Insomnia and Medication

As instructed by my psychiatrist, I have to take Zoldem before I go to bed. For the past few weeks, I've been having difficulty in sleeping. Its either I sleep at 2am or don't sleep at all. And with a risk of getting a panic attack, which I have occasionally, she decided to give me this prescription medicine, Zoldem.

I never really questioned my doctors about the medicines that they prescribe to me. I put my full faith and trust onto them. It's quite dangerous to do so knowing that these people are still strangers. Then again, who am I to question their expertise? I'm just an artist, not a doctor.


As the inquisitive little booger that I am, I decided to google what Zoldem was and got this:

Zolpidem (brand names Ambien, Ambien CR, Intermezzo, Stilnox, and Sublinox) is a prescription medication used for the treatment of insomnia and some brain disorders. It is a short-acting nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic of the imidazopyridine class  that potentiates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, by binding to GABA_A receptors at the same location as benzodiazepines.

 It works quickly, usually within 15 minutes, and has a short half-life of two to three hours.

Zolpidem has not adequately demonstrated effectiveness in maintaining sleep, unless delivered in a controlled-release (CR) form. However, it is effective in initiating sleep.

Its hypnotic effects are similar to those of the benzodiazepine class of drugs, but it is molecularly distinct from the classical benzodiazepine molecule and is classified as an imidazopyridine. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, which is used for benzodiazepine overdose, can also reverse zolpidem's sedative/hypnotic and memory-impairing effects.

As a muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant, the drug's effects are not evident until dosages 10 and 20 times those required for sedation, respectively, are reached.For that reason, zolpidem has never been approved for either muscle relaxation or seizure prevention. Such drastically increased doses are also more inclined to induce one or more of the drug's adverse side effects, including hallucinations and amnesia.

That explains the hallucinations and whatsoevers.

Anyway. Goodnight.