Lunesta Reviews - archived from the old board, add your reviews too!

Posted by: donnareed Posted on: Apr 8th, 2005, 3:48am
YAY

Lunesta came out yesterday.

(i dropped off my script back in february)

the pharmacy called to tell me it was in.

i jumped for joy!

the pharmacist also jumped for joy.  he wants to know ALL about my experiences with it.  (i wonder if he's an insomniac, or just a really good pharmacist.)

anyway.

it caused mild hallucinations.
no where near as bad as ambien.  just a few colors.  not like conversations with people who aren't there.

and, unlike ambien, it knocked me OUT and i stayed OUT.

my husband said the cat was walking back and forth across me, sat on my head, etc.  and i didn't stir at all.

not a whimper.

i think i actually slept in a rather log like manner, tee hee.

So, i just popped night number 2.
and i will let you know how it goes in another update tomorrow.

(of course, the real test is what happens on the 3rd night, which is when everything else has pooped out for me...)

night night
sweet dreams!

donna 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by: sunshine Posted on: Apr 8th, 2005, 6:17pm
How did you feel in the morning? Were you able to get up and function at a reasonable hour?

Can't wait to hear more! 


Posted by: Spencer Posted on: Apr 11th, 2005, 6:34pm
I was going to ask you how your Lunesta worked. My doctor seems to think Seroquel is fine for sleep, but I'd like to be able to wake up in the morning. He doesn't think it would be powerful enough, and that's the same reason we didn't try Ambien.

 
Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 13th, 2005, 9:50am
Thumbs down.

I tried it for 3 nights and I am now offically giving up.

It does get me to sleep fast, that is a plus, but I woke up after like 45 minutes and couldn't get back to sleep. Headache the next morning. And it still tastes like I am sucking on a penny. 

If only it would have lasted me the whole night then the eveything tasting like I was licking an airplane wouldn't be so bad.

And I was so excited too

. 
Posted by: StrungOutOnLife Posted on: Apr 15th, 2005, 6:50pm
If Lunesta came out on April 13th, then what's the thing we have to wait until April 24th for? 


Posted by: Jnfr Posted on: Apr 16th, 2005, 3:04pm
Hi everyone--I'm new to the forum but not new to psychotropics---I too was so excited about Lunesta but I've tried it for three nights now without much success (had to take 2 3mg. tabs for about 6 hours of disjointed sleep but...I do have an ambien habit (20mg) for about 3 years so it could be some kind of rebound insomnia thingy with that plus a really good (I think) doc is taking me off doxepin and trying lexapro this week too (100 mg doxepin down from 150 and starting out for this first week with 5mg lex--so it's hard to tell--disappointed with the lunesta but I'll switch it around on different nights with the ambien and keep trying--nice to find a forum--Jennifer

Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 16th, 2005, 10:08pm
on Apr 15th, 2005, 6:50pm, StrungOutOnLife wrote:If Lunesta came out on April 13th, then what's the thing we have to wait until April 24th for? 



I saw that commercial today, I am pretty sure they are talking about Lunesta, since it is the same pharmecutical company, buy I don't quite understand since you can get it now.

Posted by: StrungOutOnLife Posted on: Apr 17th, 2005, 4:27pm
on Apr 16th, 2005, 10:08pm, HaloGirl66 wrote:

I saw that commercial today, I am pretty sure they are talking about Lunesta, since it is the same pharmecutical company, buy I don't quite understand since you can get it now.



They do have something for restless leg syndrome, but they haven't even named it yet.
Quote:SEP-226330

Sepracor's SEP-226330 is a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). Sepracor began a proof-of-concept study in support of SEP-226330 for the treatment of restless legs syndrome in the fourth quarter of 2004. This compound may have advantages over currently used dopamine agonists in the treatment of restless legs syndrome. This compound is also being evaluated as a potential novel mechanistic approach for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), RLS is a common neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an urge to move when at rest in an effort to relieve these feelings. RLS sensations are often described by people as burning, creeping, tugging, or like insects crawling in the legs. Lying down and attempting to relax activates the symptoms. As a result, most people with RLS have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. If not treated, the condition may cause exhaustion and fatigue.

