What is Ambien? Ambien is a trade name used by Sanofi-Aventis for the prescription insomnia medication zolpidem. Zolpidem is a GABA potentiator at the same site as benzodiazepines. Zolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic which has a short half-life of two to three hours and has rapid onset of effects, most commonly within fifteen minutes. Clinical [...]