Sorry I can't help you with your zolpidem. Did you try googling "dalparan" to lok for pix? I know I recently had a brand called "Zolpidem Norman," and they were just little white round pills,nothing at all like US Ambien.

One important selling point for Ambien (I swear someone mentioned it already) is to take it on an empty stomach. Surprised you didn't jump on that lawkaw! Either half an hour before or two hours after, and this is no joke. Taking Ambien with food doesn't merely reduce the speed with which it's absorbed, but also the total amount absorbed/

I myself have never cared for Ambien. It takes a really strong drug to knock me out and US brand Ambien has NOT shown itself up to the task, even taken in dosages higher than reccomended than the PDR. I've been muchmore successful with benzodiazepenes--triazolam (halcion) inparticular.

I'm pretty sure that Halcion is no longer produced and sold under it's original name, but ther are a number of generics available. If one had the opportunity to combat insomnia armed only with Geneva or Sandoz (Purepac), I can understand why they might make a blanket statement such as "Ambien is sooo much stronger than Halcion."

But, then, I'll be the one in the other corner whispering, "You know, European Ambien is so much better than the American stuff.!