According to the NINDS, some researchers estimate that RLS affects as many as 12 million Americans. However, others estimate a higher occurance because RLS is thought to be underdiagnosed and, in some cases misdiagnosed. 



Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 18th, 2005, 9:36am
But SEP-226330  is such a catchy name
Thanks for the info S.O.O.L.
Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 22nd, 2005, 1:45am
I'm still awake. And it tastes like ass. Dime & Penny flavored ass. I've given it 8 nights, that is plenty long to try.

But you may have different results if your brain cooties are different that mine.

I'll just keep looking for the right one. 

Posted by: Jnfr Posted on: Apr 22nd, 2005, 5:01am
Re-elaluating the Lunesta after 7 days--

milder than ambien--not a knock-down sleep onset but also more relaxing--I can actually "snooze" for a bit after waking up

Don't have "that" taste

Thinking this *may* work after all!

Lifetime chronic insomniac- with GAD sometimes accompanied by depression and panic attacks but doing stuff easily now with my new best friend, lexapro 

Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 22nd, 2005, 2:02pm
on Apr 22nd, 2005, 5:01am, Jnfr wrote:Re-elaluating the Lunesta after 7 days--

milder than ambien--not a knock-down sleep onset but also more relaxing--I can actually "snooze" for a bit after waking up

Don't have "that" taste

Thinking this *may* work after all!

Lifetime chronic insomniac- with GAD sometimes accompanied by depression and panic attacks but doing stuff easily now with my new best friend, lexapro 



Good to hear that it works for someone 

Posted by: ethereal Posted on: Apr 23rd, 2005, 12:21am
Quote:milder than ambien--not a knock-down sleep onset 



Darn. I so love the nightly smack down. (Actually, I do. Since it's apparently taken me 1-4 hrs to fall asleep--almost from birth--the dropping dead asleep is so delightful and amazing.  ) 
Posted by: Meggie_28 Posted on: Apr 23rd, 2005, 4:10pm
Well, I tried lunesta (3mg) for the first time last night and it worked pretty well. I get up really early on weekdays though so we'll see if it still works alright tonight since I slept till 11:30 this morning.   

I just hope it will work as well as ambien does. I'm dissapointed to hear that it doesn't knock you out as quick as ambien does b/c I really love that about ambien. Anything is better than taking 6 benadryl to fall asleep every night though!

So far I haven't noticed a bad taste. I really hope I won't get that side effect. We'll see.

Take care all!

Posted by: Pope Plecosaur Posted on: Apr 23rd, 2005, 5:06pm
Day 1 - 3mg took 7 hours to fall asleep, slept 4 hours
Day 2 - 3mg took 2 hours to fall asleep, slept 6 hours
Day 3 - 6mg took 1 hour to fall asleep, slept 10 hours
Day 4 - 3mg took 1 hour to fall asleep, slept 3 hours

Always woke up with dry metallic taste in mouth, which did not happen to me on Ambien.  I also woke up feeling groggy each morning, which Ambien did not do to me.

Rating so far - D.
Ambien rating for comparision is C+/B-. 


Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 23rd, 2005, 11:08pm
More lunesta talk over on the misc. meds board

http://www.crazymeds.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB...eds;action=disp lay;num=1113770310;start=0#5 
Posted by: ethereal Posted on: Apr 24th, 2005, 3:36am
Quote:Always woke up with dry metallic taste in mouth, which did not happen to me on Ambien.  I also woke up feeling groggy each morning, which Ambien did not do to me. 



Huh. I'm not impressed, thus far. I think I'll just stick with my Ambien and guaranteed 4+ hrs. Is it really so bad to stay on it forever and ever? My T said she'd call my pdoc and lobby for an rx if he ever refuses (b/c I get really loopy when I sleep 2-3 hrs per night). 

Posted by: Meggie_28 Posted on: Apr 24th, 2005, 8:58am
Ok I think I did wake up with a metallic taste in my mouth. I think I've been able to get rid of it now by brushing my teeth, eating breakfast and drinking my morning diet coke. That sucks though!

Do you guys really think you can't build up a tolerance to this stuff? That's what they told me. I'm doing a study at my psych's office to compare lunesta to other sleeping aids that I've tried. So I use it for two weeks and then go back to see them. 

