Zolpimist

Zolpimist helps you fall asleep if you have difficulty falling asleep. After taking Zolpimist, you may get up and do an activity such as drive, eat, and have sex while not fully awake.

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Zolpimist Overview

Reviewed: January 11, 2013
Updated: 

Zolpimist is a prescription medication used in adults for the short-term treatment of insomnia (difficulty falling asleep). Zolpimist belongs to a group of drugs called hypnotics. It works by slowing down brain activity so you can fall asleep.

Zolpimist comes in spray form and is taken by mouth just before bedtime.

Common side effects of Zolpimist include daytime drowsiness, dizziness, and diarrhea. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Zolpimist affects you.

How was your experience with Zolpimist?

First, a little about yourself

Tell us about yourself in a few words?

What tips would you provide a friend before taking Zolpimist?

What are you taking Zolpimist for?

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  • Other
  • Sleep Disorders

How long have you been taking it?

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  • Less than a week
  • A couple weeks
  • A month or so
  • A few months
  • A year or so
  • Two years or more

How well did Zolpimist work for you?

Did you experience many side effects while taking this drug?

How likely would you be to recommend Zolpimist to a friend?

Zolpimist Cautionary Labels

precautionsprecautionsprecautionsprecautionsprecautionsprecautions

Uses of Zolpimist

Zolpimist is a prescription medicine used in adults for the treatment of a sleep problem called insomnia (difficulty falling asleep). It slows brain activity to allow sleep.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Manufacturer

Zolpimist Drug Class

Zolpimist is part of the drug class:

Side Effects of Zolpimist

Warning: Impairment from sleep drugs can be present despite feeling fully awake.

You may still feel drowsy the next day after taking Zolpimist. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery or take part in anything that requires alertness after taking Zolpimist until you are certain you are alert.

Serious side effects of Zolpimist may include:

  • getting out of bed while not being fully awake and taking part in an activity that you do not know you are doing
  • abnormal thoughts and behavior including:
    • more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal
    • confusion 
    • agitation
    • hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there)
    • worsening of depression
    • suicidal thoughts or actions
  • memory loss
  • anxiety
  • severe allergic reactions including:
  • swelling of the tongue or throat
  • trouble breathing
  • nausea and vomiting

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the above side effects or any other side effects that worry you while using Zolpimist.

The most common side effects of Zolpimist are:

  • drowsiness
  • dizziness
  • diarrhea
  • "drugged feelings"

Some people experience symptoms such as trouble sleeping, nausea, flushing, lightheadedness, uncontrolled crying, vomiting, stomach cramps, panic attack, nervousness, and stomach area pain after stopping sleep medicine. This may last 1-2 days. 

This is not a complete list of Zolpimist side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Zolpimist Interactions

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products. Do not take Zolpimist with other medicines that make you sleepy. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take:

  • antidepressants such as imipramine (Tofranil) and sertraline (Zoloft)
  • chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
  • antifungal medicines such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and  ketoconazole (Nizoral)
  • medications for anxiety
  • cold medicines or allergy medicines
  • medicines for mental illness
  • pain medicines
  • medicines for seizures
  • rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
  • sedatives
  • sleeping pills
  • tranquilizers.

This is not a complete list of Zolpimist drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Zolpimist Precautions

After taking Zolpimist, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You should be aware that impairment from sleep drugs can be present despite feeling fully awake. You have a higher chance for doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with Zolpimist.

Reported activities include:

  • driving a car ("sleep-driving")
  • making and eating food
  • talking on the phone
  • having sex
  • sleep-walking

Call your doctor right away if you find out that you have done any of the above activities after taking Zolpimist.

  • Take Zolpimist right before you get in bed, not sooner.
  • Do not take Zolpimist if you drank alcohol that evening or before bed
  • Do not take Zolpimist with other medicines that can make you sleepy. 
  • Do not take Zolpimist if you cannot get a full night's sleep or stay in bed 7 or 8 hours before being active again.
  • Do not take Zolpimist if you are allergic to anything in it. Severe allergic reactions have occurred with Zolpimist use. Seek emergency medical attention if you have unexplained rash, itching, hives, wheezing or trouble breathing, or unexplained swelling (especially of the throat, lips, or mouth).
  • Do not take Zolpimist if you have had an allergic reaction to zolpidem, such as Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, or Intermezzo.
 
