The Food and Drug Administration reported Jan. 10 that it is requiring the manufacturers of Ambien and sleep aids like it to lower the recommended doses on their products. This is based on studies that suggest that people who take these sleep aids have a higher risk of injury while driving due to drowsiness in the morning.
The FDA stated that new research shows that the drug in Ambien and other sleep aids like it that contain zolpidem, stays in the bloodstream at high enough levels in the morning to hinder coordination and alertness therefore increasing the risk of auto accidents. Women tend to eliminate zolpidem from their bodies slower than men effecting the warning. They are suggesting that health care providers also lower the dosage for men. The reports indicate that the risk is higher for those people taking the extended release form of the sleep aids.
The FDA is ordering drug companies to lower the medication dose in half for women. The dose will be lowered to 5 milligrams from 10 milligrams for the regular form of the sleep aids and to 6.25 milligrams from 12.5 milligrams for the extended release type. The regulators are recommending that the men's doses be lowered as well, but they are not making it a requirement at this time.
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