I have a half a bottle of ambien sitting here but I only take it occasionally b/c I don't want to build up a tolerance to it. So instead I stuff 5-6 benadryl or tylenol pm down my throat every night. I know lunesta has got to be better than doing that! 

I don't know.

   
Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 24th, 2005, 9:31am
Meggie,

Using that much tylenol PM can be very bad for your liver - too much Acetaminophen. The ingredient in tylenol PM that makes you sleepy is Diphenhydramine HCl. Which is the exact same thing as Benadryl. So you are probably better off just sticking to Benadrl as your OTC sleep aid. 


Posted by: Meggie_28 Posted on: Apr 24th, 2005, 10:34am
on Apr 24th, 2005, 9:31am, HaloGirl66 wrote:Meggie,

Using that much tylenol PM can be very bad for your liver - too much Acetaminophen. The ingredient in tylenol PM that makes you sleepy is Diphenhydramine HCl. Which is the exact same thing as Benadryl. So you are probably better off just sticking to Benadrl as your OTC sleep aid. 



Yeah, I've actually stopped taking the tylenol pm. When I was taking it I would only take like 3 tylenol pm's and 3 benadryl's. Now I just use benadryl and simply sleep. I'm hoping that this lunesta will help me come off of that stuff though b/c I've been doing that for years and it's just gotten worse and worse!

Thanks for the concern, I appreciate it!

Posted by: HaloGirl66 Posted on: Apr 24th, 2005, 9:15pm
on Apr 24th, 2005, 10:34am, Meggie_28 wrote:

Yeah, I've actually stopped taking the tylenol pm. When I was taking it I would only take like 3 tylenol pm's and 3 benadryl's. Now I just use benadryl and simply sleep. I'm hoping that this lunesta will help me come off of that stuff though b/c I've been doing that for years and it's just gotten worse and worse!

Thanks for the concern, I appreciate it!





Good luck with the lunesta! 

Posted by: Meggie_28 Posted on: Apr 25th, 2005, 9:24am
I've had it with the lunesta! I can't stand the nasty taste!!! It's just so...ewww!   

by: HaloGirl66 Posted
Posted  on: Apr 25th, 2005, 9:49am
on Apr 25th, 2005, 9:24am, Meggie_28 wrote:I've had it with the lunesta! I can't stand the nasty taste!!! It's just so...ewww!   



Me too, it is quite afwul. I gave it 2 weeks and it never went away - blech.

Posted by: EricaMae Posted on: Apr 27th, 2005, 7:46am
Ohhhhhh  I took my first Lunesta last night and , sweet marvelous joy ... I SLEPT!!!

I can't tell you the last good night's sleep I had.  I haven't tasted any weird bad taste, I am just so excited to have slept !!!  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Ambien had worked well for me, but only lasted 3-4 hours and then I was wide awake wandering the house.  I have been so waiting for this Lunesta.  Let's hope the effects are more than just placebo, will keep you posted 


Posted by: Meggie_28 Posted on: Apr 27th, 2005, 11:02am
on Apr 27th, 2005, 7:46am, EricaMae wrote:Ohhhhhh  I took my first Lunesta last night and , sweet marvelous joy ... I SLEPT!!!

I can't tell you the last good night's sleep I had.  I haven't tasted any weird bad taste, I am just so excited to have slept !!!  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Ambien had worked well for me, but only lasted 3-4 hours and then I was wide awake wandering the house.  I have been so waiting for this Lunesta.  Let's hope the effects are more than just placebo, will keep you posted



I hope the lunesta works for you EricaMae!

I don't know what I'm going to do. I've quit taking the lunesta and I'm back to taking benadryl and simply sleep. I'm only taking like 3-4 of them though instead of 6.    Sometimes I'll take trazodone too but that doesn't seem to help just by itself.

I'm just afraid to start taking ambien everynight b/c I don't want it to lose it's effectiveness. I love my ambien and I don't want to end up losing it! Also, I don't want to run out too fast either b/c my dr. will only prescribe 15 pills at a time and they're so damn expensive! 

Posted by: zolofty Posted on: Apr 28th, 2005, 9:07am
Has anyone ever tried Zopiclone AND eszopiclone(Lunesta)  ? (Of course, not at the same time)

What differences did you note ?

I know only zopiclone. 


