Lunesta

Yoga · Post by **Yoga** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:49 pm

I noticed that some people are using Lunesta (Eszopiclone).

In Best Pills, Worst Pills in July 2005, Dr. Sidney Wolf says: DO NOT USE (LUNESTA).

We recommend that you not use this drug because it has no unique benefits, is costly, and has caused cancer in an animal study.

RickSt · Post by **RickSt** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:05 am

Dr. Wolf has apparently either never used Lunesta himself or has never talked to patients that have. How did he come to his conclusions?

I've only had my cpap machine for 1 week but I've been using Lunesta for 5 weeks. Lunesta made a huge difference in how well I slept before cpap and has helped me adapt to cpap. First off Lunesta doesn't wear off after 3 or 4 hours like Ambien. I used to wake up and look at the clock several times each night. Not with Lunesta. Lunesta made me feel like I was sleeping better and my wife says my snoring wasn't as loud. Of course I don't want to have to take drugs to help me sleep for the rest of my life and in fact last night I didn't take Lunesta and slept good with my cpap machine.

Lunesta is not a cure for OSA but then it doesn't claim to be. It's a sleeping aid for those who suffer from insomnia. However if you're desperate for sleep as most of us with OSA are before we get our machines, it will at least give more help than most of the other drugs we have to choose from. As far as whether or not it causes cancer in animals,how much is sleep worth to someone deprived of it? How much of a mega dose did they give those animals to come to that conclusion and over what length of time?

I just know that it helped me.

Rick

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Swordz · Post by **Swordz** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:40 pm

If it helps you get sleep, then do it. I'd go the Lunesta route, but I don't have insurance and the out-of-pocket expenses are rediculous. I had to get an Ambien for my 1st sleep study, and I paid $5 for 1 pill. My 2nd study was 3 wks later and I had to pay $12 for one Ambien at the same pharmacy... Uhm, no.. I'd rather have my no sleep and save the $12 I don't have to start with.

Does anyone know what the out of pocket cost if for 1 Lunesta pill? I'm interested becuase I started my APAP 2 wks ago, but am not motivated to use it becuase it takes so dang long to get to sleep.

So, how much for 1 Lunesta people? Is it worth the financial cost out of pocket to get that sleep?

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:10 pm

"First off Lunesta doesn't wear off after 3 or 4 hours like Ambien. I used to wake up and look at the clock several times each night."

Thats right . It didn't wear off. It was never on. Lunesta didn't work for me at all. It did work well to make $8.47 disappear (per pill) . Ditto the next 2 nights.

I'll stick to Ambien or better yet, Scotch

:twis ted:

RickSt · Post by **RickSt** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:38 pm

It didn't work the first few nights for me either. It seemed to take about 4 or 5 nights before it did start to work and since then it has served me well. Fortunately I have insurance that takes care of most of my prescription costs.

Rick

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 10:25 pm

That it is so expensive since it is a product related to the alternative medicine. I think I heard that Lunesta was GABA which can be bought over the counter. Surely they must add some gold in there to hike the price up. Maybe they added some precursors or components that help our own GABA produce more? My doctor prescribed GABA in pharmaceutical doses so I wouldn't have to take a lot of of the OTC cousin.

It keeps me awake. I used to take Ambien years ago when I had insomnia. Since my dx of these brainstem lesions if I take an Ambien now, I hallucinate. It is awful. I pace the floor and become combative. I quickly could see that things have changed in my brain.
I'm not looking for a sleeping medicine as much as I am for something to help set my circadium rhthym get on track.

I do understand the struggle with insomnia though and hope yours resolves without much ado.

Peg

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:40 am

A drug similar to Lunesta has been used in Europe for some time now. Why isn't this cancer risk mentioned in the insert or by the FDA? Who did these studies that "prove" Lunesta is a cancer risk? Did they use the American version or European version of the drug?
This Dr Wolfe is the only person I could find stating that Lunesta causes cancer and if you want to read his findings you have to pay for it. All sounds a little suspicious to me.
Funny how people get so concerned about possible carcinogens in their drugs but seem to care less about the known carinogens in much of their food, air and water.

fnorette · Post by **fnorette** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:06 pm

Dr. Sidney Wolfe (fondly known as 'Sid') has a very unflattering reputation in several other discussion groups, one of which is an IBS list. He has been lobbying fiercely to suppress the first effective drug for this ailment that has ever been approved by the FDA, then was materially responsible for having it pulled from distribution (only temporarily, thank goodness). He is an advocate for 100% drug safety ... NOT an advocate for people with afflictions.

