"i&#039;m a college student with sleep onset insomnia. before ambien i was taking 6 over-the-counter sleep pills a night with unhappy results. the fact is, ambien works. i&#039;ve been on it for a few months now, and i can tell that i need it every night, and i am beginning to need more so i take the occasional 2nd pill. i wish there was another way. if there is a situation in which you need a short time sleep medicine, this is it. but this is not something to live your life dependent on, which is the case with most cases of insomnia."