Someone else's two cents...Ambian knocks me out RIGHT AWAY! YAY. BUT...I've found, and others I have spoken to say the same thing. They (we) go to sleep right away, but the effects aren't a full night of sleep. In most cases, 3-4 hours! Which defeats your purpose. I've tried valium, which works sometimes if you're sleepy. Otherwise it just relaxes you a good bit.

The thing I've found to work the best, with no side effects nor "drunk" feeling when you wake up? A cheap OTC Sominex. Works wonders for me.

Generic Ambien will do you fine. It does a great job getting you to sleep.

No problem getting a script from my doc for Ambien for jet lag. However, I did have one problem on my last trip: I left my little vial of Ambien on the plane and couldn't get a replacement for the rest of the trip. In China and HK, it didn't exist; in Manila it did but needed a prescription from a local doctor (not worth bothering getting); and I didn't even TRY in Tokyo!

In China they sold me something called "Zopiclone" cheaply (Lunesta is "eszopiclone"), but when I looked it up online, the side effects listing scared me away from trying it.

Which one?

Eszopiclone is the active stereoisomer of zopiclone. It exists as a separate drug from zopiclone because of patent reasons; there's no motivation to go through the FDA approval process for an off-patent drug.

AFAIK the side effect profile of the two is the same.

I understood the reference; 'twas just a good way to bring up trazodone (brand name Desyrel, but most docs would probably have no clue what the brand name is).

Since trazodone is not scheduled (i.e. the DEA doesn't think it's addictive or fun), prescriptions flow more freely. It's also one of the $4 generics at WalMart, SamsClub, etc.

BTW: It was originally approved as an antidepressant, but it does not get much use as one anymore.

Cool, does that mean the 7.5mg zopiclone they sold me are each the equivalent of one Lunesta? In that case, I'll try them.

Which for me is mild "hangover" and severe metal mouth for most of the entire next day. I can't drink water the next day until the evening.

I'm not the one who originally said that, but melatonin is the classic dietary supplement for that purpose - it works well for some people, and does nothing for others.

I've seen some recommendations for valerian root, as well, but haven't tried it.

You should see if you can get a sample for both and trying them out at home. I've noticed that it takes about an extra hour for me to fall asleep with CR than with regular Ambien (reg. Ambien knocks me out). Then again, I'm one who has a much harder time sleeping than most (can't fall asleep on planes).

Interesting question, but take in consideration that the highest dose of Lunesta sold in the U.S. is 3mg.

My 3mg Lunesta "hangover" lasts no more than 20 minutes. The metal mouth is pronounced for a few hours, but seems to diminish after I drink some coffee. Just must be my metabolism (I weigh about 165, as an FYI).

benadryl leaves most ppl hungover the next day, myself included. as for the OP, you could ask for samples of different ones, ambien did not work for me, but lunesta did. also, as for the CR/XR vs regular, it depends on what your problem is. if you just need help getting to sleep, then the regular should work fine. if you need help falling asleep and staying asleep, the CR is what you probably need. For me, even if I take a lunesta and get only 5 hrs of sleep, I feel better than I would've with 6+ hours w/o it, because you get good sleep. A good cup of coffee or a coke or something should take care of any sleepiness.

Change doctors.

^^^

That I agree. That's why I have a cup of coffee the following morning then follow with another cup during the early afternoon hours. Having said that, the hungover only carries over for no more than one day for me.