Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part B (2025)

Background: Adequate sleep is important for both physical and mental well-being. Sleep-wake disorders have negative effects on cognitive functioning and causes maladaptive metabolic changes. Zolpidem effectively treats insomnia across patient populations.
Aim: To understand the role of zolpidem Extended Release (ER) in the management of insomnia in the real-world setting.
Methodology: A Focused Group Discussion was conducted with 11 experts from the field of psychiatry and neurology to discuss the current treatment goals and clinical experiences for the management of insomnia.
Results: About 25% of patients attending OPDs have insomnia. 10-20% of these patients have primary insomnia, and the remaining 80-90% have comorbid insomnia. The first step to diagnose insomnia detailed history taking regarding the lifestyle and work profile of the patients. Only 20-40% of patients discuss insomnia with their doctors. Zolpidem ER is preferred by experts due to its rapid onset of action, short half-life of 2.8 hrs, less next-day sedation, increase in stage 3 sleep duration, and no alteration in sleep architecture and REM sleep.
Conclusion: According to the experts Zolpidem ER may have a favourable tolerability profile with a low predilection to cause clinical residual effects, withdrawal, dependence, or tolerance. Zolpidem is a useful option to treat patients with insomnia associated with comorbid diseases.