Lunesta/sleep aides

[Stormy]

I recently started taking Lunesta for insomnia.  The day after brain fog and all around crankiness is too much for me even though it helps me sleep.  Does Ambien work better? 

[Becket]

As has been pointed out, these meds react differently with different people.  Ambien affects me dramatically.  I do everything BUT sleep.  Lunesta seems to have fewer side effects.  But the more you take, the LESS effective it is in helping one sleep.  Just take one as directed, and know that some nights it just won't help at all.  At the end of the day, I sleep better when I do all the boring things like eat well, excercise, and keep on a schedule.  Frustrating, but there really aren't any magic pills out there.  SIGH!!!

[+ bashful]

As @Becket says, people react different.  My brother takes Lunesta with no problem.

Ambien was terrible for me.  Never slept the entire night.  Then I began to forget things.  Once was on a work call, began a new subject when I was stopped, and told I had already discussed it.  Still don't remember.  Never took it since.

On a later visit to my doctor, told him still wasn't sleeping well, and why I stopped Ambien.  He wrote a Rx for Temazepam.   Had it filled, but never did take any.  On occasion in the past, I've taken 0.25 mg Xanax if I can't sleep, but haven't for over a year.

These days sleep very well.  Meds have changed over the years, and new ones added.  A couple years ago, began 25 mcg Synthroid for thyroid due to TSH levels.  Not sure if connected, but I feel much better since being on it.

Could be insomnia is a result of another underlying health issue.  

Edited September 25, 2022 by bashful

[nate_sf]

I take a 50MG trazodone each night. I’m told it’s a relatively mild medication, and has been around for a long time. It does the job and I don’t feel groggy in the morning. I tried some of the newer prescription sleep aids but felt I didn’t get good sleep, it felt more like hypnosis. For me, trazodone seems just right and I feel I’m getting good sleep. Could be worth asking your doc about it. 

[Rudynate]

The first few times I took Ambien, it seemed like a godsend - I would get 7-8 hours of deep sleep and would wake up rested and refreshed.  That didn't last long though.  After taking it only a few times, I started waking up way too early and in the middle of the afternoon I would get extremely groggy.   So I gave up on that.  I tried a relative of Lunesta called zopiclone that I got from offshore.  Didn't like it a bit.   Right now, I need some sort of sleep aid because the corticosteroids I'm taking ruin my sleep quality.   My PCP says I  just have to tough it out.   No thanks.

[Stormy]

4 hours ago, nate_sf said:

I take a 50MG trazodone each night. I’m told it’s a relatively mild medication, and has been around for a long time. It does the job and I don’t feel groggy in the morning. I tried some of the newer prescription sleep aids but felt I didn’t get good sleep, it felt more like hypnosis. For me, trazodone seems just right and I feel I’m getting good sleep. Could be worth asking your doc about it. 

I took Trazafone for many years and then it just stopped working.  

[Guest]

22 hours ago, Stormy said:

I recently started taking Lunesta for insomnia.  The day after brain fog and all around crankiness is too much for me even though it helps me sleep.  Does Ambien work better? 

Neither Lunesta nor Ambien are intended for long-term use. That being said, the half-life of Lunesta is about 6 hours (half of the medication will be out of your system in about 6 hours), whereas for Ambien it's 2 hours, so Ambien is much less likely to cause a "hang-over." As others have mentioned, trazodone is safer and more effective for long-term use. There is another medication which is effective for long-term use called ramelteon, but its effects are quite subtle; it won't knock you to sleep. Though also not for long-term use, triazolam also has a 2-hour half-life, so quite unlikely to leave a hang-over, but useful for a short-term problem such as getting adjusted to a new time zone or a temporary anxiety problem. 

[AroydeeMahk]

1 hour ago, Rudynate said:

The first few times I took Ambien, it seemed like a godsend - I would get 7-8 hours of deep sleep and would wake up rested and refreshed.  That didn't last long though.  After taking it only a few times, I started waking up way too early and in the middle of the afternoon I would get extremely groggy.   So I gave up on that.  I tried a relative of Lunesta called zopiclone that I got from offshore.  Didn't like it a bit.   Right now, I need some sort of sleep aid because the corticosteroids I'm taking ruin my sleep quality.   My PCP says I  just have to tough it out.   No thanks.

