Stilnox (zolpidem) and Ivedal 10mg: uses, withdrawal and detox help in South Africa
Stilnox is the South African brand of zolpidem, a Schedule 5 sleeping tablet for short-term insomnia, and Ivedal 10mg and Zolnoxs (often searched as Zolnox) contain the same drug.
SAHPRA’s approved insert limits it to 10 mg a night for four weeks at most, tapering included. If you take it most nights, do not stop suddenly on your own: the way off is a gradual reduction guided by a doctor.
Facts on Stilnox sleeping tablets: scheduling, addiction and alcohol
A pharmacy can sell Stilnox sleeping tablets only against a doctor’s prescription, because they sit in Schedule 5, the same control level as Urbanol. SAHPRA’s insert reserves Stilnox for insomnia that is severe, disabling or causing extreme distress, not for ordinary poor sleep.
Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine, although it is often called one. It is an imidazopyridine that binds most strongly to one group of the brain’s GABA receptors, those containing the alpha-1 subunit. That does not make it free of risk: SAHPRA’s insert warns of tolerance, dependence and withdrawal symptoms with Stilnox.
Stilnox, Ivedal, Zolnoxs and other zolpidem brands in South Africa
Every zolpidem tablet sold in South Africa holds the same drug with the same limits, whatever the name on the box. Stilnox is the original from Sanofi, and Ivedal is Sanofi’s own clone: white, oblong tablets engraved “SN 10”.
- Ivedal 10mg (Sanofi): the same drug under a second Sanofi name.
- Zolnoxs 10mg: a generic from Pharmacare.
- Medploz 10 mg and 5 mg (Aurogen South Africa): approved by SAHPRA as Schedule 5.
- Adco-Zolpidem 10mg, sold in packs of 30. Adco zolpidem hemitartrate is the same thing: hemitartrate is the chemical name of the zolpidem salt.
Is Stilnox addictive, even when used as directed?
Yes, it can be. Physical and psychological dependence can develop with Stilnox, and the risk rises with the dose and the length of treatment, according to SAHPRA. The risk is higher again in people with a history of psychiatric illness or of alcohol or drug misuse. The Zolnoxs professional information adds that some loss of the hypnotic effect may develop after a few weeks. So the tablet that worked in the first week feels weaker a few weeks later, and the dose creeps up.
Can you drink alcohol on Stilnox?
No. SAHPRA’s insert says alcohol is not recommended with it, and the NHS puts it plainly: together, the two can make you sleep so deeply that you do not breathe properly and have difficulty waking up.
People taking Stilnox have sleepwalked, driven, cooked or made phone calls while not fully awake, with no memory of it afterwards; SAHPRA’s insert records all of these. Alcohol, other sedatives and doses above the maximum raise the risk. In 2019 the FDA added a boxed warning, its most prominent label warning, to zolpidem and two related sleep drugs after reviewing 66 such cases over 26 years that ended in serious injury or death. SAHPRA’s insert says stopping should be strongly considered for anyone who reports such behaviour, and the FDA now lists a past episode as a reason not to take zolpidem at all.
A family member often notices it first: a kitchen used in the night that nobody remembers, a glass of wine poured “to help the tablet along”, prescriptions from two different doctors.
What does Stilnox do?
Stilnox strengthens the effect of GABA, the brain’s main braking signal. Zolpidem binds to GABA-A receptors, which carry most of that braking signal, and adds to it, so the brain slows down enough to fall asleep. The NHS notes that some people still feel sleepy the next morning.
What is Stilnox used for?
Stilnox is used for the short-term treatment of severe insomnia in adults, usually for a few days to two weeks, with four weeks as the maximum, taper included. South African zolpidem professional information sets that window, and the Stilnox insert says treatment should be as short as possible.
Ivedal 10mg: what is it used for?
Ivedal 10mg is used for exactly the same thing as Stilnox: short-term treatment of severe insomnia. Ivedal tablets carry the same dose limits and withdrawal risk.
