"wanted to steer clear of ambien, so i asked my doctor for belsomra.    the great thing about ambien was that it worked quickly, and it kept me in a deep, zombie-like sleep all night.  the downside was that i would get in my car and drive to the store at 3 am, and text my ex-husband with all sorts of crazy messages,  both while under the influence of the drug, and not remembering either of the incidents.  i tried belsomra intermittently for two weeks, and it did absolutely nothing for me.  even the first night i had a fitful sleep, and every night thereafter it just kept getting worse and worse.  i would not recommend this drug to someone with marked sleep issues.  my only other alternative is xanax, and my doctor no longer prescribes it."