Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Ambien as follows:

1. Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your physician.
2. Ambien is usually prescribed for a short-term. Taking Ambien for a prolonged course of time can result in progressive blunting of the therapeutic response with the medication. Notify your physician regarding diminishing therapeutic response with Ambien, if any.
3. Take the Ambien dose for the duration prescribed without fail. Do not discontinue taking Ambien abruptly, without discussing with your physician and other health care personnel, as you failed to note the promised therapeutic benefit after the intake of medication.
4. Ambien carries a potential for addiction and abuse. Individuals with history of substance abuse have an increased chance for addiction with Ambien use. Notify your doctor regarding your history of substance abuse, so that, your plan of care could be revised and an alternative medication could be considered for management of insomnia.
5. Never share Ambien with a friend or family. Keep a count on your pills and store the medication in a place where others cannot get access to the pills.
6. Ambien is fast to act and acts better, when taken on empty stomach. So, plan your dinner towards early in the evening and observe compliance with this time for dinner.
7. 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.
8. 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, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery.
9. 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.
10. Ambien intake helps induce sleep, in individuals with complaint of insomnia and difficulty falling sleep. Prepare yourself for a full-night sleep, when taking Ambien. Avoid having Ambien dose, if you are planning to have a short sleep time, for 3 – 4 hour duration for the night. Taking Ambien for a short duration sleep can result in problems with memory, continued drowsiness during the waking time, and compromised safety, especially with activities that mandate alertness, such as, dr
11. Do not take Ambien with alcohol or opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, as they can further contribute to the dizziness caused by the medication, thus compromising safety. A number of OTC cough medications, antihistamines, antianxiety, anti-seizure, and muscle relaxant medications, also can cause drowsiness upon intake and must be avoided taking with Ambien.
12. Ambien regular tablet is an immediate-release tablet and swallow it as a whole, using a glass of water. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You can also crush the regular tablet and sprinkle the powder on a spoon of apple sauce or jello or pudding, to facilitate an easy swallow.
13. If you are prescribed Ambien controlled-release tablet, do not cut or crush the tablet. Cutting or crushing the extended-release tablet can result in very rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity. Swallow the extended-release tablet as a whole, using a glass of water. The controlled-release tablet has a first layer that dissolves quickly, similar to the immediate-release tablet, to help you fall asleep quick, and a second layer that dissolves slowly after 3 – 4 hours of intake, to help you stay asleep through the night.
14. Ambien could also be administered as sublingual tablets, Edluar and Intermezzo, which are immediate-release and fast acting varieties of Ambien. Intermezzo variety is typically prescribed for middle-of-the-night insomnia, with patients waking up in the mid of the night and have difficulty falling sleep. These sublingual tablets are orally disintegrating, which must be placed under the tongue, allowed to dissolve in the mouth for one minute, before swallowing the remnants in the mouth with saliva. Do not chew on these sublingual tablets or do not swallow them as a whole, which can compromise the therapeutic benefit of the medication.
15. For individuals with swallowing difficulties, Ambien could also be administered as a lingual spray, zolpimist, which is immediate-release and fast acting too. Before using zolpimist spray for the first time, or if you have not used the spray bottle in the last 2 weeks, remember to prime the pump before use. Priming the pump is done by holding the spray bottle upright, pointing the opening of the spray away from your face, and pressing down on the pump, to release the mist from the container. Release the pump and repeat the action for 3 – 4 times to complete the priming of the pump. After priming is complete, hold the pump upright, with the opening of the spray pointed into the mouth and over the top of tongue. Pressing down once and releasing the pump will amount to delivering one spray of Ambien. Take your prescribed dose of Ambien, by pressing on the pump for the number of times/sprays prescribed.
16. Ambien can take some time to fairly adjust to your body, to produce an optimum response of sleep induction. Your physician could change the dose of Ambien, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, if need be, until you show an optimum response. Report to your physician regarding any poor response to Ambien intake.
17. Continue taking Ambien as ordered, even if you experience relief from insomnia symptoms. Sudden discontinuation of Ambien intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, sleep disturbances, headaches, hallucinations, exhaustion, nervousness, anxiety, and in severe cases, seizures, mood disturbances, and suicidal thoughts. Discontinuation on Ambien use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses, on your physician’s guidance. Also, discontinuation on Ambien can result in rebound insomnia, which should settle down in a day or two. Report to your physician regarding any continuing difficulty falling sleep and/or staying sleep, after discontinuation on Ambien intake.
18. 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.