"i have been taking ambien on and off for 8 years for severe insomnia, mostly related to anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. over time my body has built up a dependence and a tolerance. i will lay awake till 5 am if i don&#039;t take it miserable and exhausted for days. the generic doesn&#039;t seen to work as well and since i have been on it so long i usually have to take 20mg to get a full nights sleep, but with certain generics i still wake up at 3am and can&#039;t go back to bed. it has been a god send over the years as i tried everything else. i was treated for depression but those medications made it harder to sleep. at some point i would like to stop being dependent on the medicine but every time i try to quit i go through weeks of with no sleep."