Sleep Med's

Lunestra has been (USA) FDA approved and it's supposedly coming out very soon. I'll check the internet. It's supposed to have a shorter time line than ambien, which even in advertising says you must devote 7-8 hrs of sleep. So we'll see what comes out. Ambien after time, I have found for myself and IMHO ONLY, the 5 mg is like tylenol you need double dose to even make a dent, 10 works. Once your systems gets hooked, its less effective.
Anyone else hear of any other sleep med's in the works?

gailzee wrote:...is like tylenol you need double dose to even make a dent...

Just a quick off topic warning: One of the problems with Tylenol which does not exist with Aspirin, Advil or Aleve, is that Tylenol's toxicity levels are much closer to the therapeutic levels than the others.

So while it's realatively safe to take a double dose of the others (and in fact the prescription dose of Advil (Ibuprofen) is 800mg, or 4 pills), you can fairly easily overdose on Tylenol and begin damaging your liver.

Not that this has ANYTHING to do with sleep (unless you damage it so much you take that long, permanent "dirt nap"), but a lot of people don't know this about Tylenol, so I thought I'd mention. Double the dose probably won't hurt you, but don't go doubling it again.

Liam, who isn't a doctor but makes a damn good cup of Maxwell House coffee.

(Or, "Liam, who's clearly dating himself with Robert Young Maxwell House references")

Marcus Welby,

In today's world, with a Starbuck's on every corner, is there such a thing as "a good cup of Maxwell House coffee?" Tastes like boiled sawdust to me.

Well, in the interest of getting this even FURTHER off topic: Starbucks always tastes burned to me, kind of like French Roast. But then, I'm not a huge coffee drinker (or my insomnia would be FAR worse), so I'm not really a qualified judge.

But really, Gailzee asked very nicely about sleep meds. Coffee is the anti-sleep med, and thus, we couldn't be giving her any LESS appropriate content in her thread line.

Sorry, Gailzee.

Liam, naturally decafeinated.

Txs.......We don't have a starbucks, but decaf tea isn't much better. I get a big kick out of your postings LIAM, I always wait to see how you're signing off. Keep smilin'.....

Liam1965 wrote:Well, in the interest of getting this even FURTHER off topic: Starbucks always tastes burned to me, kind of like French Roast. But then, I'm not a huge coffee drinker (or my insomnia would be FAR worse), so I'm not really a qualified judge.

But really, Gailzee asked very nicely about sleep meds. Coffee is the anti-sleep med, and thus, we couldn't be giving her any LESS appropriate content in her thread line.

Sorry, Gailzee.

Liam, naturally decafeinated.

Read this
http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/Articles. ... d=S0307F04

Gailzee, there are a few more on the horizon. I have been watching 2 of these drugs for 4 years. Beside lunesta, indiplon is a year behind, another one is not yet named and is from neurocrine bioscience. Two others in late stage trials are: TAK-375 from a Japanese firm in 2006 and Gaboxadol in 2008. I like you can't wait for lunesta to be available. I have been telling my doctor as soon as it hits the pharmacy and my insurance approves it, I want it. She knows I have terrible insomnia. I tried everything. Can't wait to see what everyones response will be when this new med comes out. Keep us posted if you get this medicine first! I have to wait for insurance approval..

When I find it, I'll post it. My GP is very good at ordering meds, samples when he has them, he said he heard of it, but that the ''drug reps haven't been in yet". Don't worry THEY WILL BE INTO EVERY DOCTOR THAT"S NOT DEAD's office with samples galore.

Maybe once adjusting to the apap I'll breathe and maybe be able to fall asleep better.

cjp wrote:Gailzee, there are a few more on the horizon. I have been watching 2 of these drugs for 4 years. Beside lunesta, indiplon is a year behind, another one is not yet named and is from neurocrine bioscience. Two others in late stage trials are: TAK-375 from a Japanese firm in 2006 and Gaboxadol in 2008. I like you can't wait for lunesta to be available. I have been telling my doctor as soon as it hits the pharmacy and my insurance approves it, I want it. She knows I have terrible insomnia. I tried everything. Can't wait to see what everyones response will be when this new med comes out. Keep us posted if you get this medicine first! I have to wait for insurance approval..

