For many years, people with problems getting to sleep have chosen to use a prescription sleeping aid - Ambien. Whilst the success rate for this prescription drug is tremedously high, and whilst the company who developed it - Sanofi Aventis - has received much praise for its development - new research is always being conducted in order to get the best results for patients.
In 2005, the same company who produce Ambien released a new product to the market called "Ambien CR". CR stands for "Controlled Release" - and this is certainly indicative of the difference between the two products.
The old version of Ambien contained a standard tablet, which would dissolve in the stomach, and then be absorbed in to the system shortly after - producing it's effects in approximately 20 to 40 minutes after ingestion. Whilst this is relatively fast, the body started processing the chemical immediately, and therefore - given that the half life is only a few hours - the drug could be completely gone from the system just a few hours after the patient took it. Obviously, this produced the desired initial effect of simulating tiredness - however it did not last long enough to keep patients asleep right throughout the night.
Ambien CR is an improvement of the old drug, focused on the "controlled release" of the drug in to the body. This new formula is actually a 2 stage sleeping aid, which works through means of a dual pill design. Let's look at how it works.
With this new design, the makers of Ambien CR has enabled the absorption of the formula to be slowed down slightly, so that the body takes longer to process all of the drug contained in the tablet. Basically, the first layer of medication is absorbed in the same way that the previous version of Ambien was - which is within 20 - 40 minutes in the stomach. Following this however is the release of the second substance, which is a more gradual process. This digestion takes place over a matter of hours, and therefore allows for the patient to stay asleep longer, and not wake up several times during the night.
Since the release of this new formula, users throughout the world have once again praised Sanofi Aventis for their innovation.