment of insomnia (sleeping pill). It works quickly (usually within 15 minutes) and has a short half-life (2-3 hours), but will last longer in patients with hepatic failure. Some trade names of zolpidem are Ambien®, Stilnox®, Stilnoct®, Hypnogen® or Myslee®. Its hypnotic effects are similar to those of the benzodiazepines, but it is actually classified as an imidazopyridine, and the anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant effects only appear at 10 and 20 times the dose required for sedation, respectively. For that reason, it has never been approved for either muscle relaxation or seizure prevention. Such drastically increased doses are likely to induce one or more negative side effects, including hallucinations and/or amnesia.

The patent in the United States on zolpidem is held by the French pharmaceutical corporation Sanofi-Aventis. The patent was due to expire in October 2006, but a six-month extension was granted, pushing the off-patent date to April 2007, so that Sanofi-Aventis can conduct further studies on the effects of zolpidem on children^*. Zolpidem is available from several generic manufacturers in the UK, as generic from Sandoz in South Africa, as well as from other manufacturers such as Ratiopharm.

Uses