riboflavin2

I have much experience with both.

Trazadone: Older drug indicated for depression. Also has significant sedative properties. It tends to help with sleep onset and sleep maintenance. It increased my sleep time for about 2 hours or so. Sleep onset is gradual, and isn't going to knock you out like Ambien does, which is a problem if your difficulty is mental. Will probably cause grogginess the next day. The main advantage? No tolerance for most people. The effects are very stable and tend to persist. A major disadvantage is that it reduces quality of sleep in many people, which tends to negate the effects of the sleep prolongation.

Ambien: Recent, structurally unique hypnotic medication. Produces a similar effect to benzodiazipines(xanax, ativan, valium, etc). It will knock most people out within 15-30 minutes upon first use. The total shutdown of consciousness is uncanny. Many people describe the drug as like acid-- you feel great about everything and everybody and may even hallucinate for a few minutes, then you go to bed and bam, you are out totally.

Half life is extremely short. Ambien is primarily effective for people with sleep onset problems. If you have problems staying asleep, you will tend to wake up after 4 hours and will likely have to take another to get a full night's sleep, which is not necessarily a good idea because of the wicked tolerance.

The biggest problem: Tolerance develops quickly for most people. It is not recommended that you use Ambien for more than a week or two at a time, and for me, tolerance develops much more quickly-- more like 2-3 days. Taking more is not the answer, and it tends to do some weird stuff to people in higher doses, and ambien addiction is not unheard of. Very dangerous drug if you have problems with addiction. In me, dosages over 10mg cause sleepwalking and other weird behavior. You may also have some problems with withdrawal symptoms such as rebound insomnia when you stop.

Conclusion: Ambien is a far riskier drug than Trazadone. It works for some people, and is something you should try if other avenues have failed. Be aware that if you develop tolerance at all, you may want to give it up. A small number of people take Ambien long term, and are able to get by. Odds are good you won't be one of them. I would try Trazadone first.