"i have been taking ambien for several years, and recently started taking ambien cr.  it works very well, if taken on an empty stomach.  however, i was having only mild sleep difficulty when my doctor prescribed it.  i have tried other sleep medicines, ambien is one of the strongest prescription insomnia drugs available.  i highly recommend trying something with less side effects first, and only if absolutely necessary, try ambien.  ambien is very difficult to discontinue after extended use."