Ivedal contains zolpidem 10 mg, a prescription sleeping tablet. It is used for short-term treatment of severe insomnia. It is not a heart or blood pressure medicine — despite where you may have found this page. It is a Schedule 5 medicine intended for brief courses, because tolerance and dependence develop with regular use.

What is Ivedal?

Ivedal is registered in South Africa as Schedule 5 — prescription-only with additional controls:

Product	Contains
Ivedal 10 mg	Zolpidem tartrate 10 mg tablet

A note on where this page sits. Ivedal appears in this site’s blood pressure and circulation section, following the source data this site is built from. That placement is wrong: zolpidem is a sedative-hypnotic, and it has no cardiovascular use. If you were looking for a heart or blood pressure medicine, this is not it — see the blood pressure, heart and circulation hub, or guides for amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide.

Zolpidem is a “Z-drug” — a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic. It acts on the same GABA-A receptor system as benzodiazepines such as diazepam, but binds more selectively to the subtype associated with sedation.

That selectivity is the theory behind Z-drugs: sleep-promoting effects with less muscle relaxation, less anti-anxiety effect and, it was hoped, less dependence. In practice the dependence advantage has proved smaller than expected — tolerance and dependence do occur, which is why zolpidem is Schedule 5 and why courses are kept short.

Zolpidem is short-acting, which shapes how it is used: it helps people fall asleep rather than stay asleep, and it is largely cleared by morning, so hangover effects are less than with longer-acting sedatives — though not absent.

What is Ivedal commonly used for?

Short-term treatment of severe insomnia — difficulty falling asleep, where the problem is disabling and affecting daytime functioning.
Insomnia during a specific stressful period, such as bereavement or acute illness.
Situational sleep disturbance, including shift work or jet lag, occasionally.

It is intended for short courses — commonly two to four weeks at most, and often only a few nights. This is not cautious framing: tolerance to the sleep-promoting effect develops within weeks, so it stops working while dependence continues, and stopping then causes rebound insomnia that feels like the original problem returning.

For ongoing insomnia, the treatment with the best evidence is not a tablet. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) works at least as well as sleeping medicines in the short term and considerably better in the long term, because its benefits persist after treatment ends. It addresses sleep habits, the thoughts that maintain wakefulness, and time spent in bed not sleeping.

If you have been on a sleeping tablet for months, that is worth raising — not as a criticism, but because there is a better option and stopping is easier with support.

How Ivedal fits into this medicine category

Zolpidem belongs with sleep and mental health medicines rather than cardiovascular ones:

Group	Examples	Role
Z-drugs	Zolpidem (Ivedal), zopiclone	Short-term insomnia
Benzodiazepines	Diazepam, clobazam	Anxiety, spasm, seizures; short-term
Sedating antihistamines	Promethazine	Occasional short-term sleep aid
Melatonin	Melatonin	Sleep timing, jet lag
Antidepressants	Amitriptyline	Sometimes used at low dose for sleep
CBT-I	Psychological therapy	Best long-term evidence

See the mental health, nerve and neurological medicines hub for related guides.

What to check before using Ivedal

Take it immediately before getting into bed, and only when you can have a full night’s sleep — usually at least seven to eight hours. Taking it earlier in the evening, or when you may need to get up, is how people come to harm.

Do not take it with alcohol. The combination substantially increases sedation and the risk of suppressed breathing and complex sleep behaviours.

Do not take a second dose in the same night.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you:

Have breathing problems — sleep apnoea, COPD or severe asthma. Sleep apnoea matters particularly, since sedatives worsen it and it is itself a common cause of poor sleep.
Have liver disease. Zolpidem is cleared by the liver, and lower doses are used.
Have kidney disease.
Are elderly. Older people are markedly more sensitive: confusion, unsteadiness and falls with fractures are real risks, and lower doses are used.
Are female. Women clear zolpidem more slowly than men, and lower starting doses are recommended.
Have myasthenia gravis.
Have a history of substance or alcohol misuse, or dependence on sedatives.
Have depression, which sedatives can deepen, or a history of psychiatric illness.
Have a history of sleepwalking or other parasomnias.
Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Take any other sedating medicine — opioids, benzodiazepines, sedating antihistamines or antipsychotics.
Take medicines affecting liver enzymes, such as some antifungals, HIV medicines or certain antibiotics.

Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how it affects you, and be aware effects can persist into the morning.

Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor

Common effects are drowsiness, dizziness, headache, a bitter taste, nausea, and next-day grogginess.

Seek medical attention urgently if you notice:

Slow, shallow or difficult breathing, or unusual difficulty rousing someone — an emergency, particularly where an opioid or alcohol is involved.
Complex sleep behaviours — sleepwalking, sleep-driving, eating, making calls or having conversations with no memory of it afterwards. These are uncommon but well documented with zolpidem, can be dangerous, and are far more likely with alcohol or other sedatives. Stop the medicine and contact your doctor if this happens even once.
Memory gaps for events after taking it.
Marked confusion or hallucinations, particularly in an older person.
A fall, or repeated unsteadiness.
Agitation, aggression or unusual behaviour — a recognised paradoxical reaction.
New or worsening depression, or thoughts of self-harm.
Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or a severe rash.

Do not stop abruptly after regular use. Rebound insomnia, anxiety, tremor and agitation can follow, and stopping is best done gradually with medical guidance.

If you find you need it more often, need more for the same effect, or cannot sleep without it, tell your doctor. Dependence on a prescribed sleeping tablet is common and treatable, and raising it early makes it considerably easier to resolve.

See a doctor if insomnia persists beyond a few weeks, or if you snore with pauses in breathing or are sleepy during the day — sleep apnoea is common, treatable, and frequently mistaken for ordinary insomnia.

Related medicine guides

Frequently asked questions

What are Ivedal tablets used for? Short-term treatment of severe insomnia. Each tablet contains zolpidem 10 mg, a prescription sleeping tablet.

Is Ivedal a blood pressure medicine? No. Zolpidem is a sedative-hypnotic with no cardiovascular use. If you were looking for a heart or blood pressure medicine, this is not it.

What is Ivedal 10 mg used for? Difficulty falling asleep, where insomnia is severe and affecting daily functioning. Lower doses are used in women, older people and liver impairment.

Is it addictive? Tolerance and dependence develop with regular use, which is why it is Schedule 5 and intended for short courses.

How long can I take it? Usually no more than two to four weeks, and often just a few nights. Longer use should be a deliberate medical decision.

Can I drink alcohol with it? No. Alcohol substantially increases sedation and the risk of complex sleep behaviours and suppressed breathing.

What are complex sleep behaviours? Sleepwalking, sleep-driving, eating or making calls with no memory afterwards. Uncommon but documented — stop the medicine and contact your doctor if it happens.

What works better for long-term insomnia? Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has the best long-term evidence, because its benefits persist after treatment ends.

What Is Ivedal Used For?