Brand name Ambien (made by Sanofi)

[Ericaagl]

Hi,

My insurance recently approved brand name medications for me, which they don't usually cover, but I was having all kinds of problems with gluten in generics, so they made a medical exception. The thing is, I just picked up my brand-name Ambien. It's made by Sanofi, and that's apparently the only manufacturer of brand-name Ambien. Everywhere online it says that the brand name (which would obvi be Sanofi) is gluten-free. But the ingredients list includes sodium starch glycolate. Now I know that ingredient can be derived from starches other than wheat, but it doesn't specify. Also, I've taken Stilnox (the international form of Zolpidem -- so generic, NOT brand name) by Sanofi-Aventis, and that has the same ingredients as the Sanofi brand-name Ambien, and I got really sick from that. Would Sanofi use different ingredients in the Stilnox Zolpidem than the brand-name Ambien, even if the ingredient list looks the same? Why else would everyone be listing brand name Ambien as gluten-free? Can I trust this medication? I haven't slept in days and really need to take it tonight, and Sanofi doesn't open til tomorrow, so I was hoping someone here might have some insight? Is this safe for me to take tonight? Note: I'm super super sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten.

Thanks for any advice you might have!

[RMJ]

The first two listings on the linked page are for Ambien packaged by Sanofi. Your bottle should have an NDC code so you can see if one of them matches your prescription.

Daily Med - Ambien

If you click on the product name it will take you to another page, scroll down to “Ingredients and Appearance” and click on the “+” sign.  There is indicates that the sodium starch glycolate is from corn.

[Ericaagl]

Oh wow, thank you so much, that was super helpful! Really appreciate it.