Stilnox 10 mg: dose for men, women and older adults
The standard adult dose is one Stilnox 10 mg tablet immediately before bed, never more than 10 mg in total; women, older adults and people with liver problems are advised 5 mg.
| Group | Recommended dose |
|---|---|
| Adult men | 10 mg immediately before bedtime, not exceeding 10 mg total |
| Adult women | 5 mg immediately before bedtime |
| Older or debilitated adults | 5 mg immediately before bedtime |
| Liver insufficiency | 5 mg; severe liver impairment rules it out |
Source: SAHPRA’s Stilnox package insert, the Zolnoxs professional information and Austell’s Zolpidem package insert.
Women clear zolpidem more slowly: peak blood levels are about 45% higher than in men on the same dose, the Zolnoxs professional information says, which is why the FDA cut the dose for women to 5 mg in 2013. Do not drive for at least 8 hours after a dose, and not at all the next morning if you still feel drowsy.
Who should not take Stilnox
- Myasthenia gravis, sleep apnoea, or acute or severe breathing problems
- Severe liver impairment: the half-life stretches to about 10 hours, against about 2.5 hours in a healthy adult
- Anyone who has had a complex sleep behaviour episode on zolpidem or a related drug
- Psychotic illness
- Anyone under 18, and during pregnancy or breastfeeding
Source: SAHPRA’s Stilnox package insert and the Zolnoxs professional information.
Stilnox and Ivedal side effects
The most frequent side effects of Stilnox and Ivedal are drowsiness, headache, dizziness and memory gaps for the hours after a dose, and the list is the same for every brand.
| How often | Side effects |
|---|---|
| Frequent | Sleepiness, headache, dizziness, memory loss after a dose, hallucinations, agitation, nightmares, worse insomnia, nausea, diarrhoea |
| Less frequent | Confusion, irritability, aggression, sleepwalking, double or blurred vision, daytime drowsiness, falls, dependence with withdrawal or rebound on stopping |
| Frequency unknown | Sleep driving and other activity while not fully awake, slowed breathing, liver injury, swelling of the face or throat |
Source: Zolnoxs 10 mg professional information, section 4.8 (SAHPRA, 2022).
How long does Stilnox stay in your system?
Stilnox acts fast and leaves fast: blood levels peak 0.5 to 3 hours after a dose and the half-life is about 2.5 hours. The NHS says it does not usually stay in the body for more than about 12 hours, and SAHPRA’s insert notes that the half-life runs about 32% longer in older people, which is why the morning after can still feel slow.
Stilnox withdrawal and detox
Stopping Stilnox after regular use can bring the original insomnia back worse than before. SAHPRA’s insert describes a transient syndrome in which the symptoms that led to treatment come back stronger, and the NHS adds that you may feel anxious and restless and have mood changes. Where physical dependence has set in, a sudden stop brings withdrawal: headaches, muscle pain, extreme anxiety, tension, restlessness, confusion and irritability. In severe cases there can be derealisation, heightened sensitivity to light and noise, hallucinations or seizures, according to Austell’s product information.
NHS Scotland’s prescribing guide on benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, the group zolpidem belongs to, warns that abrupt cessation may produce confusion, toxic psychosis or convulsions. The South African inserts count the tapering off as part of the four-week maximum. Because the insert calls that rebound transient, worse nights after stopping do not prove that you cannot sleep without the tablet.
If someone has a seizure, becomes confused or cannot be woken, call local emergency services immediately. Do not wait for a WhatsApp reply.
Dependence on a sleeping tablet usually shows in the nights around it. The tablet is taken most nights or long past the prescribed course, a second one goes down in the night, prescriptions come from more than one doctor, or a drink or another sedative goes with it. If that describes your nights, do not stop suddenly on your own. Tell us what happens when you try to sleep without it: the first conversation is about what keeps you awake as much as about the tablet.
Stilnox and sleeping tablet addiction treatment in Cape Town
Renewed Life Center, a residential centre in Lakeside, Cape Town, treats dependence on sleeping pills and other prescription tablets together with whatever kept you awake: anxiety, low mood, trauma or drinking. NIDA says it is usually better to treat co-occurring conditions at the same time rather than separately, and our dual diagnosis work does that with one team, on one plan.
