Ambien CR vs. its authorized generic and generics

Strength How many

How to pay the least

From

$22.90 for 30 tablets

Generic zolpidem CR at CVS with the free Optum Perks coupon. Pick the strength on your label above for its own price.

Get the free Optum Perks coupon from its page. There’s nothing to sign up for.Get the free Optum Perks coupon
Ask your prescriber to send the prescription to your nearest CVS. Or ask the store’s pharmacy to transfer it from your pharmacy.Find the nearest store
Show the coupon and ask for generic zolpidem CR. It can’t be used with insurance.

A regular generic has the same active ingredient as Ambien CR, and the FDA requires it to work the same way.

Compare every option

Brand nameAmbien CR

Authorized genericzolpidem

Regular genericzolpidem

What you’d pay

At least$670for 30 tablets; pharmacies pay this

Cash priceAsk the pharmacy

From$22.90for 30 tablets at CVS Pharmacy + Optum Perks

Same as Ambien CR?

The original

Same medicine

Same active ingredientFillers and dyes can differ

Brand nameNo maker’s card

We didn’t find a savings card or cash price from Ambien CR’s maker. Ask the pharmacy for Ambien CR’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges.

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

The same medicine as Ambien CR, without the brand name. Give the pharmacy its NDC to get it.

zolpidem

Sold by (either works)

Aphena Pharma Solutions
Proficient Rx

Right now it’s only listed by a repackager (a company that relabels medicine for clinics and pharmacies), so your pharmacy may need to special-order it.

Your strength

NDC to ask for

6.25 mgextended-release tabletAphena Pharma Solutions
- 71610-770-1511-digit: 71610-0770-1515 tablets per bottle
- 71610-770-2811-digit: 71610-0770-2828 tablets per bottle
- 71610-770-3011-digit: 71610-0770-3030 tablets per bottle
- 71610-770-5311-digit: 71610-0770-5360 tablets per bottle
- 71610-770-6011-digit: 71610-0770-6090 tablets per bottle
12.5 mgextended-release tabletProficient Rx
- 63187-862-1511-digit: 63187-0862-1515 tablets per bottle
- 63187-862-3011-digit: 63187-0862-3030 tablets per bottle
- 63187-862-6011-digit: 63187-0862-6060 tablets per bottle
- 63187-862-9011-digit: 63187-0862-9090 tablets per bottle

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Ambien CR, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic, and for a regular generic?”

Paying cash? Ask for each one’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges for each.

Brand and authorized generic labels

Official labels and ingredient lists from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

6.25 mg extended-release tablet · Aphena Pharma Solutions

Ambien CR doesn’t come in this strength, so there’s no brand label to compare.

Authorized generic package label from Aphena Pharma Solutions — Authorized genericAphena Pharma Solutions

See the ingredients

Active: zolpidem tartrate 6.25 mg

Inactive:

Ferric oxide red
Hypromellose
Lactose monohydrate
Magnesium stearate
Microcrystalline cellulose
Polyethylene glycol
Potassium bitartrate
Silicon dioxide
Sodium starch glycolate type A corn
Titanium dioxide

12.5 mg extended-release tablet · Proficient Rx

Ambien CR doesn’t come in this strength, so there’s no brand label to compare.

Authorized generic package label from Proficient Rx — Authorized genericProficient Rx

See the ingredients

Active: zolpidem tartrate 12.5 mg

Inactive:

FD&C Blue No. 2
Ferric oxide yellow
Hypromellose
Lactose monohydrate
Magnesium stearate
Microcrystalline cellulose
Polyethylene glycol
Potassium bitartrate
Silicon dioxide
Titanium dioxide

Regular genericWhere to buy it

Pharmacies’ own cash prices for generic zolpidem, lowest first.

Pick up in storeDelivered

Delivered: Amazon Pharmacy from $18.33for 30 tablets6.25 mg $18.87 · 12.5 mg $18.33Prime members only · $139 a year · Free delivery · Prime price: limits on some medicines if you're over 65 or have Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE
Pick up in store: Costco $19.99for 30 tablets12.5 mgMembers only · $65 a yearFind the nearest store
Pick up in store: CVS Pharmacy + Optum Perks $22.90for 30 tablets12.5 mgFree Optum Perks coupon · not with insuranceFind the nearest store
Pick up in store: Walgreens + Optum Perks $41.27for 30 tablets12.5 mgFree Optum Perks coupon · not with insuranceFind the nearest store

From each pharmacy’s own site, read November 2, 2026. Confirm the price before you fill.

About these prices

Prices change, can differ by store and state, and may depend on the strength and how many you take. With insurance, ask what your plan charges; it can be less.

Regular genericWho makes it

3 companies sell a generic of Ambien CR that the FDA rates a substitute. A pharmacy fills whichever one it stocks. To get a certain maker, ask for it by name; most pharmacies can order it in a day or two.

Breckenridge PharmaceuticalAll 2 strengths

Has lactose · Has dyes: FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Blue No. 2

Product page on breckenridgepharma.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

6.25 mg Pink, round, 8 mm, marked “T”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 51991-981-01

12.5 mg Blue, round, 8 mm, marked “Z”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 51991-982-01

Inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, hypromellose, potassium bitartrate, silicon dioxide, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate type a, ferric oxide yellow, magnesium stearate, titanium dioxide, polyethylene glycol, FD&C Red No. 40, ferric oxide red, FD&C Blue No. 2
FDA label
Lupin PharmaceuticalsAll 2 strengths

Packages and NDCs

6.25 mg Pink, round, 8 mm, marked “LU / E61”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 68180-779-04

12.5 mg Blue, round, 8 mm, marked “LU / E62”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 68180-780-04

FDA label
Sun Pharmaceutical IndustriesAll 2 strengths

Has lactose

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

6.25 mg Pink layer and White layer, round, 8 mm, marked “307”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 47335-307-88
Bottle of 500 47335-307-13

12.5 mg Yellow layer and White layer, round, 8 mm, marked “308”

Package NDC
Bottle of 100 47335-308-88
Bottle of 500 47335-308-13

Inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, ferric oxide red, hypromellose, sodium starch glycolate type a potato, magnesium stearate, tartaric acid, shellac, propylene glycol, butyl alcohol, ferrosoferric oxide, ammonia, talc, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80, ferric oxide yellow
FDA label

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	51991-981-01

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	51991-982-01

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	68180-779-04

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	68180-780-04

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	47335-307-88
Bottle of 500	47335-307-13

Package	NDC
Bottle of 100	47335-308-88
Bottle of 500	47335-308-13

Who sells it: FDA and Medicaid records, updated weekly. Each maker’s page, card and program is from its own site.

What it’s used for

Short-term insomnia (trouble sleeping)

What the FDA label says

AMBIEN CR, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor positive modulator, is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance.

Source: the FDA label for Ambien CR (Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), February 7, 2025. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Ambien CR (color, shape, or markings). That’s normal for an authorized generic.
If your prescription says “dispense as written,” the pharmacy needs your prescriber’s OK to give you the authorized generic.
Cash prices can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so it can pay to ask two. With insurance, what you pay depends on your plan.
If your pharmacy doesn’t stock it, they can often order it within a day or two.
Don’t stop or change a medicine without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.

Prices checked November 2, 2026. Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/ambien-cr/