Taking Ambien During Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

Taking Ambien During Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

With all the difficulties that come at the time of pregnancy, a sleepless night is a common one among them. It has been reported that almost 80% of pregnant women face issues or some kind of disturbance when they try to sleep at night. While for some pregnant women, the condition of insomnia can be mild, and for some, it can be severe. It will significantly affect a person’s day to day work and everyday functioning.

As we know that Ambien or its generic version Zolpidem is a sedative drug, it is prescribed for short-term treatment for the sleepless nights. As per the reports, Ambien is a commonly prescribed medication for pregnant women. Although it is safe to take Ambien according to the steps provided in the medication guide, there isn’t any information regarding its safety with the reproductive parts. 

However, There Have Been a few Studies that say –

• In the first study, there wasn’t any association found between the drug (Ambien) and any type of disorder at the time of birth. 
• In the second study, women who had psychological disorders were given Ambien to treat their illness. As a result of this, the births were premature, and also the infants were under-weight. 
• In a recent study, a similar situation was found in the second study. Along with that, it was also discovered that pregnant women who were not facing any mental issue and were on the dose of Ambien for 90 days, they were at a higher risk of adverse effects from the drug. 

Despite these, if you follow the guidelines of your health advisor, you will not face any such issue. There can be other interventions that will help you in recovering from insomnia. But there are some women who need to improve their sleep hygiene with the help of pharmacologic treatment. 

Alternatives for Pregnant Women suffering from insomnia 

Most of the time, doctors do not prescribe a pregnant woman for the use of Ambien. They know that the harmful effect of the drug may harm the fetus inside the womb. If a woman faces significant problems related to sleeping issues or so, antidepressants can be prescribed to give relief. It may not be good to take any sort of medication even if it is considered safe; there are risks involved whenever you take a dose. These risks and harmful side effects are the reason that you must consult your doctor before you take medicine. A health expert will prescribe pregnant women for the over-the-counter dose that too when the condition is quite serious. 

You may ask your health expert for natural remedies to manage insomnia. These may include – yoga, body massage, medication, or other techniques that will provide you relaxation. There are a number of therapies that will help you provide calmness, talk to your gynecologist to know more. Also, keep this in mind that if you are taking Ambien from earlier, do inform your doctor about it when you get pregnant. These artificial medicines may harm your health and also the unborn.