 [ Symptoms ] i stopped taking ambien 2 weeks agao and cannot sleep and having major depressive episodes is there a possible relation to quitting the ambien [ Disease ] please call your health care provider right away if you had been using zolpidem ambien daily for some length of time you may suffer side effects such as anxiety or depression if you quit cold turkey however regardless of what is causing your major depressive episode it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later as well you need some sort of treatment for your sleeplessness depression and insomnia can be a very bad combination please seek immediate medical attention by calling the doctor who prescribed your zolpidem and advising him or her of your symptoms he or she will further advise you of what actions to take if you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or others please call either of these crisis hotlines 1 800 784 2433 or 1 800 273 8255 for immediate help take care