Dr John Wulz, our GP, whose background is in mental health and emergency medicine, examines you after you arrive and goes through everything you already take for sleep, mood or nerves. Whether you need a medical detox is decided by our medical team after the assessment, and if you do, they run it.
The psychological side is led by Ruby Weber, who heads psychology at the centre and has more than 20 years in the addictions field. Your own counsellor works with you one-to-one every week, alongside group work every weekday, including DBT, schema therapy and relapse prevention. We also use CBT for the thoughts that keep you awake and, where trauma sits underneath, EMDR, which NICE and the WHO recommend for PTSD.
Every discharge includes a written relapse-prevention plan built for your home. If it is a relative who takes the tablets, you can talk to our team before they have agreed to come.
Tell us the tablet, the dose, how long you have taken it and what else you take at night. The first conversation is free and confidential and takes 20 to 40 minutes by WhatsApp, video or phone. Admission can be immediate and typically happens within three days of first contact. The fee depends on the programme and how long you stay; we give it on that first call and send it in writing the same day.
Has Stilnox become part of every night? Talk it through with our team. Talk to our team on WhatsApp.Has Stilnox become part of every night? Talk it through with our team. Call +27 79 880 0045, free and confidential.
When should you get help with Stilnox?
Get help once Stilnox has become part of most nights, once a course runs longer than prescribed, or once you need a higher dose or a second tablet in the night to get the same sleep. If you also take Urbanol or Xanor, benzo withdrawal covers those, and Lyrica has its own page.
If that describes your nights, message our team; we reply the same day.
What else do people ask about Stilnox?
No. Stilnox is zolpidem, an imidazopyridine. It sits in Schedule 5 like many benzodiazepines, and SAHPRA’s insert warns that it can cause physical and psychological dependence.
Yes. Ivedal 10mg is Sanofi’s clone of Stilnox: the same zolpidem tartrate 10 mg, with the same uses, dose limits and side effects.
Medploz is a zolpidem brand from Aurogen South Africa, registered by SAHPRA as Schedule 5. Nyxe 10mg and Zolpihexal are names people search alongside it: if the box lists zolpidem as the active ingredient, the same dose limits and withdrawal risk apply.
Not suddenly, if you take it most nights. SAHPRA’s insert warns that the symptoms that led to treatment can come back stronger when it is withdrawn, and the South African inserts build the tapering off into the course. If you want to stop, message us first, and we will go through how coming off it works with our medical team.
It is not meant to be. SAHPRA’s insert caps a course at four weeks, tapering off included, and says the risk of dependence rises with the dose and the length of treatment.
On the Medicine Price Registry, with prices collected on 26 May 2026, a pack of 14 Stilnox 10 mg tablets carries a single exit price of R165.61, and R277.81 at most once the maximum dispensing fee is added. Ivedal in the same 14-tablet pack costs from R62.49, or up to R122.14 with the fee.
Worried a short course of Stilnox has become something more?
Tell us the tablet, your dose and how long you have taken it. The first conversation is free and confidential, and we reply the same day. If you take it most nights, do not stop suddenly on your own in the meantime.
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or call +27 79 880 0045
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Sources
- Stilnox approved package insert, Sanofi-Aventis (SAHPRA)
- SAHPRA professional information for Ivedal (2021), Zolnoxs 10 mg (2022) and Medploz (2023)
- Austell: Zolpidem Austell approved package insert
- FDA: boxed warning on zolpidem (2019), via the University of Utah drug warning service; lower doses for women (2013)
- NHS: common questions about zolpidem
- NHS Scotland: Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, quality prescribing guide, discontinuation and withdrawal symptoms
- PubMed Central: study of how zolpidem acts on GABA-A receptors (PMC4921915)
- NIDA: co-occurring disorders and health conditions
- NICE NG116, post-traumatic stress disorder (2018); WHO guidance on mental health care after trauma (2013)
- Medicine Price Registry, South Africa (prices collected 26 May 2026)
This article is general information, not medical advice.