How to use Ambien. Read the Medication Guide and, if available, the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you start taking zolpidem and each time you get a refill. 20mg of Ambien is an overdose by a factor of two—at least according to standard prescribing instructions. 10mg is considered the maximum prescribed nightly dose. However, 20 mg of Ambien won’t kill you—at least not just due to drug overdose. I've been on ambien for over a year and just started taking percocets for a knee injury about 3 months ago. i've just tryed to go cold turkey off these drugs just because I know its not healthy. Back in 2013, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the recommended Ambien dosage for women should be halved. That meant many women who were used to a dosage of 10 mg might only be prescribed 5 mg in the future. -Maintenance Dose: The dose may be increased to 12.5 mg if the 6.25 mg dose is not effective. -Maximum Dose: 12.5 mg once a day. -Duration of Therapy: The clinical trials in support of efficacy were up to 3 and 24 weeks in duration. Depending on your age, your sex, and other factors, your starting dose of Ambien will probably be between 5 mg and 10 mg. Ambien is generally only used for one to two days, and treatment should not exceed one to two weeks. I take Ambien, the regular type. I've taken the CR in the past, but since it's so expensive and the regular Ambien has a generic form now, it's cheaper on my insurance as far as my co-pay to just take the reg. Generally speaking, the maximum recommended dose for zolpidem (Ambien) is 10mg once per day before sleep. This is one of those rare occassions where the 10mg tablet actually is the maximum. Special Populations. Elderly or debilitated patients may be especially sensitive to the effects of zolpidem tartrate. The recommended dose of AMBIEN in these patients is 5 mg once daily immediately before bedtime [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1), Use in Specific Populations (8.5)]. This means that a person weighing 150 pounds would suffer a fatal overdose of zolpidem when taking 10,200 mg of the drug; however, the lethal dose is significantly reduced when Ambien is combined with other central nervous system depressant drugs like alcohol or prescription pain medications.