Look at the prescription bottle to see which company manufactured the zolpidem. For many years a pharmacy sent me 90 day supplies of zolpidem from Mylan (manufacturer) which worked well. Then one time I noticed the color of the pills had changed to white and the shape was a little different. Those pills were from Teva (manufacturer) and gave me headaches, dizziness and a general sense of unwellness. I complained to the pharmacy and they immediately replaced the Teva pills with pills from Mylan. Fast forward 3-5 years and the same thing happened again. Pharmacy gave me pills from Teva, they made me sick, and I was told that Mylan had gone out of business because their facility was destroyed by Hurricane Maria (in Puerto Rico). After doing research I instructed the pharmacy to get the pills from Torrent (manufacturer). Those pills are peach colored and oblong, the same as Mylan's pills were. The pills from Torrent worked fine. Several months later my prescription was refilled with pills from Aurobindo Pharmacy. The pills were white and oval shaped and did not work well. I did not have headaches, but they weren't as effective in getting me to fall asleep and then I would only sleep a couple of hours. Once again I had to go back to the pharmacy and my doctor to replace them with the good pills from Torrent. So there is definitely a difference between pills from different manufacturers, even though they are all "supposed to be" the same. btw, I recently found out that the Puerto Rican Mylan facility was not destroyed in the hurricane, only repurposed for awhile because their building was one of the few surviving structures in the town and it was used for distribution of food and water to locals. It is possible by now that they have resumed production. I hope this is helpful.
I don't think you should be 'scared'. But if the medication is not for you, it's not. Do call your doctor about it. Ask about melatonin. ?
Insomnia is terrible. And definitely can leave you fatigued. Things that help me with it are physical activity on a regular basis during the day, good sleep habits like a regular schedule of going to bed, white noise like a fan, a cool and dark room, not eating or drinking too much before bed. Sleep aids are helpful short term for some but I've always tried to stay away from that. So, your doctor prescribed you something. Have you ever considered melatonin? That's something that lots of people can take successfully without side effects.
Ambien or zolipidem have a slew of side effects associated with it. Headache is one of them. When you say your head is terrible, is this what you mean, headache? Daytime drowsiness is common too. Impaired thinking as well. It's a medication that many take and it's helped them. But it's not for everyone. So, you'll need to decide if it is for you. You can talk to your doctor about he side effects you experience on it and then judge it if ultimately helps you get more sleep if it is worth the side effects or not. good luck