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Barb (Seattle) · Post by **Barb (Seattle)** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:04 am

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*sigh*

Needless to say, DON'T CLICK ON THE LINK!!!!

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:11 am

Swordz wrote:

If it helps you get sleep, then do it. I'd go the Lunesta route, but I don't have insurance and the out-of-pocket expenses are rediculous. I had to get an Ambien for my 1st sleep study, and I paid $5 for 1 pill. My 2nd study was 3 wks later and I had to pay $12 for one Ambien at the same pharmacy... Uhm, no.. I'd rather have my no sleep and save the $12 I don't have to start with.

You should really try Melatonin, it is cheap, for $8 bucks I get nearly a years supply at Costco, it is a bit more expensive at GNC. Been using it over 15yrs and so far I haven't croaked. I think it is a lot safer than taking TylenolPM every night. I can go out of town and forget to take it and still fall asleep, I only take it because I'm too wound at night and it helps me sleep uninterrupted all night. As far as it being effective, I find it more effective than say ExcedrinPM or TylenolPM. Yes, I've read the studies funded by the makers of Ambien and Lunesta that say melatonin doesn't work, but there is a lot more people than I using it since the 1950's. Someone charging $5 bucks a pill can waste money on studies disputing a remedy costing pennys on the dollar when it impacts their bottom line. Melatonin is so mild you have to try it for a week to determine if it will work for you (I suggest 3mg dose), you may need to adjust your own dose (if groggy in the morning take it earlier or take less, cut the pill in half down to 1.5mg). Both Schiff and GNC brands are USP grade.

I've taken Ambien before, it didn't work any better for me than melatonin, insurance paid for the pills so that wasn't a factor in it not working for me, I just felt lousy the next day.

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:27 am

I would be very careful with the Melatonin. A doctor has warned us and my husband has experienced impotence with Melatonin. I am sure it is not that way for everyone but please be careful. It takes about 3 weeks to reverse.

tater pie · Post by **tater pie** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:39 am

I tried Melatonin and it didn't work at all for me. If anything, it made me restless and a lot harder for me to go to sleep. That's just me though. I've tried Lunesta also. At first I took one two mg pills and it didn't do a thing for me. I later took two mg pills and was out cold all night long. The was the first time I had slept through the night in ten years and I haven't slept through the night since. I only had 3 pills. They are incredibly expensive and I liked them a little too much. I use Benadryl now about 6 out of 7 nights. I have cut down to one capsule and am doing pretty good with it. I only wake up once a night for a bathroom break and then I'm right back to sleep. My doc says that Benadryl has been around a long time is pretty safe to take on a regular basis if it doesn't leave you too groggy in the morning. It's a lot cheaper than prescription drugs and I don't have insurance either.

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:30 am

Lunesta is not new-it has been in use in Europe some time. It is being advertised heavily and touted as not having significant withdrawl problems and that people don't have significant problems with tolerance (so you have to take more). It is also touted as the "only"FDA approved sleeping aid for long term use. That's because they did a 6 month study before applying to FDA. Ambien has been in use in the US for a number of years-can't find the number online. It hasn't had any significant competition until Lunesta. Now Ambien comes in a continuous release form at a slightly higher dose (12.5 mg and 6.25 for older customers). So now you can sleep through the night with Ambien CR. Is it more habit forming??? There are a lot of people who have used it since it came out, every night, and stayed at the same dose. While you probably should not just stop it if you've been on it for a while-I haven't found any info online at trustworthy sites, about horrible ambien withdrawal problems. The makers of Ambien now have economic incentives to do a longer study on Ambien CR and reapply to the FDA as a drug for long term use. I don't know how long either one has been in use, or by how many people. When more people who take a drug for long periods-we find out what the side effects are for all kinds of people not just the select group used in the studies. In sleeping aid studies they are probably basically pretty healthy. Once approved people with liver, kidne, heart,etc problems start taking the drug and you start seeing more side effects and drug interactions.
For now I'm taking Ambien CR and seeing an insomnia specialist to see if I can get off of it after I get used to the CPAP. Have bonded with my machine-found a mask I like-relieved that I don't wake up with my heart pounding in a flood of adrenalin-and love 8 hr of sleep and the new energy.

Lunesta

Lunesta

surprising

Lunesta

gaba

gaba

is there NO WAY

Lunesta

Mask

Additional Comments: cpap pressure: 12