Insomnia and Lunesta

Penni60 · March 5, 2006

If you have never experienced INSOMNIA then you can't even begin to imagine the frustration of not being able to sleep. You are physically tired but just can't shut off your mind and relax. Or you get sleepy and lie down thinking at last I will now fall asleep only to be wide awake when you do lie down. GRRRRRRRRRRR!! Tossing and turning all night long. Hoping you don't wake up your sweetie. Then getting mad at them for sleeping because you can't sleep. Then feeling guilty for being mad that they are asleep. LOL!!! So then you get up and go watch some TV or read a book hoping that will make you sleepy and the next thing you know the sun is up and you have been awake ALL NIGHT LONG!! If you go to sleep now then you WON'T sleep that night. LOL!! Vicious cycle.

I have been this way most of my life. About three years ago I started taking Ambien. It was a lifesaver. I had some of the best nights sleep with that medication. Over the last year my system has become immune to the Ambien. So I was taking it and a benadryl to sleep. Then that didn't work. I was starting back on that track of being awake all night again. So, I called my doctor and asked about LUNESTA. He agreed that it might work better for me. I said what if I build up an immunity to it like I did with Ambien? He said we can alternate the two drugs and see if that will work.

So, I took my first does of LUNESTA last night. OH MY GOD!!! I thought I had been sleeping a restful sleep with Ambien. I now know what it means to wake up refreshed and rejuveniated. It works fast, like within 15 min of taking it. I did wake up to use the bathroom and immediately fell fast asleep within minutes. I never did that before. Even taking the Ambien if I woke up I would have trouble getting back to sleep. The LUNESTA can give you a hang over effect if you don't get at least 8 hours of sleep. But I can deal with that by just making sure I take it so I can get those 8 hours.

I highly recommend it if someone is suffering from INSOMNIA.

pugmum · March 5, 2006

Penni,

I totally understand your frustration! I have had problems falling asleep since I was a child. Even when I was physically fit and physically exhausted! I think, sometimes, I am afraid to fall asleep, as odd as that sounds.

I take Ambien on a prn basis and I agree, it is awesome. None of the awful effects like Tylenol PM used to give me.

Thanks for your post; I'll know if I develop immunity to Ambien that there is other hope.

Kelli

lianna · March 5, 2006

I could have wrote the first part of your post! I am the worlds worst insomniac, and have been for as long as I can remember. I even wake my husband sometimes...."honey, are you asleep?", lol. It is just so frustrating to be laying in bed wide awake knowing I will feel like crap the next day from lack of sleep. I have tried numerous meds but hate the hangover feeling they give me, even Benadryl leaves me groggy. I will have to ask my doc about the Lunesta. Thanks for sharing.

Tricia K. · March 5, 2006

Penni, thanks for this post. I've always been one that could fall asleep very easily and could sleep through a train wreck. However, recently I've been having a lot of trouble falling and staying asleep. I think that part of it is due to the recent return of lower back pain though. If it doesn't get better soon, I'm going to ask my doctor for a prescription for Lunesta. Thanks again!!

Penni60 · March 5, 2006

I have always been one to try anything but pills first. I did the Chamomile tea, the warm baths, the meditation, etc. But nothing lasted for long and it was just too frustrating lying awake at night. So the Ambien worked for awhile and the Lunesta works WONDERFULLY now. I am still a big advocate for natural sleep aids but if they don't seem to work then go for the medicinal aids.

Alexandra · March 5, 2006

Penni, did you ever try melatonin? I've dealt with occasional insomnia my whole life, and this is the BEST thing I've ever found. Ambien didn't even work for me when they gave it to me in the hospital (of course, the labor pains I was having might have gotten in the way :eek:). I used valerian root for a long time but the capsules were too big to take after banding. Now I have chewable melatonin that I buy at Trader Joe's, and it's a lifesaver. :eek:

Tricia K. · March 5, 2006

Penni, did you ever try melatonin? I've dealt with occasional insomnia my whole life, and this is the BEST thing I've ever found. Ambien didn't even work for me when they gave it to me in the hospital (of course, the labor pains I was having might have gotten in the way :eek:). I used valerian root for a long time but the capsules were too big to take after banding. Now I have chewable melatonin that I buy at Trader Joe's, and it's a lifesaver. :eek:

I think I'm going to try melatonin before I hit the doctor up for some Lunesta. Thanks for the tip, Alexandra.

