Comparing Ambien vs Lunesta

For Insomnia: 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't take it miserable and exhausted for days. The generic doesn'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'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.

For Insomnia: Ambien did not make me groggy during the day and did make me fall asleep, but I was forgetful during the day and fell out of bed and bruised my arm badly. I still think it is a good medication for severe insomnia. Not good to take long term for me.

For Insomnia: So, I've tried multiple sleeping aids. Temazepam and trazadone gave me headaches. Benedryl, NyQuil, hydroxyzine increased my restless legs. Melatonin was insufficient at max recommended dosage. Ambien was by-far the best at 10mg, but because I'm only 27, the doctor doesn't want to prescribe an addictive medication (her words). So I'm on Lunesta. It has a horrible taste of pennies, but if you put it on the back of your tongue and let it slide down while drinking, it doesn't cause it. But DON'T take a drink and let it swish around, bc it will leave that metallic taste! My insurance doesn't cover mine, but my pharmacy offers a discount card so I pay $30. 1mg is useless, I have to take 3mg to get any sleep, but better than no sleep.

For Insomnia: I originally was prescribed 2mg, which stopped working after a few weeks. I then was upped to 3mg which worked like a charm, but then after a month or so, again stopped working. And if my sleep was interrupted it caused me to feel drunk. I still take this, but I take it now at a pill and a half. It's frustrating that tolerance builds up so quickly, but otherwise it works well if you follow exactly how to take it.