Thanks for pointing out the wiki article, leokitten. Reading it, I saw that a number of times it is said that not everyone agrees, some doctors and researchers do not find damage from short, even long term use. Also, some patients do become addicted and have a very hard time getting off, and some don't. You can't tell from the article, however, what percentage of doctors or patients see the negative symptoms and what percentage do not, and how common or uncommon the worst consequences are.
I agree that there are down sides to almost every medication, this type for sure, but that the stress and degradation of one's life from insomnia can also be very destructive. So we each should really try to weigh costs and benefits.
For me when I used a third of a .5 mg tablet of clonazepam, I did not have to use it every night in a row and I could get off them--slowly to be sure. It did make the difference in sleeping well vs. a partial night's sleep with multiple arousals or awakenings. However, if my diet and sleep hygiene and circumstances (quiet, no stress, and usually a chance to nap the next day) are all in place, I can go on without clonazepam or the like. But if I have to travel, or fit into normal people's schedules and be able to function ok, I could sometimes use it.
Back to the "cost" side, I did feel an addictive pull with this drug and after awhile I noticed it added a degree of depression to my life that wasn't there before. By this I do not mean an addictive compulsion, nor do I mean major depression and suicidality, I just mean an addictive tendency and a somewhat depressive one too. After I got off the clonazepam, both aspects went away, which I appreciated. But as I said in my previous post, my original insomnia pattern re-emerged right away and continues on.
Ambien is the only one of the Z drugs I have tried. It doesn't last long enough but worse, I have had amnesia episodes with it which could have been real trouble. I took the warning and won't take this type of drug.