No one likes to be dependent on medication. However we have to carefully, with our physicians, determine what we need to be healthy and have a good quality of life. I have to take 3 medications to keep my blood pressure in the normal range and that’s fact. I also have a lifetime of insomnia. I started treating it medically in my 40’s. Started with ambien and later switched to Xanax then Klonopin. Klonopin was very effective for me and I never developed tolerance. 1mg at bedtime consistently resulted in a solid nights sleep. However, as I approached 65, doctors would no longer prescribe it, so I did a slow taper, followed by 9 months of terrible insomnia. I tried CBT-I and it was hell. There are very strict guidelines about not being in bed for more than 20 minutes if awake. I was up and down all night every night. No matter how exhausted I was, I kept getting more agitated and anxious. The doctor was willing to let me try Vistoril and Remeron and neither worked. I eventually got a referral to a sleep medicine doctor and she affirmed to me that not sleeping is harder on our bodies and minds than taking a sleep aide and Lunesta works well for me to shut off my thoughts and allow me to sleep. For me, it only lasts about 4 hours, so when I wake around 3, I take a half pill and sleep the night. Discuss your reasons for wanting to get off ambien with your doctor. Some of us just need help and accepting that.