What Causes Sleeplessness Despite Having Ambien?

Posted on Fri, 13 Mar 2015

Question: I take 10mg of ambien at night . Lately I've been only gettin 4hrs if sleep on it. Sleep dep triggers anxiety attacks. I'm awake it's 3am I need something to help me fall asleep what can I take ? Help!!

Answered by Dr. Ravi Soni (28 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You can have another tablet of ambien

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing through HCM.

If you not getting sleep with ambien then you can try another tablet of same but it may not work. In emergency what else can you do.

In the morning do visit your psychiatrist and ask for drugs for proper management of sleep. Follow the sleep hygiene steps from internet.

Ambien can cause excessive sedation. Be careful about waking up at middle of night after taking high dose, you may fall.

This is just to help in emergency. Daily use of high doses of ambien is not recommended. I usually do not give more than 10 mg of ambien in my patients. Do not take high dose of ambien without permission of your doctor.

Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further query then close the discussion and rate the answer.

Wish you good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju

Follow up: Dr. Ravi Soni (6 minutes later)

Thank you . Can I half the dose to 5mg so I won't wake up groggy or is that too much for my system . The 10mg at 9:30 woke up at 2am can't fall back to sleep. Need to wake up at 7

Answered by Dr. Ravi Soni (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It is good idea

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.

Yeah, splitting the tablet will resolve the issue. Make sure that it is a plain tablet and not the sustained rlease tablet because SR tablet can't be split into two half. Discuss about theses changes with your doctor in next meeting.

Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further query then close the discussion and rate the answer.

Wish you good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju

Follow up: Dr. Ravi Soni (8 minutes later)

Thank you . It is called zolpidem tartrate 10 mg

White Pill says 6469 v

Is that one still ok to half even I I need it for 2hrs of sleep

Sorry so many questions

Answered by Dr. Ravi Soni (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yeah you can split it

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.

There must be a mark on the tablet, breaking from where makes the equal halves.
You can break and use it. Even if mark is not present, still you can break it.

You shall get 2 to 3 hours of sleep with it.

Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further question then close the discussion and rate the answer.

Wish you good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju