Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Ambien as follows:
- Do not take Ambien on full stomach, immediately after a meal. Ambien is fast to act and acts better, when taken on empty stomach. The presence of food in the stomach reduces the absorption of Ambien and thereby, delays the onset of action, thus compromising the therapeutic benefit of Ambien intake. Try maintaining a 2-hour window after dinner and not have any food or snack during this period. Then, take the dose of Ambien, just before going to bed. Observe compliance with this time of Ambien intake, every night, as it helps establish a pattern for sleep.
- Ambien may be taken with a small snack, if taking the medication on empty stomach results in unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting. But, be aware that food in the stomach can slow down the absorption of Ambien, thus compromising the therapeutic benefit of the medication intake.
- As Ambien is fast to act, make sure you are retired to rest for the day, before taking the dose of Ambien. Once the dose of Ambien is taken for the evening, stay away from activities needing extreme alertness, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery. Avoid having Ambien dose, if you have activity or job left for the day.
- If you miss a dose for the evening, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, on the following evening, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
