Lunesta as tonic for stimulant-induced insomnia

[Childe Roland]

Stimulants sometimes cause havoc on my sleep cycle, so my shrink kindly prescribed Lunesta. It seems to work like a charm. Although, I suspect that beginning and ending the day with perscription pills could be hard on the body over the long-term. Maybe not. They're persribed "as needed." Do any of you have experience taking these things over the long term?

[APSJ]

I've had severe insomnia for as long as I can remember. For over fifteen years, I've been taking stimulants (methylphenidate), and one sleeping medication or another. I'm not a doctor, but I don't see how there's anything inherently harmful about taking pills day and night, what matters is what's in the pills, and from what I've heard, Lunesta is relatively innocuous for most people.

I had issues with Ambien and Sonata, which are related to Lunesta, which precluded me from taking it, but until I did, I remember them working pretty well.

[The Absent Mind]

I have had insomnia for over a decade too, long before I took any stim meds. I have used diphenhydramine for sleep for years and seem alright. I have had blood work and cardiogram done recently and all is well.

Personally, I do not think it is the medicine that is potentially harmful in this case really but rather the habit. These types of sleepy meds aren't physically addictive but they can certainly be psycologically addictive. That's what one needs to be aware of.

[trishcan]

I think the biggest concern doctors and patients have about taking sleep aids for longer than a couple weeks is that it often causes dependency and "rebound insomnia" when a patient stops taking the meds.

That said, I've been taking Ambien virtually every night for 7 years. I can't sleep without it, but as long as I continue taking it, my sleep is fine. No one has suggested to me that I will ever need to stop taking it, so long-term use hasn't been an issue for me.

I did try Lunesta briefly when 10mg Ambien was no longer helping as much. I found it very powerful (and had the rather embarassing side effect of wetting the bed), so I quickly switched back to Ambien. I have been taking 20mg (as needed) each night for the past several years. Sometimes I only need to take 10mg or 15mg, but it doesn't seem to have become any less effective over time.

[JR1973]

Lunesta works great except for the foul/nasty/horrid (or insert your favorite verb) aftertaste it leaves the following day. Apparently not everyone gets this gift that Lunesta brings (I believe 20-30% of patients).

Also, go on Lunesta.com and sign up for their prescription program. They will mail you a card and every time you get a script filled have the pharmacy enter the information on the card and the manufacturer pays about half the copay.