Your right about the VA, they try and throw pills at EVERYTHING. Some of those pills have horrible long lasting side effects too. I no longer take ANY pills.. Not even Tylenol unless i get a REALLY high fever that wont go away.... And that hasnt happened in a couple years. I can be persuaded into taking antibiotics... but not until after i have tried natural antibiotics first.
Anyways ambien didnt work for me, nothing did. Years ago i seen several doctors specializing in sleep disorders.... I went to sleep labs... Nothing they could find or do helped me sleep. Most nights i average 2 hours, occasionally 4 and a few times a year i will sleep 7-8 hours.. Some nights, like last night, i dont sleep at all, sometimes i go a few days in a row without any sleep...
Im use to it now, and have learned to enjoy being awake while others sleep. But for years i laid in bed starring at the roof!!