Yes I had same problems with Ambien - would first take it for long plane trips (14 hours or more haha) and it made me feel good with good sleep but it also caused some strange behaviors in me that scared me

Now I used a product that someone in the gym recommended called SOMATOMAX - it is sold as a supplement and I mail order it - it works as good as the drugs it is a non prescription product and makes me feel good with good sleep

[+ azdr0710]

I also tried Ambien once years ago and didn't feel like it resulted in quality sleep. And I remember babbling somewhat incoherently to somebody after taking it and just before getting in bed. 

Xanax is fantastic if you take enough to knock you out, but, of course, is notoriously addictive. I only use it for the rare very long air flight. 

I regularly use Costco's "Sleep Aid", a couple melatonin, loud white noise, and a comfortable bed and pillow. I also try to make sure I'm caught up for the day and try to minimize worry. I never sleep well if I need to wake up really early for a specific reason.  

[Rudynate]

2 hours ago, AroydeeMahk said:

Yes I had same problems with Ambien - would first take it for long plane trips (14 hours or more haha) and it made me feel good with good sleep but it also caused some strange behaviors in me that scared me

Now I used a product that someone in the gym recommended called SOMATOMAX - it is sold as a supplement and I mail order it - it works as good as the drugs it is a non prescription product and makes me feel good with good sleep

That's because it contains a drug - phenibut.   It is marketed as a supplement in the US but in some European countries it is a sleep aid available by prescription only.

[Rod Hagen]

I've talked about it before, but I am a big fan of children's liquid benadryl.  Because it's liquid, it works quickly, and I don't notice much of a hangover in the morning (some do, but you can lower the dose).  I also like being able to control the dose easily, since it's liquid.  If I feel like I need a lot of help, or my sleep needs to be very condensed, I'll take a lot.  If I'm having reflux and I want to be able to fall back asleep quickly if reflux wakes me up at night, I'll take a small amount before bed.

There is a possible link b/w anticholinergics and dementia, but I've read the studies, talked to my Doctor, and we aren't particularly concerned.  

I'm also a big fan of Ambien, when needed.  

Also, I highly recommend daily Melatonin if you have difficulty sleeping.  Melatonin is not, what I would consider, a hypnotic, it will not put you to sleep the way antihistamines and prescription medicine will, but it may aid your falling asleep and falling back to sleep if you wake up.  Of course, Melatonin supplements are not regulated, so there are no guarantees, efficacy or safety wise.  Some people report super fucked up dreams from these supplements, and Melatonin Supps can also cause headaches, but the good news is there are many brands, so you should be able to find one brand and one dose that works for you.  I like RemFresh; they claim it's time released.

Most important to good sleep is improving your sleep hygiene.  Keep your apartment cool, do not eat after 8, keep a urinal next to the bed so you don't have to get out of bed to pee which makes falling back asleep more difficult and is, as you get older, quite dangerous, ear plugs, eyemask and/or black out curtains, read from a paper book for a bit before you go to sleep.

If you suffer from reflux, raise the head of your bed by 6" (there are reflux pillows, but they are controversial, raising your bed is universally accepted as best option).  If you have an anxious mind, you can keep pen and paper next to your bed so that if you think of something, you can write it down and then put it out of your mind, because you know you will deal with it when you wake. 

If you feel lonely you can buy body pillows to hold all night (sadly, there are no pillows that will hold you).  If you are anxious, consider a heavy anxiety blanket.  And MOST importantly keep that fucking phone out of your bedroom.  

Sleep well.  

Edited October 3, 2022 by Rod Hagen

[Rudynate]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:52 AM, Rod Hagen said:

I've talked about it before, but I am a big fan of children's liquid benadryl.  Because it's liquid, it works quickly, and I don't notice much of a hangover in the morning (some do, but you can lower the dose).  I also like being able to control the dose easily, since it's liquid.  If I feel like I need a lot of help, or my sleep needs to be very condensed, I'll take a lot.  If I'm having reflux and I want to be able to fall back asleep quickly if reflux wakes me up at night, I'll take a small amount before bed.

There is a possible link b/w anticholinergics and dementia, but I've read the studies, talked to my Doctor, and we aren't particularly concerned.  

I'm also a big fan of Ambien, when needed.  

