I've been on Ambien (12.5 mg nightly) for almost 2 years now. I also couple it with Seroquel (300 mg nightly). I have to have both in order to sleep. It's supposed to work within 30 minutes to an hour but it takes 2 - 2 1/2 hours before I start feeling sleepy. I does keep me asleep all night.

If I don't take the medication, I don't sleep. Before the medication, I would go days without sleep (74 hours was the most I've gone without sleep) and then I'd crash for 4 or 5 hours and go again.

When I first started taking Ambien, I would do and say weird things. For instance, I cooked and ate an entire pan of biscuits and I have NO recollection of it. I'll also have conversations with people and don't remember the conversation at all.

Of course the medication doesn't always work. I have an early morning appointment with the dentist so I took my pills at 6:30 pm so I could be in bed asleep no later than 10 pm. It's now 1:39 am and I don't feel sleepy but I do notice that my reaction time is slowing so I should start feeling sleepy soon.