Researchers compared data from nearly 3,000 dementia patients who took the commonly prescribed sleep drugs zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon (so-called Z-drugs) and nearly 1,700 dementia patients. Sept. 27, 2012 -- Seniors who take certain kinds of drugs to treat anxiety or insomnia may be more likely to develop dementia than those who do not, a new study shows. Zolpidem is useful in restoring a normal sleep pattern in elderly patients with dementia [174], but in a recent review of literature, Lobo and Greene[175]did not find any distinct advantage of. Approximately 71% of patients taking zolpidem did so under 90 cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) throughout the first year after the index date (35.2%, 28 cDDD and 35.8%, 28-90 cDDD). We evaluate the effects of zolpidem use to develop dementia or Alzheimer disease from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). There could be a good reason why patients with dementia took more zolpidem than those who didn't, but this study can't tell us that. Maybe the effects of zolpidem enhanced and exposed the symptoms of underlying and undiagnosed dementia in these patients. Maybe these patients took more zolpidem because of dementia-associated insomnia. We don't know. In people with dementia or cognitive impairment and older adults who may be more frail, zolpidem (Ambien), a sleep medication, can be fairly dangerous in terms of increasing the risk for confusion and falls. The study is based on zolpidem tartrate (the active ingredients of Ambien) and Ambien (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Synonyms of Dementia are also considered in the study. The purpose of this research study is to compare the effectiveness of Zolpidem CR to that of placebo in improving sleep efficiency in people with dementia admitted to the hospital because of their symptoms.