How does Ambien work?
Ambien interacts at the benzodiazepine recognition site in the brain to relieve symptoms of insomnia by combining with Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) — a neurotransmitter that amplifies and modulates signals between a cell and its adjacent neuron. The combination of Ambien and GABA reduces the general level of electrical activity in areas of the brain associated with sleep which, in turn, helps you go to sleep.
French manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, produced a medication that is chemically distinctive from the older benzodiazepines such as Valium and Halcion which are also used to relieve insomnia, but work by inducing sedation. Ambien does not:
- act as a muscle relaxant;
- have an anti-seizure effect;
- disturb physiological sleep; and
- require the same large doses and so there fewer adverse side-effects.
Ambien is fast-acting, usually producing sleep within about fifteen minutes. The slow-acting version, Ambien CR, is supplied as a dual-layer tablet. The surface layer dissolves quickly and brings on sleep within the usual fifteen minutes. The core dissolves more slowly and maintains sleep for a longer period of time. Ambien CR stays active in your body for longer. When you wake, you are likely to feel very drowsy. You should therefore spend at least seven hours either sleeping or resting before being active again. It is dangerous to drive or operate machinery until you are confident that you are fully alert.
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