Zolpidem, or commonly called Ambien, is a medication frequently prescribed for the treatment of sleeplessness. Ambien is only effective for short-term treatment of insomnia. Studies have shown that the medication is best when used for between two and six weeks.

Ambien is a drug that is used to allow the patient to fall asleep. It is not a medication that should or can be used to effectively maintain sleep because its potency usually only lasts around two to three hours. For example, zolpidem has been approved by the United States Air Force to be issued to aviators and other personnel to be used to help these individuals get a few hours of sleep to be ready to provide support for important missions around the world.

As with many medications, there are some adverse side effects to taking the medication. These side-effects include: nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, delusions, altered thought patterns, poor motor skills/coordination, euphoria, increased appetite, impaired judgment, headaches and short term memory loss among other effects. Patients have reported some severe cases. For example, some people have reported binge eating, sleeping walking and performing ordinary everyday tasks while sleeping. These episodes have been shown by studies to occur typically after the first pill or other dosage had been taken.

There have also been some instances where adverse reactions to the medication have been suspected to cause death through injuries sustained while taking the medication. A man fell 30 meters from his balcony in 2007 and was killed by the impact. It is suspected that the man was sleep walking while feeling the effects of Stilnox, a generic version of zolpidem. In 2007, The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved thirteen generic versions of zolpidem to be manufactured. These different generic versions include: Ambien, Ambien CR, Zolpimist, Damixan, Nasen, Stilnox and Zolnod.