Ambien Tapering Side Effects (Brain Fog and Tiredness)

I am looking for advice on how to successfully taper off Ambien. I I am in my late fifties and never had insomnia until I experienced a sudden anxiety attack two months ago. My PCP initially prescribed Ambien 5 mg and Sertraline (Zoloft) 50 mg. Because that combination didn't help my insomnia, my PCP switched me to a stronger dose: Ambien CR 12.5 mg. While it increased the amount of time I sleep, the quality is poor, and I am experiencing severe brain fog and daytime tiredness.

Fortunately, my anxiety has settled down, so my primary issue now is just the insomnia and the medication side effects. After discussing it with my PCP, I decided to taper off both medications. Tapering off Zoloft was fairly easy—over the past two weeks, I reduced it from 50 mg to 12.5 mg with only mild side effects.

However, tapering off Ambien has not been smooth, and I feel stuck. I cut my Ambien CR 12.5 mg down to 10 mg, and then to 7.5 mg. My sleep quality hasn't improved, and I feel incredibly groggy, tired, and unable to concentrate during the day. This has made doing any analytical or intelligent work impossible, which is making me very upset.

I still have several years until retirement, and I am genuinely worried that this cognitive fog will impact my performance. I recently started taking 90 mg of Magnesium Glycinate to see if it helps.

I live in a rural area where there is a months-long waitlist for a psychiatrist, so I currently only rely on my PCP. Should I continue tapering and wait it out, or should I talk to my doctor about switching to a different medication to help me cross-taper? Any success stories, suggestions, or insights would be greatly appreciated.