Posted by: Jnfr Posted on: Apr 28th, 2005, 9:41am
Yes--I tried zoplicone last year, I liked it well enough to re-order (wasn't too happy with ambien at that point) but they weren't selling it anymore--
if I remember, the sleep quality was the same and so far the lunesta isn't any longer-lasting for me--
no where near the 8 hours in the commercial--
this could be due to adjusting to lexapro for the last 2 weeks and gong off doxepin 


Posted by: PinkToo2grrl Posted on: Apr 28th, 2005, 12:34pm
OK, so I was especially jazzed last night, but sleep didn't kick in until 3 hours after taking 2mg of Lunesta last nite.  This is my second night on it, so it can't be a tolerance already.  I so hate this.  All I want to do is sleep.  please?  just a little bit? 

OK I finally did, and slept thru till 7am, which IS a tad on the miraculous, but that lying awake staring at the ceiling thing is enough to make me wanna stick a fork in my eye.  I quit doing coke for a reason (a million years ago), and THAT was the reason, come on now! 


Posted by: PinkToo2grrl Posted on: May 6th, 2005, 8:01am
I have been trying out lunesta this week, and I gotta tell you.  I think it may suck.  See it knocks me out alright, but it is apparently preventing some level of sleep that I desperately need to feel rested.  Because I haven’t felt rested, at all.  I was so tired yesterday that I put my head down on my desk and cried.

just an fyi ymmv
E 


Posted by: zolofty Posted on: May 6th, 2005, 11:28am
I've had positive experiences with zopiclone, which is a lot like Lunesta. If you think Lunesta prevents you from getting some deep sleep/REM sleep you could consider taking half a regular dose. Or even less. When I first started on zopiclone, I found it to be strong stuff, and I had already become tolerant to several benzos.

You won't become tolerant to it as quick as with some benzos, but tolerance will develop. So, try to use the Lunesta not too often.

Good luck

 
Posted by: bluemchen Posted on: May 15th, 2005, 1:37am
Hi, 
I'm kinda new to this board, meaning that this is the first time I'm posting.
I've been having difficulties falling a sleep since I can remember. 
I tried Hydrozyxine for a month and it stopped working, then my dr. prescribed  Ambien which gave me some kind of depression in the morning. 

Trazadone didn't do shit for me.

Now I've been on lunesta for quite 3 weeks, my dr. prescribed  2 mg, which didn't seem to help at all, so I started on 3 mg, which also didn't do anything.

But I've found a way to make the lunesta work, all I do is take a half pill (1mg) 30 minutes prior to going to bed, and then another 1mg once I'm already in bed and let it just dissolve in my mouth and then drink some water, it puts me right to sleep.

Posted by: roxyhead Posted on: May 15th, 2005, 11:29am
on Apr 28th, 2005, 9:07am, zolofty wrote:Has anyone ever tried Zopiclone AND eszopiclone(Lunesta)  ? (Of course, not at the same time)

What differences did you note ?

I know only zopiclone. 



As far as I know, in general, if zopiclone is available where you are, then eszopiclone probably isn't.  Of course, if you're ordering from a different country, that's different.

My mother saw a Lunesta ad the other day, so came and asked me if that'd help...I told her we don't have it, but we have Imovane, I have no idea if it'll help, I have no experience with insomnia that isn't rapidly killed by a single Benadryl...  So Lunesta commercials are getting over the border now.


Posted by: sunshine Posted on: May 25th, 2005, 8:52pm
Zopiclone is not available in the U.S. I've been on Zolpidem (Ambien) for two solid years and on and off for a few years before that. Zopiclone and Ambien are not in the same class (Zopiclone is in a class of its own, but works similar to benzodiazapines; Ambien is a non-benzo hypnotic, as is Lunesta). 

Based on my personal experience and research, it is not easy to build up a tolerance to Ambien - even with extended use. It's been my experience that it's far easier to build up a tolerance to Diphenhydramine HCl (Benadryl). 

I've also tried Zaleplon (Sonata) in the past. It has a shorter half-life than Ambien. If your problem is falling asleep (as opposed to staying asleep), this is a good place to start.

Alone, it didn't do anything for me (my biggest problem is falling asleep, but staying asleep is a secondary problem). As part of a cocktail that included Ambien and Remeron, it worked great. 