La_madam · March 6, 2006

I suffer from major Insomnia, have for the last 8 yrs, the one thing that gets rid of my mind chatter and helps me to relxax is xanax, all the other sleep aids make me feel hungover then next morning. Insomnia sucks, my husband sleep in seperate rooms because of my insomnia, well and his snoring too :biggrin1:

Alexandra · March 6, 2006

What I love about the melatonin is its gentle effect. It just helps my eyes to close; I don't know how much effect it has on helping me stay asleep, but I do know that if I wake up for whatever reason I can get back to sleep pretty quickly.

It has no hangover effect whatsoever, even if I take it at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning.

Tricia K. · March 6, 2006

Okay, so I made a trip to Walgreens tonight and bought some melatonin. I bought the 1mg bottle (compared to the 3mg) because I want to start off with as little as possible and see how that goes. If I end up needing more, I'll just take a pill or 2 more. Thanks again for the suggestion. Wish me luck! :eek:

P.S. I also bought some Doan's backache medicine. I hope that helps as well.

Tamyrn · March 6, 2006

There is a wonderful presription med called Rozerem, it's meletonin but about 16 times stronger than anything you can get over the counter. Like OTC meletonin it doesn't work for everyone, but when I use it I'm out like a light and sleep a full eight hrs. Ask your doc for a sample if you are afraid it won't work, to avoid paying for a whole bottle.

Sweet Dreams, Tammy

princess_n_thep · March 6, 2006

Thanks Penni for sharing about the Lunesta. I have a sleeping disorder (diagnosed when I was 8) and I have tried everything under the sun it seems. I had heard about Lunesta and haven't tried it. I am just so scared about drugs in my body. I think I may ponder the lunesta though. Let us know how you are feeling after about a month please, I would like to know the long term use effects.

3loves · March 6, 2006

Hi Penni60....I went to my PCP 2 wks ago b/c I couldn't get to sleep. Like you, I would lay there and close my eyes, but my mind would not shut down. It felt like my eyes were WIDE :eek: open even though I knew they were physically shut. I've had this off & on during most of my life. I know part of this is everyday stress along with being excited about my band. I always have to visit LBT b4 going to bed and it would probably help me to stay away from the computer late at night....like that's going to happen. :rolleyes

Sorry that I drifted a bit there.....anyway, my PCP put me on Ambien 12.5mg, and told me he only wanted me to take it for 3 nights and then try to do without b/c he doesn't want me to become addicted to them. Needless to say, I've taken them everynight just b/c they help so much. :eek: It does take me at least 1 hr to get sleepy enough to go to bed. Since you have experience with this, what is the concern my doc has? I don't like taking meds, but I do take Effexor once a day and the Ambein doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I don't drink or smoke and my only addiction is food, so is it a bad thing to become addicted to this?

I've seen commercials for Lunesta and noticed it has a different main ingredient than Ambien. I wonder if Lunesta reacts differently with the Effexor. A good question to ask my doc I know, but I'm not sure I want him to know that I took the Ambien more than 3 days. He gave me a 30 day supply so I'm hoping to wean myself by then. It would be nice to try the Lunesta since you indicated it works much faster.

Also, do you take any other type of meds that help calm you such as Effexor or Xanax? I ask b/c I'm wondering if I need talk to my doc about changing the Effexor since I've been on it for a while now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :clap2:

Mita · March 6, 2006

Wow - I am so glad you posted this Penni. Everynight around 8 to 9pm I swear I could fall asleep on the couch so I get ready for bed and yep then I am wide awake lying down. If I fall asleep then I am woken up by what ever around midnight. Tonight or I should say this moring it was 1:30, so here I am - typing, yawning but not sleepy to lay down..

Now with the pills Lunesta can you be woken up easily? With the kids I would worry about not being able to wake in case of an Emrg.

Dody · March 6, 2006

My system got immune to Ambien and I switched to Lunesta...was great for a while and then one tablet just wasn't enough. My dr. has put me on two. Right now it's 4:30 a.m. and I'm still awake. Your system just gets used to the medications (most any medications) and poof you are right back where you started. I hope the Lunesta works well for you. Ambien and Lunesta are a lot alike, but more people complain about Lunesta giving them a metal taste in their mouth. I never had that, but the effects do wear off over time. I have a high tolerance to pain meds anyway. I hope for you the Lunesta keeps working. You can always increase the dosage. It isn't habit forming...or isn't supposed to be. Good luck and happy dreams.:eek: