Lunesta compared to ambien
Common Questions and Answers about Lunesta compared to ambien
lunesta
Both Ambien and Lunesta are used to treat insomnia. However, on long term use, both have the potential of dependence / habit forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for.
Treatment with Ambien may cause side effects like impairment of thinking or reactions. You may still feel sleepy the morning after taking the medication. In patients with liver disorder, a smaller dose of Ambien is generally prescribed.
Ambien addiction is a serious problem requiring treatment.
It's 3 weeks since I've been having a pretty serious depression, including anxiety & sleeplessness. I was put on a new antidepressant LexiPro (15 days now), xanax as needed, which I only need to "take the edge off" when Im shaky, and Lunesta to sleep. This is the 2nd time I've used Lunesta.
The highest available dose of Lunesta is 3mg. Recently, thought is that Lunesta, Ambien, and others in this class are very similar to benzodiazepine drugs. But I haven't read much about addiction or withdrawl from these meds. Seems like insomnia would be a given, but you could try melatonin or valerian root to combat that. Good luck either way.
I use to take benedryl, tyenol pm, melatonin, sleep aids, and vesicare (for I.C. that is suppose to make you sleepy also), to no avail. Lunesta has been a life saver, and hopefully when my Ts get straightened out I can come off of it too. Lunesta is more expensive, but your doctor can give you a discount card from Lunesta; my prescription was $50 before the discount, and $9 after.
Now I am post TX and the insomnia has not yet left, so they prescribed Ambien and Lunesta for me (i grew allergic to something in the benedryl). They are all harmless to liver but the ambien & lunesta do cause dependence so I alternate them: Ambien for a couple nights, then lunesta (which does not work as well for me) for one night. The 'dependence' is not a big deal; just means you'll have a several very sleepless nights after you quit them.
this is just my experience, and I'm not on tx yet...I can't take Lunesta and ambien, ambien makes me feel nutzo the next morning, but many people are fine with it...I take ativan if I have had a lot of sleepless nights in a row, and at a very low dose...I find tranquilizers lull me into sleep, which I prefer...best of luck...
I started taking Ambien & Prozac in Oct 2009. I started building a resistance so my doctor prescribed for me Restoril, that didn't work so she started me on Lunesta. After I started building a resistance to the Lunesta my doctor prescribed for me Ambien CR 12.5mg. It's now March 2010 and I need 4 or more Ambien CR to sleep. I can't sleep without it!!! I haven't taken the CR 12.5mg in 24hr and I have the common addiction symptoms.
Hey Bear, the sleep meds like Ambien and Lunesta are hypnotics. They use the same receptors (GABA) as benzos. I'm an Ambien survivor. I got hooked on 10mgs for just 9 months, and it took 4 months of tapering to get off of them. That was 3 years ago. I still don't sleep good.
There are PLENTY of nights I dont take it - especially on the weekend when I am not trying to force myself to go to sleep at a certain time. Ive forgotten to refill it and gone 2-3 days without it.. yeah, it was more difficult to sleep but I certainly didnt fee withdrawal.
Ive always had insomnia issues, but when using (in the HIGH dosage days way back when) high amounts of opiates completely F'd my sleep cycle. Long story short.
Zolpidem (Ambien) and eszopiclone (Lunesta) are believed to have a similar mechanism of action to treat insomnia. These drugs are believed to possess similar abuse potentials. Ramelteon (Rozerem), works differently in the body to treat insomnia. It is not considered to be a controlled substance.
Zolpidem (Ambien) and eszopiclone (Lunesta) have been shown to reduce the time until sleep occurs and increase total sleep time. The sleep induced by them resembles natural sleep.
It is non addictive because it is not related to a benzo (which Lunesta is) but for me it did appear to wear off over time. That much is true. I had it prescribed to take "as needed" but don't have to anymore. I tend to be concerned about some natural remedies (the ones I take were approved after research by my providers) as they are unknown quantities and not always safe. I also remember valerian for example kept me up the whole night.
It appears to be similar in efficacy and like Ambien is meant for short term use only. Unless you've tried it Rozerem is one alternative that unlike Ambien or the medication you mentioned or Lunesta does not have a potential for a person to build up a tolerance to it and is an FDA approved medication that works like melatonin to adjust the sleep cycle. You could ask your psychiatrist about that.
-Ambien: Put me to sleep caused me to do some regrettable things and also hallucinate.
-Trazodone: Hallucinations, Did not put me to sleep.
-Ativant, Xanax, and Valium: (oral, months after hospital stay), did not effect me at all , possible benzo tolerance maybe?
-Valerian Root, Kava, and Melatonin: None effected me
-Antidepressants: Wellbutrin, Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac
What other drugs would be a possibility to help me get to sleep?
It is not known to be physically addictive tho
Large doses of tramadol or benzos can cause seizures if stopped abruptly and best to do under a drs care. Ambien and lunesta are not known to have a seizure risk if stopped...but if ur dose was huge, the possibilty would be there as with many drugs the brain becomes accustomed to. We are all different tho and some are more prone to seizures than others/but not common with cessation of ambien.
You state you took 1-2, sometimes 3....
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