I'm starting Lunesta (3 mg) tonight. I'll add my experience after giving it a few days. 


Posted by: sunshine Posted on: May 26th, 2005, 8:23pm
Day 1:

Jury's still out. No metallic taste - whew! Maybe for a little while after taking it, but nothing that lasted until the morning.

I didn't fall asleep easily - it took at least an hour. Wasn't a great night's sleep, but I've had worse. A little groggy in the morning. Kinda out of it all day, but I think that's more from starting up the Wellbutrin again (I felt the same way after starting it up the first time).

 
Posted by: Stormy_ds Posted on: Today at 2:00am
I couldn't resist. My pdoc gave me some samples of Lunesta today and I just took one like 30 minutes ago. I just started having a HORRIBLE perfume taste in my mouth. Everything and anything that goes into my mouth tastes like nasty perfume. I'm not really all that tired either. I like my xanax personally but I'm gonna give it a try.
Stormy


Posted by: KnowingBurns Posted on: Today at 4:28am
Tonight was my first try with Lunesta.  I took one 3mg pill around 11:15.  I fell asleep (but didn't feel 'knocked out' at all) a little after midnight.  Then I woke up at 1:30 and haven't been back to sleep since (currently 4:30).

I'll give it another shot tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful.


Posted by: Stormy_ds Posted on: Today at 10:17am
I slept very lightly all night long. My boyfriend would move and then I would wake up. I think I woke about 5 times during the night and I don't remember dreaming. I think I never hit the REM state.

Stormy

Lunesta update:

I quit it about a week ago. Overall, it didn't work any better/worse than Ambien. In fact, I ended up taking both for a couple of weeks because Lunesta didn't give me enough of an up-front knockout (though I do think it helped me stay asleep).

I didn't realize that I had the bad taste thing going on until I quit taking it. But I wouldn't call it a metallic taste. I really can't describe it other than to say it went away as soon as I stopped taking Lunesta. I've got dry-mouth problems with other meds, but I think Lunesta made it even worse.

The other thing I didn't like about it is that it stayed in my system too long and I was having a heck of a time getting up in the morning - even if I took it 8-9 hours before I had to get up.

I'm back to 15-20 mg of Ambien - which continues to work. Sometimes, anyway.

Boo,

~Sunshine

Tried one last night, however nothing happened (as usual) except I got dizzy when I stood up 3 hours later to get the last one just so I could sleep.  Not happy at all felt like total and complete shitty all day long.

Sorry to hear it didn't work for you DC. Are you going to give it a 2nd night?

To do that I would have to get a full prescription the doc wrote me one but I don't want to spend 90 dollars if they don't work.  I guess I haven't decided yet.

If your pdoc is unwilling or unable to give you more samples, then have just a week's worth of the prescription filled (most pharmacies will do this). Then, if it's working for you, you can get the rest of the prescription.

Thanks might try that instead

I have not been really favorably impressed by Lunesta.  It keeps me asleep, but I need to fall asleep first.  That takes hours before I feel even a little sleepy.  I have been back on Restoril for a few days and that works much better.  I am wondering about taking Ambien again since I have had a vacation from it. 

Katie :huh:

Ask your doctor if you can take both. I had the same problem. My pdok ok'd it - 3 mg Lunesta + 10 mg Ambien. I did that for 2-3 weeks before ditching the Lunesta altogether (overall, I think Ambien works better - for me, anyway).

So glad to see this thread.  I was just prescribed Lunesta today (finally, after months of telling my pdoc that benzos were no longer putting a dent in my insomnia).  I'll add my review once I have a few nights' experience under my belt.

I took Lunesta ( 3mg)  for the first time last night.

My problems include falling asleep and sleep maintenance.

This did not knock me out immediately, though nothing does. It seemed to take me a little bit longer to fall asleep than with Ambien.  About 20 or so minutes after I took it, I developed the horrible taste in my mouth. 10 hours later I still have that horrible taste in my mouth.

The good news though is I slept a full 8 hours without waking up once. (Better than Ambien).

The horrible taste may be a deal breaker. I think I may have to save this for when I'm truly desperate.

Keep sharing your expirences everyone It is very useful for a lot of us.

I LOOOOOOVE my zopiclone! Only 7,5 mg help you to sleep and feel so good just before to sleep!!! I even take if for PA, because it's the only med that helps a lot. And you can cut it like you want.

Really, w/o it, sometimes, I wonder what I would have done.

DP mom

I've been taking Lunesta for about 10 days. It's been wonderful. I can sleep! It takes me about an hour to go to sleep, but then I sleep, and I don't wake up for 6-7 hours. I don't even feel tired the next day.

I tried Ambien once--I had awful hallucinations, fell asleep, & then threw it up.

I was on amitriptyline, lorazepam, & effexor. I would get sleepy--but, had stopped sleeping. I couldn't concentrate, was sleepy all day, etc.

I do get an awful taste in my mouth from the Lunesta, but at least I'm sleeping.

I have been taking Ambien, but my insurance just ran out so I can't afford it. The pdoc gave me samples of Lunesta and Seroquel to try (since he didn't have Ambien samples). I took 3 mg of Lunesta last night and slept fine! It took a bit longer to fall asleep than with Ambien, but I slept for 6 hours straight, woke up and then slept a bit more. No hang-over feeling. From what everyone else had said, I expected my mouth to taste like I'd spent the night eating poo...but it really wasn't that bad. Just one night thus far, but as of right now, I like it.

Hi!
Ummmm. I recently got prescribed Lunesta 1mg at night, but I am scared to take it, because I really don't want that high that ambien causes. Does anyone know if it causes these things? If so is it better or worse then ambien?

I took it once. 3mg. OK sleep med, nothing special.

It made my grapenuts taste like they were laced with DDT.

Back to Ambien.

RJG--Well, everyone's different, but I certainly did not feel high after taking Lunesta. Even with Ambien, if I take it and go straight to bed, no problems.

To update, no "poop out" for me with the 3 mg of Lunesta yet. I've been taking it roughly every other night (with Ambien on the off nights--I'm working from samples), and the Ambien seems more effective that way too. I only have a few Lunesta left so tonight I'm trying Seroquel. (Yeah, my pdoc just gave me a handful of the samples he had.)

ETA: Well, Seroquel is NOT the med for me! It made me exhausted but antsy/restless/agitated. Not good....

I had to kick and scream to get this med, and it didn't work for me at 2mg (which was prescribed.  I took 4mgs and that worked for, oh 3 hours.  And it seems to take days to get that yucky taste out of my mouth.  Unfortunately, ambien didn't work for me either  Or trazadone :   Someone just please hit me over the head or something! 

Well, this was my first night with Lunesta 3mg, and sad to say probally my last.
I took it just like my doc said to, then went right to bed, I laid in bed for 2 hours and was still awake, plus the awful taste it left in my mouth was almost nausiating
Its a good thing my Doc only gave me samples packs of Lunesta because I would be upset if I had to pay for it and it not do a thing for me,,  I have been on Ambein for a while and when this Lunesta came out my doc wanted me to try it, so I did, Now I have to tell him to give me back the ambein because I haven't had any probs with it and it knocks me out, and no terrible taste in my mouth.....So in my opinion Ambein is far better ( for me that is)

I so agree.  I tried Lunesta last week, and the night I took it I felt it worked great.  Then, I tried it last night - and nothing.  I mean, I layed there for a while and felt nice and groggy, but it never gave me that "kick" into la-la land.  And my doc had high hopes for this one...

Oh well, back to Ambien. 

Hey everyone.

My doc recently prescribed Lunesta 3mg to me for insomnia.  I had been taking 10mg of Ambien for a while and while it worked ok, I think I was buidling a tolerance to it, and wanted to take a break and try something else.  So, the first night I took the Lunesta I slept fine, fell asleep quickly and only woke a few times, and drifted back off soon thereafter.

However, i took it last night and nothing.  I mean, I felt a little groggy for a while but never got that "kick" into sleep.  Should I up my dose, or just go back to the Ambien? Groan. :roll:

Any feedback would be appreciated.

It didn't work for me and I went back to Ambien. I've been on it for over two years with no serious tolerance issues, though 10 mg doesn't cut it anymore. Usually 15 mg will work, but sometimes I take 20 mg. I believe 10 mg is the upper limit according to the manufacturer, so make sure you check with your pdoc before upping your dose.

You might also want to ask him/her about taking small dose of Ambien (5 mg) at the same time as the Lunesta. I gave that a try as well before completely giving up on it.

I switched from Ambien to Lunesta a couple months ago. I like Lunesta better, but it took a while.

Ambien has a kick to it, so if you want to fall asleep RIGHT NOW THIS MINUTE that's the way to go.

Lunesta is much gentler. There are times when I'm particularly anxious or my head is spinning or I've totally screwed up my sleep schedule when Lunesta won't knock me out.

But Ambien had a burst effect for me, so if I took it, realized I had something I needed to do before bed, and came back 20 minutes later (after weaving my way around the house trying to do whatever it was I needed to do) the kick had already passed, and I'd never get to sleep. That happened on nights when I wasn't sleeping because of anxiety, too -- I'd worry my way through the kick and was stuck without much help at all. At least with Lunesta I have a chance of falling asleep later.

My favorite way to take Lunesta: wait until you're in bed. Take Lunesta. Get a book. Start reading. The combination of the Lunesta plus the reading (always something not too heavy) calms down my hyperactive mind, and at some point I toss the book aside and away I go.

All and all, a nice enough experience. After many years of fearing my bed more than a trip to the dentist, I actually like crawling into bed at night.

I've been taking .10 mgs of ativan for years now and have started waking up two or three times a night. Pdac gave me Lunesta. I took it for the first time last night and what a waste. I had to take the ativan along with it. Does anyone think it might start working better if I give it more of a chance? I was really anxious last night that I wouldn't be able to go to sleep and that could have screwed up the effectivness.

My beloved was prescribed ambian and it just made him feel "high".  I tried it and sleep was not an option.  After reading all the lunesta frustrations I will stay with the bigmbad ugly xanax 2mgs.  I am out like a baby, sometimes wild dreams but not scary.    Doxie

Maybe. Lunesta doesn't do much for anxiety, so if you're up all night because you can't stop thinking about whether your red car means you're going to get more speeding tickets -- you'll just be a little more sleepy while you worry.

If you have simple insomnia, it can work wonderfully.

I was so excited to try this new lunesta since ambien makes me weird, seeing things and doing weird things, anyway i took it last night and it did nothing but make my mouth taste like crap, i'm scared to give it another try or maybe up the dose? I only took 1mg?

Now im getting headaches and getting by by holding a buterscotch in my mouth, gawd this stuff is awful, what makes it do that, why would it make you mouth taste so bad so fast. I give up and having my dr call mein some ambien, i mean it made me weird a couple of time i took it with food or didnt go to bed right away but i rather that than this bad taste and no sleep but groggy thing. YUK

Lunesta did absolutely nothing for me.  Well, thats not true, it did make everything taste metallic and chemically.  But thats it.  So it was back to Seroquel for me.

Their commercials are so fucking annoying.  That stupid green butterfly, gross!

It seems if you brush your teeth and tounge with baking soda and then gargle with listerine most of the bad chemically taste goes away....

Relatively many people have issues with Lunesta, also known as eszopiclone.

I find that strange, since zopiclone (eszopiclone is supposed to be a part of zopiclone) works well for many people. Although indeed, it leaves a taste in the mouth.

Maybe people who have positive experiences do not tend to post about them ? Or would you be better off by taking real zopiclone instead ?

That's not available in the US.

Not through regular channels

And not everybody lives in the USA ...

I have been on lunesta for about a month. I have found it does not work very well  if you are really stressed. If I have had a good day it seems to work fine. But on a bad day it only makes me sleepy but does not put me to sleep. Good luck.



                                      malmal

LOL.  Every time I see that commercial I wonder if some art school snob concieved it as some sort of symbolist masterpiece of advertising that no one but really cool people would get.  I am probably giving them too much credit.  Either that, or I just ain't cool enough to get it.  Just looks like a nuclear butterfly flying around at night to me.

I took 2mg tonight and will post my result tomorrow 

Hey everyone,

Well I have been taking the Lunesta here and there, alternating with the Ambien.  And it works once in a while, but like you guys said, only on nights I'm not feeling too anxious.  I guess I'll use it when I want to take a break from the Ambien. 

