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 I took generic ambien (not the CR) for just two consecutive nights. While it does work for putting me to sleep and keeping me asleep, I have to say I would not recommend this to people. Just take benadryl or Advil PM. The reason I say this is because it affected (and days later is still affecting) my memory. I am told by a few friends and co-workers of things I did or said (during the daylight hours, work hours) and I honestly don't remember any of it! So for me... I won't take this again just because it scares me. I'm sharp as a tack, I remember and observe everything so this really shocked 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.