Zopiclone and Zolpidem don't work for me, any suggestions?

I hate to tell u this but i have been dealing with this over a year.  The natural stuff doesnt work and the sleeping pills only work for a few hours. I have been to a psychologist a psychiatrist a regular md and now i have an appt with mayo clinic in oct. even just bought a fisher wallace stimulator that i got yesterday. I work full time have pain and sometimes think i would be better off dead. If u or anyone else has found something for sleep please let me know. Mine is anxiety driven from health issues i have

A pill doesn’t exist that is going to fix this. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can start to work on lifestyle and psychological factors and begin seeing some progress. 

Hi.  For context, I developed breathing issues from the flu (which persist to this day) and I immediately had great difficulty being able to fall asleep.  A whole host of other health problems resulted from my breathing issues.  Initially I was afraid I would not be able to breathe while asleep so that caused me a lot of anxiety initially.  Once I did start sleeping again, I was waking up very early, i.e., 3-4 am every night usually with a pounding heart and unable to get back to sleep.  My breathing has improved a little over time, which in combination with sleep aids has allowed me to get back to a somewhat "normal" sleep pattern.  For insomnia, I have tried Ativan (lorazepam), risperidone, zolpidem, melatonin (just gave me a headache), and mirtazapine (absolutely horrible drug).  Of these, I have found lorazepam 0.75 mg at night to be the most effective for me.  Obviously, these benzos can have addictive qualities, but I do not abuse them and try not to take every night.  The other drug that was semi-helpful for me was zolpidem (7.5 mg).  I made a decision to alternate between lorazepam and zolpidem so as to reduce the possibility of developing tolerance to either one (some have suggested this as a good strategy), but when I wen back on zolpidem after a month or so on lorazepman, the zolpidem didn't seem to be as effective anymore.

Sleep is too valuable to not consider taking a sleeping aid.  Without sufficient sleep, your body is going to enter into a downward spiral.  Sleeping aids are but a small price to pay to help your body heal - just don't abuse them and take the lowest dose that will work.

Another option is cognitive behavioral therapy - insomnia (called CBT-I), you should look into this.

Another thing you may want to consider is whether you are experiencing sleep apnea.  Are you overweight?  Do you snore?  These are primary factors.  Consider a sleep study.  If you are not breathing effectively during the night, your body is going to sound the alarm bells and wake you up.

Hey hang in there!Hugs! I'm on the same boat. Some days the water is rocky, and I feel like jumping overboard, but most days the waters subside and I continue to sail like John and the other responders below, as well as so many others on this forum. Every advice given thus far is rather accurate so I won't try to sound repetitive but for me what helps greatly to calms the seas are Psalm 107:29-30 and Isaiah 43:2. It gives me that strength and reassurance that everything is gonna work out for the better. Get a good MD, take care of your body by eating right, exercising and relaxing your mind and body, pray. And take it one step at a time. It's going to take some time but you would see a difference.

Actually there are so many resources on web that sleeping pills are not good for health. And to be honest I didn't try pills ever but I know some effective ways to get peaceful sleep from my own experience. You can also try these-

1. Meditate after lying on the bed

2. Make all the lights dimmed

3. Keep your room cool

4. Avoid smart screens at least 1 hour before bed

5. Hide your clock before your eyes

6. Take a warm bath

7. Put on socks

8. Don't drink caffeine at least 1 hour before bed

9. Don't lie on the bed until you feel sleepy

10. Listen to calming music closing your eyes

Hope it’ll help you.

I actually find sleeping pills worse in the long run. They make my own sleep worse when I don't take them - I wake up every couple of hours in between nightmares. They mess with your brain and I wish I never used them. It can take weeks of not being on them for my brain to return to normality. I didn't even take the sleeping pills every day neither.