SHEET /vs/melatonin-vs-zolpidem · COMPARISON
Melatonin vs Zolpidem: what is the difference?
How they differ
from source
Both are used for sleep and they are not the same kind of thing at all. Melatonin is a hormone the body produces in darkness, a signal that says night has come rather than a sedative, and it is sold over the counter in the US while being prescription-only in much of Europe. Zolpidem is a prescription sedative that acts on the GABA-A receptor, the same target as the benzodiazepines, and it induces sleep directly. That mechanistic difference shows in what each does to sleep architecture and in the risks attached: zolpidem carries well-documented associations with complex sleep behaviours and next-day impairment, melatonin does not. Melatonin's own half-life is very short at around 45 minutes.
Side by side
| Melatonin | Zolpidem | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C13H16N2O2 | C19H21N3O |
| Molecular weight | 232.28 g/mol | 307.4 g/mol |
| Family | Amines | Sleep medicines |
| Everyday group | Body | Prescription medicine |
| Functional groups | Aromatics, Amides, Ethers | Aromatics, Amides |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | not recorded | Warning |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 3,200 mg/kg (oral, rat) | 695 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
| Half-life | 0.75 h | not recorded |
| CAS number | 73-31-4 | 82626-48-0 |
| PubChem CID | 896 | 5732 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Melatonin and Zolpidem?
- Both are used for sleep and they are not the same kind of thing at all. Melatonin is a hormone the body produces in darkness, a signal that says night has come rather than a sedative, and it is sold over the counter in the US while being prescription-only in much of Europe. Zolpidem is a prescription sedative that acts on the GABA-A receptor, the same target as the benzodiazepines, and it induces sleep directly.
- Is Melatonin bigger than Zolpidem?
- Zolpidem is the heavier molecule, 307.4 g/mol against 232.28 g/mol for Melatonin. Melatonin is C13H16N2O2 and Zolpidem is C19H21N3O.
- Which has the lower reported LD50, Melatonin or Zolpidem?
- Zolpidem, at 695 mg/kg (oral, rat), against 3,200 mg/kg (oral, rat) for Melatonin. An LD50 is one acute animal measurement, and the two here were not necessarily measured in the same species, so it is a data point rather than a ranking of how dangerous either is to a person.