Also, I highly recommend daily Melatonin if you have difficulty sleeping.  Melatonin is not, what I would consider, a hypnotic, it will not put you to sleep the way antihistamines and prescription medicine will, but it may aid your falling asleep and falling back to sleep if you wake up.  Of course, Melatonin supplements are not regulated, so there are no guarantees, efficacy or safety wise.  Some people report super fucked up dreams from these supplements, and Melatonin Supps can also cause headaches, but the good news is there are many brands, so you should be able to find one brand and one dose that works for you.  I like RemFresh; they claim it's time released.

Most important to good sleep is improving your sleep hygiene.  Keep your apartment cool, do not eat after 8, keep a urinal next to the bed so you don't have to get out of bed to pee which makes falling back asleep more difficult and is, as you get older, quite dangerous, ear plugs, eyemask and/or black out curtains, read from a paper book for a bit before you go to sleep.

If you suffer from reflux, raise the head of your bed by 6" (there are reflux pillows, but they are controversial, raising your bed is universally accepted as best option).  If you have an anxious mind, you can keep pen and paper next to your bed so that if you think of something, you can write it down and then put it out of your mind, because you know you will deal with it when you wake. 

If you feel lonely you can buy body pillows to hold all night (sadly, there are no pillows that will hold you).  If you are anxious, consider a heavy anxiety blanket.  And MOST importantly keep that fucking phone out of your bedroom.  

Sleep well.  

Members

In some people, melatonin can have a paradoxic effect.   One of the effects of melatonin is to reduce cortisol.  In some people, it reduces cortisol too much.  The adrenals compensate for the sudden reduction in cortisol by producing adrenaline, which, of course, leads to wakefulness.  If I take a melatonin supplement before bed, say at 10 or 11, at about 1AM, I open my eyes and am instantly wide awake - because of that flood of adrenaline triggered by the melatonin.  Unless I take another sleep aid, I will be awake for several hours. 

[Rod Hagen]

16 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

 Unless I take another sleep aid, I will be awake for several hours. 

Very sorry to hear that 's happening for you.   Great for the rest of us that that's a rare reaction, but again sorry it's complicated for you.  

[AroydeeMahk]

42 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

Members

In some people, melatonin can have a paradoxic effect.   One of the effects of melatonin is to reduce cortisol.  In some people, it reduces cortisol too much.  The adrenals compensate for the sudden reduction in cortisol by producing adrenaline, which, of course, leads to wakefulness.  If I take a melatonin supplement before bed, say at 10 or 11, at about 1AM, I open my eyes and am instantly wide awake - because of that flood of adrenaline triggered by the melatonin.  Unless I take another sleep aid, I will be awake for several hours. 

Interesting to me because when I take Somatomax I wake up suddenly and feel great almost even euphoria even though I did not sleep as long as I wanted to

Is it similar?

[guy7777]

I took Ambien for a while. It helped me a get good night sleep, but I started not liking how it made me feel during the day so I stopped.

I currently take Trazadone & Xanax at night which seems to be a good combo for me, but it's not perfect. 

[+ Cash4Trash]

I take a small pot brownie about 1/2 hour before bedtime and sleep like a baby. A baby with a bad prostate who pees at least twice during the night. No trouble falling back to sleep. Currently knocking wood in the hopes I haven't just cursed myself. 

[+ Pensant]

On 10/9/2022 at 9:26 AM, Rudynate said:

Members

In some people, melatonin can have a paradoxic effect.   One of the effects of melatonin is to reduce cortisol.  In some people, it reduces cortisol too much.  The adrenals compensate for the sudden reduction in cortisol by producing adrenaline, which, of course, leads to wakefulness.  If I take a melatonin supplement before bed, say at 10 or 11, at about 1AM, I open my eyes and am instantly wide awake - because of that flood of adrenaline triggered by the melatonin.  Unless I take another sleep aid, I will be awake for several hours. 

I’m one who finds Melatonin, even in small doses, a remedy that actually induces insomnia for me. When I have trouble sleeping, I take .5 mg of Xanax. It works like a charm and I feel great in the morning. I realize benzos are addictive, but I’m not going to be up all night.

[Rudynate]

1 hour ago, Pensant said:

I’m one who finds Melatonin, even in small doses, a remedy that actually induces insomnia for me. When I have trouble sleeping, I take .5 mg of Xanax. It works like a charm and I feel great in the morning. I realize benzos are addictive, but I’m not going to be up all night.

Xanax makes me terribly absent-minded.  I won't touch it.   I sometimes take one half of .5mg tab of lorazepam and sleep like a baby.  Wake up in the morning feeling like I have new lease on life.