I have suffered insomnia since my breakdown some 16 or so years ago. I've been on a whole bunch of sleeping meds. Some worked, some didn't. Then I began drinking more and more, and kept using the excuse I was drinking to sleep (but I was taking the meds too and still not staying asleep). Finally, I quit drinking a year ago. I'm on a sleeping med that I just phone in to my doctor's office and get from their pharmacy. I'm terrified to see the doctor for anything else for fear he might take me off that med, since it's been 2 years already. I've tweaked it by also buying over-the-counter sleeping meds and supplementing my scheduled med. It seems to work. Except for relentless nightmares, I actually do get a fair amount of sleep every night.