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Your doaor to prescribed Ambten CR lo help you steep The following inter
rtoior. is intended to guide vou m the sale use of this medicine, it is not
meant to take the place of your doctor s instructions If you have any questions
about Ambien CR tablets be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist
Ambien CR is used to treat different types of sleep problems, such as:
• trouble falling asleep
• waking up often dunng the night
Some people may have more than one of these problems
Ambien CR belongs to a group of medicines known as the 'sedative/
hypnotics', or simply, sleep medicines. There are many different sleep
medicines available to help people sleep better Sleep problems are usually
temporary requiring treatment ter onh a short time, usually l or 2 days up to
1 or 2 weeks Some people have chronic sleep problems that may require
more prolonged use of sleep medicine However, you should not use these
medicines ter tong periods without talking with your doctor about the nsks
and benefits of prolonged use
Most common side effects:
• headache
• somnolence (sleepiness*
• doziness
You may find that these medicines make you sleepy during the day. How
drowsy you feel depends upon how your body reacts to the medicine, which
sleep medicine you are taking, and how large a dose your doctor has
prescribed Daytime drowsiness is best avoided by taking the lowest dose
possible that will still help you sleep at night Your doctor will work with you
to teid the dose of Ambien CR that is best ter you
To manage these side effects while you are taking this medicine
• When you first start taking Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine until you
know whether the medicine will still have some carryover effect m you the
next day. use extreme care while doing anything that requires complete
alertness, such as driving a car. operating machinery, or piloting an aircraft.
• NEVER drink alcohol while vou are being treated with Ambien CR or any
sleep medicine Alcohol can increase the side effects of Ambien CR or any
other sleep medicine
• Do not lake any other medicines without asking your doctor first This
indudes medicines you can buy without a prescription. Some medicines
can cause drowsiness and are best avoided while taking Ambien CR.
• Always take the exact dose of Ambien CR prescribed by your doctor. Never
change your dose without talking to your doctor first.
There are some special problems that may occur while taking sleep medicines
"Skcp Dri*Mg” mi other complex behaviors: There have been reports
of people getting out of bed after taking a sleep mediane and driving then
cars while not toffy awake, often with no memory of the event If you experi
ence such an event, it should be reported to your doctor immediately, since
'sleep-dnvmg' can be dangerous This behavior is more likely to occur when
Ambien CR is taken with alcohol or other drugs such as those for the treatment
of depression or anxiety Other complex behaviors such as prepanng and
eating tood. making phone catty or having sex have been reported in people
who are not fully awake after taking a sleep medicine. As with 'sleep-driving',
people usually do not remember these events
Memory prvWems: Steep medicines may cause a special type of memory toss
or 'amnesia.* When this occurs, a person may not remember what to
happened for several hours after taking the medicine. This is usually not a
problem since most people fall asleep after taking the medicine
Memory toss can be a problem however, when sleep medicines arc taken
while traveling, such as dunng an airplane flight and the person wakes up
before the effect of the medic me is gone This has been called "travelers
amnesia.’
Be sure to talk to your doctor if you think you are having memory problems
Although memory problems are not very common while taking Ambien CR. in
most instances, they can be avoided if you take Ambien CR only when vou are
able to get a full night’s sleep (7 to 8 hours) before you need to be actrve again
Tolerance: When sleep medicines are used every night for more than a few
weeks, they may lose their effectiveness to help you sleep This is known as
tolerance’ Sleep medicines should, in most cases, be used only tor short
periods of time, such as lor 2 days and generate no longer than 1 or 2 weeks
If your sleep problems continue, consult vour doctor, who will determine
whether other measures are needed to overcome your sleep problems
Dependence: Sleep medicines can cause dependence, especially when these
medicines are used regularly for loogcr than a few weeks or at high doses
Some people develop a need to continue taking their medicines. This is known
as dependence or ’addiction ’
When people develop dependence, they may have difficulty stopping the
sleep medicine If the medicine is suddenly stopped, the body is not able to
function normally and unpleasant symptoms may occur (see WitMrawol)
They may find that they have lo keep taking the medicines either at the
prescribed dose or at increasing doses just to avoid withdrawal symptoms
All people taking sleep medicines have some risk of becoming dependent on
trie medicine However, people who have been dependent on alcohol or other
drugs m the past may have a higher chance of becoming addicted to sleep
medicines. This possibility must be considered before using these medicines
for more than a few weeks
If vou have been addicted to alcohol or drugs in the past, it is important to tell
your doctor before starting Ambien CR or any sleep medicine
Copyright, sanofhaventis US LLC 2007
>4MBENCR'
Withdrawal: Withdrawal symptoms mav occur when sleep medicines
are stopped suddenly after being used date tor a long time in some cases,
these svmptoms can occur even if the medicine to been used for only a week
or two
In mild cases, withdrawal symptoms mav include unpleasant feelings In more
severe cases, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating shakmess.
and rarefy, seizures may occur. These more severe withdrawal symptoms are
very uncommon
Another problem that mav occur when sleep medicines are stopped is known
as 'rebound insomnia' This means that a person mav have more trouble
sleeping the first few nights after the medicine is stopped than before starting
the mediane If vou should experience rebound insomnia, do not get
discouraged This problem usually goes away on its own after 1 or 2 nights
If vou have been taking Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine tor more than
I or 2 weeks, do not stop taking it on your own Always follow vour doctor s
directions.
