I currently take ambien to sleep. I have to take 3 or more of them for them to work. My dr just switched me to trazodone, do you think it will work as good. Added 17 Aug 2012: Further details. I am not an abuser. I take ambien to sleep at night because I have chronic anxiety and depression. The ambien hasn't worked in a while so I wanted to up it to 3 now. Zolpidem (Ambien) is an inexpensive drug used to treat insomnia. It is more popular than comparable drugs. It is available in generic and brand versions. Learn more about the best way to take melatonin for better sleep. When to take it, how to take it, and general melatonin information. Pictures of Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate), drug imprint information, side effects for the patient. Ambien is a prescription medication used to treat insomnia. It is fast-acting and eliminated from the system fairly quickly. It can be detected in urine for 24-48 hours and in blood tests for 6-20 hours. Most people who have alcoholic blackouts can prevent them with the proper drinking strategies. On average, 4.1% of Americans take sleeping pills. Usage is higher at older ages. Only 1.8% of younger people between the ages of 18 and 39 take sleeping pills but by age 80, 7% of the population takes them. AMBIEN ® (zolpidem tartrate) tablets, for oral use. DESCRIPTION. AMBIEN contains zolpidem tartrate, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor positive modulator of the imidazopyridine class. Zolpidem comes as a tablet (Ambien) and an extended-release (long-acting) tablet (Ambien CR) to take by mouth. Zolpidem also comes as a sublingual tablet (Edluar, Intermezzo) to place under the tongue and an oral spray (Zolpimist), which is sprayed into the mouth over the tongue.