Expert: Lawrence Jay Rappaport <B>M.D.</B> - 9/16/2004

Question
I took Ambien (5 mg) for several weeks before I found out I was pregnant. What effects or abnormalties could this possibly have on my baby?

Answer
Ambien (zolpidem) is ahypnotic. No teratogenic effects were observed in rats, It is not known if Ambien crosses the human placenta.  The FDA has not received any reports of adverse fetal or newborn outcomes from pregnancy exposures to Ambien. Although no congenital malformations were observed the data are too limited to assess the safety of Ambien in the human embryo or fetusd. Furthermore, chronic maternal use of hypnotics and sedatives has been associated with withdrawal symptoms in newborns.