Changes in behavior and thinking: Some people using sleep medicines have
experienced unusual changes in their thinking and/or behavior These effects
are not common However, they have included
• more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal
• confusion
• strange behavior
• agitation
• hallucinations
• worsening of depression
• suicidal thoughts
How often these effects occur depends on several factors, such as a person s
general health, the use of other medicines, and which sleep medicine is being
used
It is also important to realize that it 5 rarefy clear whether these behavior
changes are caused by the medicine, an illness, or occur on their own In tact,
sleep problems that do not improve may be due to illnesses that were present
before the mediane was used If vou or your family notice anv changes in your
behavior, or if you have any unusual or disturbing thoughts, call vour doctor
immediately
Pregnancy: Sleep medicines may cause sedation of the unborn babv when
used dunng the last weeks of pregnancy
Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant, if you are planning to become
pregnant, or if you become pregnant while taking Ambien CR.
To ensure the safe and effective use of Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine,
you should observe the following cautions:
1. Ambien CR is a prescription mediane and should be used ONLY as directed
by your doctor FoHow your doctor’s instructions about how to take, when
to take, and how tong to take Ambien CR Ambien CR tablets should not
be divided, crushed, or chewed, and must be swallowed whole
2. Never use Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine tor longer than directed
by your doaor
3 If you develop an allergic reaawn such as rash, hives, shortness of breath
or swelling of vour tongue or throat when using Ambien CR or anv other
sleep medicine, discontinue Ambien CR or other sleep medicine immedi
ately and contact your doaor
4 If you notice any unusual and/or disturbing thoughts or behavior
dunng treatment with Ambien CR or any other sleep mediane. contaa
your doaor
5. Tefl your doaor about any medicines vou may be taking, including
medicines you may buy without a prescription You should also tell your
doctor if you dnnk alcohol DO NOT use akohol while taking Ambien CR
or anv other sleep medicine
6 Do not take Ambien CR unless you are able to get a full night’s sleep before
you must be aaive again. For example. Ambien CR should not be taken on
an overnight airplane flight of less than 7 to 8 hours since 'traveler s
amnesia" may occur
7. Do not increase the presenbed dose of Ambien CR or anv other sleep
medicine unless instructed bv vour doaor
8 When you first start taking Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine until
you know whether the medicine will still have some carryover effeam you
the next day, use extreme care while doing anything that requires
complete alertness, such as driving a car. operating machinery, or piloting
an aircraft
9 Be aware that vou mav have more sleeping problems the first night after
stopping Ambien CR or any other sleep medicine.
10 Be sure to tell your doaor if you are pregnant, if you are planning to
become pregnant, or if you become pregnant while taking Ambien CR or
any other sleep medicine
II As with all prescription medicines, never share Ambien CR or anv other
sleep medicine with anyone else Always store Ambien CR or any other
sleep medicine in the original container that you received it in and store
it out of reach of children
12 Ambien CR works very quietly You should only take Ambien CR right
before going to bed and are ready to go to sleep
Ambien Ot* 6
(zolpidem tartrate extended-release tablets)
Revised Apnl 2007
AMB-APRO7 IFP-Ab
Movies
Christina Rica grows up
The actress sheds her troubled past, but not her oddball roles.
BY CLAIRE HOFFMAN
IT’S A strangely stormy
winter afternoon when
Christina Ricci steps in
side a Santa Monica,
Calif., restaurant and shucks
off her electric-yellow rain
slicker. Dark-eyed and doll
faced, Ricci laid claim to the
image of the macabre girl
next door at age 11, as Wed
nesday in The Adda ms Fam
ily movie. Now 28 and film’s
reigning oddball in
genue, she teams up
with Reese Wither
spoon and plays a
pig-nosed girl, at
right, in the new
movie Penelope.
At a shadowy cor
ner table, the young
actress spoke openly
about her troubled
past and her
happier present:
Q: I have to ask: Why do you seem so
weird to people?
[Laughs.] I don’t know. I mean, I am
a little bit off, but not in, like, a sinis
ter way. I wear J.Crew clothes, I love
malls, and I like makeup. I’m not an
airhead, but I’m not goth.
Q: Isn’t it odd for a young, beautiful
actress to take a role in which she has
a deformity that makes her look like
a pig?
Only if I had some hang-up about [ac
tually] looking like a pig. At first, my
agent didn’t w r ant to tell me about the
project because they thought for some
reason I would be offended that they
wanted me to play a girl with a pig
nose. And I was like, well, I’m going
to wear a prosthetic, right?
sanofi-aventis U S. LLC
Bridgewater. N] 08807
14
USA WEEKEND • Feb. 29-March 2,2008
. * Ljßßf
much more; I was a burner. I was an
angry kid. But I decided to be honest
about it, and maybe somebody who
has this problem will say, “Oh, it’s not
such a crazy, shameful thing I’m do
ing. All I need to do is just go get
some help.”
Q: Was that stuff going on because you
were in the public eye?
No. The fact of the matter is I’m an
incredibly late bloomer. Until I was
almost 30,1 acted like I was 17. Now
I think that I’m confident enough in
myself that I don’t think anyone’s go
ing to take advantage of me. Or if they
do, I have enough confidence that I
will turn around and say, “Just ’cause
I’m 5 feet tall, you can’t tell me what
to do.” ca
"Until I was almost 30,
I acted like I was 17."
Q: You’ve been open about
battling anorexia and cutting.
I was never a cutter. I was
PORTRAIT ROBERT GALLAGHER. iBG PHOTO. PENELOPE: If C FILMS