It is not known if Zolpimist is safe and effective in children under the age of 18 years.

Zolpimist can cause dizziness or drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Zolpimist affects you.

Zolpimist Food Interactions

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Zolpimist there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Zolpimist.

 

Inform MD

Before receiving Zolpimist, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have a history of depression, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts
  • have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction
  • have kidney or liver disease
  • have a lung disease or breathing problems
  • are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Zolpimist and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Zolpimist and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or are planning to breastfeed. Zolpimist is excreted into human milk. It is not known if Zolpimist will harm your nursing baby.

Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while you take Zolpimist.

 

Zolpimist Usage

Take Zolpimist exactly as prescribed. Do not take more Zolpimist than prescribed for you.

  • Take Zolpimist right before you get into bed, not sooner.
  • Only take 1 Zolpimist dose a night if needed.
  • Do not take Zolpimist unless you are able to stay in bed a full night (7–8 hours) before you must be active again.
  • Zolpimist should be taken without food.
  • Call your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
 
Be sure to carefully read, understand, and follow these instructions so that you use Zolpimist the right way. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you have any questions about how to use Zolpimist.
 
Priming:
Before you use Zolpimist for the first time or if you have not used Zolpimist for 14 days, you will need to prime the pump
(Steps 1-6). Otherwise go directly to Step 7.
 
To prime the pump:
1. Line up the arrows on the child-resistant cap and base.
2. Squeeze the cap at arrows.
3. Pull the cap and base to separate.
4. Remove the clear protective cap from the pump.
5. Hold the container upright. Point the black spray opening in a safe direction away from your face and other people. Fully press down on the pump with your forefinger. Release the pump and let the pump return to the starting position.
6. Follow step 5 and press down on the pump 4 more times. You should see a fine spray. Zolpimist is now ready to use. Now go
directly to Step 11.
 
Taking a dose of Zolpimist:
  • If you are using Zolpimist for the first time or you have not used Zolpimist for 14 days, you will need to prime the pump (Steps 1-6). Otherwise, there is no need to prime the pump.
  • Take Zolpimist exactly as prescribed. Do not take more Zolpimist than prescribed for you. Your healthcare provider will tell you whether to take 1 or 2 sprays of Zolpimist.
7. Line up the arrows on the child-resistant cap and base.
8. Squeeze the cap at arrows.
9. Pull the cap and base to separate.
10. Remove the clear protective cap from the pump.
11. Hold the container upright with the black spray opening pointed directly into your mouth. Fully press down on the pump to make sure that a full dose of Zolpimist is sprayed directly into your open mouth over your tongue.
12. Let the pump return to the starting position. If your healthcare provider prescribed only one spray of Zolpimist (5 mg dose), go
directly to Step 14.
13. If your healthcare provider prescribes a second spray of Zolpimist (10 mg dose), repeat Step 11.
14. Put the clear protective cap back over the pump at the top of the child-resistant base after each use.
15. Snap the child-resistant cap back onto the base and rotate the child-resistant cap and the child-resistant base so that the
arrows are not lined up.
16. The child-resistant container should be thrown away when the 60 sprays have been used.

Zolpimist Dosage

Take Zolpimist exactly as your doctor has prescribed it. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

Zolpimist Spray

The recommended dose is 5 mg for women and 5 or 10 mg for men, immediately before bedtime.

For geriatric patients and patients with liver impairment, the recommended dose is 5 mg for men and women.

 

 

Zolpimist Overdose

If you take too much Zolpimist call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

 

Other Requirements

  • Store Zolpimist in an upright position between 59 °F to 86 °F (15°C to 30 °C).
  • Do not freeze.
  • Avoid prolonged product exposure above 86 °F (30 °C).
  • The child -resistant container should be thrown away when the 60 sprays have been used.
  • Keep Zolpimist and all medicines out of reach of children.
  • Zolpimist is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep Zolpimist in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Zolpimist may harm others, and is against the law.

 

Zolpimist FDA Warning

Zolpimist is a federally controlled substance (C-IV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep Zolpimist in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away Zolpimist may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your doctor if you have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs.