As far as drugs which can help with insomnia, I know there are a lot. Zopiclone, lorazepam were on offer to the OP when she wrote to us. She also tried several others as well, listed in previous posts.
Anyone try bromides, valerates, chloral hydrate, or paraldehyde for insomnia any time recently? The latter two are made from hooch, and there are many bromide and valerate salts used especially in the past for sedation, sleep, and so forth. There are bromide and valerate salts of codeine, morphine, and dihydrocodeine have been used for medicinal purposes.
There were some great non-benzodiazepine hypnotics that were really great which are apparently all gone -- I've expounded up Doriden (glutethimide) and we all know about Mandrax and Quāāludes (methaqualone) . . . there are/were also clomethiazole, ethchlorvynol (Placidyl) and methyprylon (Noludar) as well as more obscure chemical relatives of the above like phenprobamate, tybamate, mecloqualone, and so on.
I have tried Sodium Bromide (IM injection of a few ampoules, 5ml each at 100mg/ml), but I don't a strong impression of the effects. Whether that is because the effects were weak, or because all the other drugs I was taking during that period obliterated my memory, I can't honestly say. I do have a handful more of these stashed away, and plan on trying it again under more controlled conditions. It seems oral administration is just as good as parenteral.
Another issue is that during the 19th century, bromides were given in huge doses well beyond what I took, and were sometimes given over multiple days for the effects to truly become apparent. For instance, I was reading an 1885 manual by an American doctor on opiate detoxification, and he starts off with sodium bromide given twice daily at 60 grains, increasing the dose 10 grains a day until reaching a maximum of 100-120 grains. Since 60 grains is just under 4g (3888mg), the max daily dose would reach 13-15.5.g! To replicate even the lowest of his twice-daily doses one time, I'd have to consume almost 8 ampoules of sodium bromide. Even in other sources which don't reflect the enhanced need for sedation present in opiate withdrawal, the average dose for insomnia is listed as at least 15 grains (~1g).
In the bromide/valereate category, I have also tried the ethyl ester of a-isobromovaleric acid in conjunction with phenobarbital and peppermint oil, as marketed in original Corvalol/Valocordin drops/tablets. It certainly gives the combination an intense odor ("valerian + foot odor") and taste; otherwise, it may intensify the phenobarbital effect slightly.
Phenprobamate was interesting and definitely had noticeable effects tending toward the barbiturate type, but wasn't hugely pleasurable for me on the couple of occasions I sampled it. These were all oral doses around the clinical range, so maybe it requires higher dosing. Also, I was using opiates on a maintenance basis at the time, but didn't take them in conjunction and don't remember noticing significant potentiation, but I'd certainly look out for that in the future if others find it effective.
I had similar results with mephenesin (brand name Décontractyl, sadly withdrawn from the French market as of this June it seems), a centrally-acting mucle relaxant in guaifenesin family. And again with etqualone, both in slightly supertherapeutic oral doses as well. I do recall noticing a potentiating effect that the mephenesin had on codeine, taken together at a time when I had a relatively low tolerance.
Clomethiazole, on the other hand, seemed to have more pronounced euphoric effects on its own at doses in that range. Though these were offset somewhat by the eye-watering smell ("rotten apples in an acid bath") it left behind on breath/body and its unpleasant burning sensation at least as a pure powder.