On a trip to relatively high altitudes, sleeping at 10-15,000 feet, I took lots of Ambien, and it worked, a little bit. It's maybe not medically advisable where altitude is a problem, but I had no regrets, as some nights I couldn't sleep without it.

The stuff works better where altitude isn't working against you. I hear it's cheap and getting a prescription isn't a big deal, though mine was from a friend. I didn't experience any "hangover" symptoms nor any type of high.

Come to think of it, I happened to meet a French chemist who said he helped develop Ambien, and he told me that he'd taken it frequently over a long period, and said he had some memory loss as a result. I forget his name.