Is Sandoz Zolpidem Effective?

For millions of Americans, something that comes easily to some may require painstaking hours for others. This condition, known as insomnia, refers to one's ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Without proper sleep, normal, everyday tasks can become much more difficult as the brain and body are both sleep deprived. For these people, sleep medications can be a quick salvation.

Insomnia

• Insomnia is a huge problem in the United States, with a reported 60 million people being affected with the condition. Insomnia can be so problematic, it makes everyday living a difficult task. Our bodies require sleep to function properly and without it, can lead to a host of sleep deprived ailments such as confusion, agitation and poor decisions.

Sleeping Medications

• The Mayoclinic.com states notes that sleeping medications are extremely effective if taken for a short time and if your insomnia is not caused by another medical ailment. If so, treating the condition will be the only sure-fire way to treat your insomnia.

  Sleeping medications, although effective, carry with them a large number of side effects including daytime drowsiness and feeling "hung-over."

Older Sleep Medications

• Insomnia was treated in the past with powerful benzodiazepines, which are both physically and psychologically addictive. These medications include halcion, a popular sleep aide in the sixties and seventies. Although effective, many users became dependent upon them and relied too heavily upon them, resulting in physical addiction. Benzodiazepines have now fallen on the weigh side, replaced with less addictive, different medications which are being used effectively.

Sedative Hypnotics

• The use of sedative hypnotics for sleep has taken over the treatment of insomnia ten-fold. These medications are believed to work quickly and not create dependency, although recently, psychological dependence has been reported.

  At the forefront of these newer sleep medications is sandoz zolpidem or Ambien. Upon its release, Ambien took the market by storm, with more prescriptions being written for it than any other sleep medications.

Action

• Sandoz zolpidem works by slowing the systems of the body down and promoting sleep. It acts quickly so should be taken while in bed, as the drug typically works in 15 to 20 minutes. Sandoz zolpidem or Ambien is only approved for the short term treatment of insomnia and should not be abused as psychological dependence will certainly ensue.

Side Effects

• Side effects, like all medications, are several for sandoz zolpidem. In fact, the manufacturer of the drug was recently forced to include night driving, blacking out episodes as well as conducting awake activities while under its influence. Ambien can also exacerbate or cause depressive thoughts/actions, confusion, hallucinations, loss of personality and others.

Efficacy

• Most studies show that sandoz zolpidem is effective in promoting sleep, provided the patient has not abused or stayed on the drug for an extended period of time. It is important to remember that the drug is only intended for short term use, with long term use causing a drop in efficacy.