Gailzee I did another search on the internet and found out that TAK-375 is now called Ramelteon and the japanese have an application to FDA to market it.

I don't know if they will have samples, Gaz. I believe that Lunesta is a controlled substance - just like Ambien - not a narcotic - but controlled by the FDA - therefore, making samples not allowed.

NeurosurgeryNP wrote:I don't know if they will have samples, Gaz. I believe that Lunesta is a controlled substance - just like Ambien - not a narcotic - but controlled by the FDA - therefore, making samples not allowed.

I thought ALL prescriptions were considered controlled substances, that's why the doctor has to write you a prescription, and you can't buy it OTC. And I have definitely received samples of lots of meds from doctors. Anti depressants, for one. And back in my college days, when my doc knew I didn't have a lot of money, on at least two occasions he gave me an ENTIRE course of erythromycin out of samples, so I didn't have to pay for the script.

Liam, an uncontrolled substance.

Lunesta is now available in pharmacies; however, think about Vioxx!
The big unanswered question is that what will we discover about this
drug 2 or 3 years down the road? I read the very fine print about
this drug and it can have some very, very bizarre side-effects, which
the marketing guys say "This will never happen to you!". Well it
happened to someone or they wouldn't have had to mention it in the
fine print. I want to try it too, but my Doctor doesn't want me to be
a Guinea pig. Hopefully the scientists did a solid job in testing the
safety of this medicine and it really works, as you and me both, are
desperate for something which works better than Ambien.

meister wrote:The big unanswered question is that what will we discover about this drug 2 or 3 years down the road? I read the very fine print about
this drug and it can have some very, very bizarre side-effects, which
the marketing guys say "This will never happen to you!".

Well, I have two different thoughts on this topic:

1) I agree, I'm hesitant to take a brand new drug, but...

2) Side effects are listed to protect the company from lawsuits. Anything which is reported by anyone (even if it's not particularly higher, statistically, than the reporting with placebo), it gets listed on the packaging, so that if someone comes back and sues and says "I lost money because your drug caused me migraines", there's no need to even figure out if the drug had anything to DO with migraines, if it's a listed side effect, the case tends to lose on that basis.

So, to sum up (because I'm a study in contradictions), I don't trust the testing on new drugs, but I don't assume that the packaging with the meds have anything at all do to with reality.

Liam, who would love to see the data insert that came with cocaine, if left to drug companies to write it.

Gaz - yes, in a way, all meds are controlled. However, meds like Ambien and Lunesta, are controlled by the DEA - the Drug Enforcement Administration - the feds. Any of these drugs controlled by the DEA do not allow samples - they are tracked by who gets them, amount of pills, etc. - just like meds like Percocet and Vicodin. Hope this helps

My d r. and pharmacy are telling me its not in yet? Are you in the US?

Vioxx, well that's another story. But truthfully any med. has potential side effects. I was on Rezulin actually doing fine, lower glucose numbers, and wham, they yanked that one too.

When one can't sleep as you well know, we'll do anything.

meister wrote:Lunesta is now available in pharmacies; however, think about Vioxx!
The big unanswered question is that what will we discover about this
drug 2 or 3 years down the road? I read the very fine print about
this drug and it can have some very, very bizarre side-effects, which
the marketing guys say "This will never happen to you!". Well it
happened to someone or they wouldn't have had to mention it in the
fine print. I want to try it too, but my Doctor doesn't want me to be
a Guinea pig. Hopefully the scientists did a solid job in testing the
safety of this medicine and it really works, as you and me both, are
desperate for something which works better than Ambien.