I've been rx'd 5-10mg ambien nightly for a few months. noticing tolerance build-up. looking for safer alternatives for long-term use. any suggestions?

Melatonin?: You can always try Melatonin, but first you’d need to get off Ambien. With your story, tolerance/addiction are real concerns, and the best bet in that regard would be to first get off it safely. Then, you can try daily supplementation with Melatonin, which is normally present in our brains anyway and helps with sleep onset and maintenance.

Sleep study: If you require substantial doses of Ambien to sleep, get a sleep study before trying additional medications.

OTC or prescription: melatonin. Bach Rescue Sleep. Chelated magnesium, 3 speed fan on middle speed to make white noise background. Hope this helps. HRS, MD, FACC

Sleep hygiene : There are no sleep aids which are good for long term use. Focus on your sleep hygiene, going to bed the same time, getting up the same time, getting enough sleep, maintaining a normal weight, no alcohol. Try a large hunk of turkey breast with milk before bedtime for the tryptophan, it will Help you sleep. Get evaluated if this doesn’t work! Sleep is as essential as breathing for your health!