Posted by jerrympls on April 21, 2005, at 1:18:12
In reply to Lunesta v. Ambien, not a clean swap, posted by musil on April 17, 2005, at 21:08:14
> I have been trying 2Mg Lunesta for the past 6 nights after about 18 months on 10mg Ambien, which ALWAYS seemed to work for me to relax, get me to sleep and keep me asleep from 9:30PM to at least until 12:30AM especially when combined with nightly 10mg diazepam. The early waking is worsened when I am in a major depressive state, so that I might wake up after 2.5 hours when depressed.
>
> My doc asked me to switch directly over from Ambien to Lunesta as he said he "did not want me on more than one sedative at any time" apparently forgetting the 20mg diazepam daily. Regarding Lunesta with 10mg diazepam before bed at 9:30PM, I found the sleep to be much less relaxed and full of inescapable dreams, almost like I had forgotten to take my Ambien and very much like my sleep profile without medication at all.
>
> I concur that there must be some cross tolerance /if not interference/ at the benzo sites hit by Ambien, and that Lunesta will probably be great for those who have never taken Ambien. But for those who are expecting that relaxed feeling before nodding off, Lunesta didn't replace Ambien for me 1 to 1 at all -- in fact, I might suggest that I suffered from Ambien discontinuance...I don't think an even swap is fair to most folks who have been long term successful Ambien patients.
> Your p-doc should know from these experiences that it's not an even exchange and that if anything Lunesta should be ADDED to the regimen if it's so harmless and even a little helpful.
>
> OK with you, all you benzophobes? We just want to sleep, is all. I've been to two funerals of friends who died from lack of sleep. Addict shmaddict -- hold your breath for a while and see what you're really addicted to. (sorry, cranky from lack of sleep...)
>
> My sleep profile without medication is simply not to sleep -- except of course, when driving, or trying to work, or eat, or romantic moments. Yawn.I agree that Lunesta doesn't "feel" like Ambien - ie: the relaxed state - however I do feel a more normal sleepiness on Lunesta. It certainly helps more with racing throughts than Ambien at 20mg (which I've been on and off for years). Ambien always "worked like a dream" but eventually tolerance developed.
So yeah - this isn't a feel-good-before-you-go-to-sleep med like Ambien - but it still works very well - for me - and as long as I can get to sleep and stay asleep without hangover in the morning - I'm ok.
poster:jerrympls
thread:482377
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050418/msgs/487316.html