Ambien or Lunesta ?

I am curious who has tried both and which you preferred. Please share your experiences. Thanks

I have tried both and they both work.  Lunesta leaves a funny lingering taste in my mouth,  which is not an uncommon side effect.  I also have weird dreams with Lunesta.

You really have to try both to see which is more effective - it varies from person to person.

Thanks, I have used Ambien for a bit and it seems S L O W E R to work.   PCP gave me a few Lunesta to try and I am curious.

I had the weird Ambien "sleep-doing-stuff" effect.  It wasn't terrible, but it scared the crap out of me.  (I was in a ground floor hotel room [at the beautiful Hotel del Coranado in San Diego at a convention], with a door directly from the room to a central courtyard.  I woke up without my panties on - and had no recollection of taking them off.  While for some that wouldn't be an issue, I NEVER do stuff in my sleep that I am unaware of - if I get up to go to the bathroom, I remember getting up to go, and I am awake enough to not step on a cat, to take a drink, etc.  This freaked me out because I could have equally have walked out of the room without my panties on!)

So now I take Lunesta.  I have found that 1/2 of a 3 mg tablet is enough (I cut them rather than order a smaller dose because even with insurance, they are expensive!), and it puts me to sleep (if I'm ready to sleep - I CAN outlast it if necessary) within about 20 minutes - faster than the Ambien.  I wake up without feeling drugged, after about 5-6 hours (I don't sleep a whole lot).  It works well for me.

Oh Diana, the panty thing would be really weird and freak me out too not knowing how, when, where, etc.

I like that the Lunesta works in about 20 minutes for you. I know I will not try it until I go to bed since I do not know how it will work for me.  The Ambien has  been taking 1.5 to 2 hrs to kick in lately and I hate that. It also lasts too long, which it did not in the beginning. I would love to have a good night sleep and not have it be 7 or 8 hrs. I would welcome sound sleep of about 6-7 hrs ! 

Thanks for sharing your experience ! 

Hmm, I should probably also say I have a 1/2 glass of a nice port with my Lunesta ... synergism ...

I told my psychiatrist that I was using Ambien before I came to Kaiser in January.  He asked how often I used it and I told him that i used it pretty much every day.  So he prescribed an antidepressant to take at night--I can't recall what it was called...possibly trazodone.  I take Prozac for depression (have been on it for years) and I have serious insomnia--and never feel well-rested.  He said to try this antidepressant (in addition to Prozac) that is often prescribed for insomnia--he said it is not habit forming and that if I took Ambien daily that I could be come dependent on it for sleep.  The drug he prescribed can be taken as needed or daily.

I'm not sure what the real differences are--but I'd look into something like Trazodone just to see if there are any benefits.  I haven't filled the prescription yet, but I'll do it tomorrow and let you know how it works!

Good luck.

Sheri
p/s. Ambien worked great for me!

Sheri,
I would be curious what the drug actually is. I am sort of frustrated with my PCP lately. Long story there. I have only had intermittent insomnia since my DS. I do not take any anti depressants. I have nights where my brain will just not stop, and those are the nights I take something. I also have fibro and if I am in a flair I do not sleep well and I take it then.. I probably averae 2-3 nights a week that I need help sleeping.

The Ambien started out okay, but lately it takes forever and gives me a hangover in the a.m.  It did not do this originally.

I'm pretty sure the drug that was prescribed was trazodone--that's that Elizabeth said she takes. For Fibro, I've heard that they often prescribe amitriptyline--it also is supposed to help with sleep but I'm pretty sure there is a strong weight gain/carb craving that goes along with it. I was taking it for a while for sleep many years ago. I would definitely look into the Trazodone. It might be something that works for you. It's not uncommon to give Firbro patients antidepressants. There seems to be something chemically that works there for the pain. Perhaps you could be referred to someone else other than your PCP?

When I refill my prescription, I'll get back to you.
Sheri

Check out this link:
http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189511,0 0.html

Yeah that's trazodone, usual brand name Desyrel, but it's been generic for eons.

The older antidepressants have some use in fibromyalgia, too. I sure notice a difference in pain/fog stuff if I don't take it for any length of time.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000530/
http://crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds.Desyrel (This site is done by people who live with using psych meds, and while quirky, is very interesting and informative.)