Transcript for:
Understanding Zolpidem and Its Uses

Zolpidem is a sedative used short term to help treat insomnia. In this mnemonic video, I'll teach you an easy way to remember everything you need to know about Zolpidem for test day. For today's mnemonic video, we are entering into a zombie apocalypse.

There are zombies everywhere. By the way, the zombies here can also help you remember the drug name Zolpidem. Get it? Zombie for Zolpidem.

It's the Zolpidem zombies. Let's move on to the uses of Zolpidem. Looks like we came in at a good time.

These zombies are all sleeping. We're safe, at least for now. These sleeping zombies are our symbol for sedation.

Sleeping for sedation. Easy, right? Zolpidem falls into a drug class called the non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics, and this drug is primarily used to treat insomnia.

particularly instances when the patient has a hard time falling asleep. You see, benzodiazepines are another kind of sedative, and zolpidem works in a similar but not identical way. The major difference is that zolpidem does not have as high of a risk for dependence or abuse, so it's actually the preferred treatment for insomnia. In fact, if you've ever heard of Ambien, then you might want to know that Ambien is just a trade name for zolpidem.

Like with all drugs that cause sedation, patients taking zolpidem should avoid using other CNS depressants like alcohol or opioids to avoid over-sedation. Zolpidem also has a pretty quick onset, so it should be taken immediately before going to bed. Take a look at that alert on the man's cell phone.

Looks like we have under 10 days to evacuate the city before these zombies wake up. That's not a very long time, so we better get moving. You know, this 10-day countdown reminds me of how Zolpidem can only be used as a short-term treatment for insomnia, for less than 10 days to be exact. Zolpidem is not a long-term solution for insomnia, but can be very helpful in the short term.

Remember that people can only take Zolpidem for 10 days at a time, and after that, both them and the zombies will be waking up. Alright, we've got no time to lose. We better quickly move on to our summary.

Zolpidem is a sedative hypnotic drug that is used to treat insomnia. It is a short-term treatment and should not be used for longer than 10 days. Zolpidem is a preferred treatment for insomnia over benzodiazepines because it does not have as high of a risk for dependence or abuse compared to that of the benzodiazepine drugs.

Thanks for braving the zombie apocalypse with me! Glad we made it out of this one alive. I'll catch you in the next one.

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