But what about that nasty taste it leaves in your mouth?? Blecch!!

Halo lives in Michigan, USA.

Yeah I think you are giving them too much credit.  I think some ad exec came up with it... the butterfly is calming and quiet and fluttery, like sleep.  And its green so people don't get confused and start to believe that REAL butterfly will start swarming them once they take lunesta. 

I've started replacing the butterfly with other animals for my own amusement.  Like a big neon green rat crawling into someone's room and scurrying up to their shoulder then gnawing on it, while that stupid voice-over extols the virtues of lunesta in that fakey-soothing voice.  That makes the commercials bearable and actually quite entertaining for me.

I tried the lunesta again, and it still sucks. but at least I know how to get rid of most of the bad taste now. I just can't stay asleep on that stuff and it doesn't have the knock-down power that ambien does.

Can't get "real" zopoclone here in the US so I get stuck with the Lunesta.

I spoke to my neuro on Monday. He said he really wanted me to take Lunesta. So I agreed. I took 2 mg and slept pretty well. I wonder if it will last. I've tried Elavil, Neurontin, Sinequan, and Lunesta (a couple months ago). I really hope it lasts.

I was given a couple samples of Lunesta and took 1 pill last night.  My mouth does taste icky -- that started before I even fell asleep.  I woke up a few times, but went right back to sleep.  It was hot in the room and then we had a hard downpour that woke me up so that may have contributed to the waking up.  Hell, it woke up my "always sleeps like a log" dh so I didn't think it was too out of the ordinary.  I could have slept longer if I didn't 'have' to get up when my alarm went off.

I've never tried a sleeping pill before so I don't have anything to compare to.  I have previously used benadryl, melatonin, valerian, .5 mg - .75 mg of xanax - alone or in combination with each other - to help me sleep.

My neuro suggested changing the way I take Lunesta. He said take 2 mg an hour before bed and as long after eating as possible; then take 2 more mg right before bed.

I'm pleased to say that it worked! So if you want to give Lunesta a trial, you may want to try that method (as long as it's ok with your doctor).

Diane B

My experience with sleep meds has been variable, but Lunesta eventually did work for me.

Initially, when I started the whole med exploration route, I used Trazadone, but this was most effective alone, without other meds.  When I started adding mood stabilizers and antidepressants to the mix, trazadone interacted unfavorably.  I had blurry vision, nausea, hangover, etc. 
  I had tried Ambien, but found that I developed a tolerance to it very quickly.

I had even tried meds developed for Parkinsons (Requip, Stalevo)--no luck.

At first, Lunesta did not work for me, but that was at a dose of 2mg at bedtime.

Increasing the dosage to 3mg before bedtime made all the difference.  I do have the metallic taste in my mouth (didn't have this at 2mg), and this has persisted for a while. 

My sleep has been immediate, uninterrupted, and refreshing.  No hangover feeling when waking.

If you are not responding to Lunesta, you may want to experiment with different dosages.

Good luck,

Molly Mirrorshades

When I first saw the commerical for that stuff, I thought "There's NO WAY I'm ever taking that stuff" for the sole reason that they used that damn Moon Moth in the commerical, flying around that lady's room while she was sleeping... it scared the hell out of me X_x Out of all the moths and butterflies out there, Moon Moths are the most hellish and nightmareish. THEY'RE HUGE. (major butterfly phobia)

But... with all the good reviews I'm seeing, I might just let down my pride and try it out. :/

My p-doc gave me some samples of Lunesta...2mg & 3mg.  I tried the 2mg first of course and it didn't do anything.

so the next night I figure I'll try  the 3 mg and I still can't sleep so I take the 2mg left in the other sample pack.  NOTHING

I'm still awake.

What's up with that?  I thought this was supposed to be the best new sleep med on the market.  I used to take trazadone.  But I didn't like the next morning feelings.  Oh what am Isaying.

Gotta go.. I'm watching Snake Pit with Olivia DeHavviland (sp)  Crazy movie

some medications do not work the same way for everyone....  have you ever tried Ambien or AmbienCR?  or maybe even a minor med mix..... it is definately something worth talking to your doctor for, trust me....

be well, DizzyLady... and let us know what you're thinking....

~Ophelia