Therefore, the hypnotic activity of Zolpidem has also been explored in different patient populations and assessment included both objective and subjective measures of hypnotic efficacy for different treatment durations, with results confirming that ten milligrams is superior to placebo. (2) Consequently, according to the update of Zolpidem's pharmacology done in the year of 2001, the recommended dosage is ten milligrams in the non-elderly suffering from short-term insomnia; in elderly patients five milligrams has been shown to be effective at inducing sleep as per optimum the safety profile. (3) .
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Insomnia characterized by difficulty returning to sleep following a nocturnal awakening is called middle of the night (MOTN) insomnia. According to an American psychiatrist and psychophysiological researcher, Roth Thompson, it is the most common form of insomnia in adults, and has been shown to become more prevalent with increasing age. (4)In one of the studies conducted by Roth et al., subjects were given dosing period of two consecutive nights separated by a washout of five to twelve days. They were awakened four hours after lights were out, dosed with sublingual Zolpidem (3.5 mg or 1.75 mg) or placebo, kept awake for thirty minutes, and then returned to bed for an additional four hours. Sleep parameters were assessed by polysomnography and post-sleep questionnaires. It was concluded that low-dose sublingual Zolpidem may be suitable for treatment of patients who have difficulty resuming sleep after MOTN awakenings.(5) Therefore Studies of sublingual dosage of Zolpidem, show that this form of the drug is likely to be effective in short-term insomnia since the sublingual dosage of 1.75 milligrams or 3.75 milligrams may also cause rapid onset of action that may confer benefits for some patients taking the medication at typical bedtimes. (6) However, standard doses of ten milligrams may be associated with clinically significant residual daytime sedation.