"i have had on and off insomnia since i was a teenager. for almost 10 years i took an otc sleeping pill and it worked fine. last winter, i suddenly could not fall asleep with anything i took. i tried everything possible but i wouldn&#039;t fall asleep until 2 or 3 am. i would go into work feeling like i was hit by a truck. i spoke to my doctor, and she said that i might be suffering from depression which is why i wasn&#039;t sleeping. tried trazadone but it never helped me sleep. i would have severe dry mouth, wouldn&#039;t fall asleep most nights and it caused me to have weird side effects. i went back to the doctor and she gave me 5 mg ambien. it has helped me tremendously. i do not have the side effects people talk about."