Q. Please send me any information you have on sleep. I suffer with insomnia, as do my friends. We have all tried zolpidem. It sometimes helps me drift off to sleep but it doesn’t last more than a few hours. After that I am like a tree full of owls again, wide awake.
Over-the-counter sleep aids don’t work at all or cause the men in my group discomfort from prostate problems. We would like to know more about Sonata, Rozerem and other sleep aids.
A. Part of the problem may be the generic formulation of zolpidem (Ambien). Many readers report that certain generics are less effective than others.
Zaleplon (Sonata) is a short-acting sleeping pill that can be helpful for people who wake in the early hours of the morning. If they have at least four more hours to spend in bed, it can help them fall back to sleep.
We are sending you our Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep for more information on zolpidem, zaleplon and ramelteon (Rozerem) plus non-drug approaches. The sedating ingredient in OTC sleep aids, including drugs like Tylenol PM or Advil PM, is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). It can cause problems for men with enlarged prostates.
