Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. If too much is taken, it may become habit-forming (causing mental or physical dependence).

Take zaleplon just before going to bed, when you are ready to go to sleep. This medicine works very quickly to put you to sleep.

Do not take this medicine when your schedule does not permit you to get at least 4 hours of sleep.If you must wake up before this, you may continue to feel drowsy and may experience memory problems, because the effects of the medicine have not had time to wear off.

Zaleplon may be taken with or without food or on a full or empty stomach. However, taking this medicine with or immediately after a heavy or a high fat meal may make zaleplon not work as fast.

Dosing

The dose of zaleplon will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of zaleplon. If your dose is different, do not change itunless your doctor tells you to do so

The number of capsules that you take depends on the strength of the medicine.

• For oral dosage form (capsules):
  • For the treatment of insomnia (trouble in sleeping):
    • Adults 10 milligrams (mg) at bedtime
    • Older adults 5 mg at bedtime
    • Children up to 18 years of age Use and dose must be determined by doctor

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

Sleep medicines may cause a special type of memory loss or "amnesia". When this occurs, a person does not remember what has happened during the several hours between use of the medicine and the time when its effects wear off. This is usually not a problem since most people fall asleep after taking the medicine. In most instances, memory problems can be avoided by taking zaleplon only when you are able to get at least 4 hours of sleep before you need to be active again. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you think you are having memory problems.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For zaleplon, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to zaleplon. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Zaleplon has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in pregnant animals have shown that zaleplon slows down the development of the offspring when given to the mother in doses many times the human dose. Before taking this medicine, make sure you doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding Zaleplon passes into breast milk, but the effect on nursing babies is unknown

Children Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of zaleplon in children younger than 18 years with adults.

Older adults Elderly patients are usually more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of zaleplon.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking zaleplon, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Alcohol (with chronic use) or
• Barbiturates, especially phenobarbital or
• Carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol) or
• Glutethimide (e.g., Doriglute) or
• Phenylbutazone (e.g., Butazolidin) or
• Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or
• Primidone (e.g., Mysoline) or
• Rifampin (e.g., Rifadin) These medicines may decrease the effectiveness of zaleplon

• Cimetidine (e.g., Tagamet) Cimetidine may interfere with the breakdown of zaleplon in the body, possibly leading to unwanted effects

• Other central nervous system (CNS) depressants (medicines that cause drowsiness) or
• Tricyclic antidepressants (medicine for depression) The CNS depressant effects of either these medicines or zaleplon may be increased, possibly leading to unwanted effects

• Alcohol abuse (or history of) or
• Drug abuse or dependence (or history of) Dependence on zaleplon may develop

• Breathing problems or
• Mental depression Zaleplon may make the condition worse
• Liver disease Higher blood levels of zaleplon may result, increasing the chance of side effects.