Ambien vs Lunesta for Insomnia
Ambien vs Lunesta for treating insomnia
Insomnia is a problem we can all relate to – no one has not had it at one point during their life. Over a year, roughly 1/3 of adults will have some sort of insomnia, and about 2-6% of adults will choose to use a sleep medication.
The ideal treatment for insomnia is without medication. This article discusses how to fight insomnia naturally.
Of the medications, however, Ambien and Lunesta are two very popular sleeping aids – how do they compare?
Ambien:
Ambien is typically taken in 5-10mg/day, takes half an hour to take effect, and half of it is gone in about 2-3 hours. It hits you quick, makes you fall asleep, then goes away.
This “rougher” mode of action may make it more potent. It may also reduce the chance of daytime drowsiness. It may also, however, not help with people who have trouble with waking up in the middle of the night.
That said, there is a long release form that may reduce these issues.
Lunesta:
Lunesta is typically given in 1-3mg/day, kicks in at about one hour, and half of it is gone in 4-6 hours. It’s more subtle and softer, but may have more issue with daytime drowsiness. That said, one major study showed that use of Lunesta reduced daytime drowsiness as compared to placebo, probably due to better quality sleep.
Importantly, it is the only FDA approved medication for treating insomnia that can be given for more than 35 days. Studies have shown that Lunesta can work for 6 months without inducing tolerance to its effects and as well as causing very little dependency.
This medication, like Ambien, helps you fall asleep faster and improves the quality of your sleep.
Both Ambien, Lunesta
Both medications have similar chemical effects, the most common being drowsiness, dizziness and headache. Ambien and Lunesta both somehow mimic the action of benzodiazepines albeit in a different way.
There have been reports from both medications of possible hallucinations, night time sleep-activity (even driving a car while asleep!). They can both worsen depression and both are metabolized by the same enzymes, so have similar drug interactions and counterindications.
User satisfaction
Most people who use this type of medication find it helpful and useful. In one study, 74-84% reported that they were happy with their decision to use the medication.
That said, one can’t forget the risks inherent to all sleep medications. Even while some studies have shown limited tolerance and dependency, many users report those are issues. Rebound insomnia, where insomnia is worsened once the medication is used, is not uncommon.
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I have been taking Zolpidem for about 2 years now. I believe I am addicted to it because I can’t fall asleep if I don’t take it. The bad thing about zolpidem is that next day I can’t remember a thing said and done the night before. It is scary!
I have been off and on Zolpidem (Ambien) for 5 years now. It is great but as the other poster stated often times I don’t remember things from the previous evening. This can present problems the next day as my wife will ask me if I remember what we talked about….
Other than that the only side effect I have ever had is a headache occasionally. I don’t think I am addicted to it because when I don’t take it I can sleep. In the past I worked fairly random 12 hour shifts with the occasional 24 hour shift, and Ambien really helped me regain my sleep rhythm. If I take it for a prolonged period of time (2 weeks or more) it begins to loose its efficacy and it takes a little bit longer for me to fall asleep.
I’m the same way, on it right now actually. I feel addicted to it and feel like if i don’t have it id freak out. I’ve driven to the store and bought a bunch of cupcakes, came home, locked everything up, and went to sleep. when i woke up, i noticed cupcakes..and it was just really scary! I’m thinking about trying to get off of Zolpidem but I’m afraid that if i do, i wont be able to sleep again.
:(
Luesta is cool. No hangover. Puts you to sleep and lets you dream (important to dream for sanity).
It is non addicting. If I don’t take it, I still fall asleep, although not as deep and satisfying. Most importan, non addivtive …so far.
Agree with the comments about feeling dependent/addicted to Ambien. I’ve been off and on it the past couple of years. At some points I can thru the 30 day supply within a week. And Ambien also makes more combative and hostile, in addition to the short term memory loss, etc. and waking up with headaches and be just plain moody. Ambien should be taken off the market. Have been recently switched to Lunesta and while I do not fall asleep quicker than I would on Ambien I do wake up feeling way better than I would if I had Ambien.
If you like Ambien, try taking 1/2 doses every other night. It works every night too, but losses it’s effectiveness for me if I take it too often. 2 pills a week is all I take.
Never tried Lunesta, but am thinking of switching.
It is very important for anyone that suspects that they are addicted to ambien or any other prescription sleeping medication to seek help from a physician before suddenly discontinuing. DO NOT attempt to stop cold turkey. Although ambien and other drugs of the same class (Non-Benzodiazepine Hypnotics) are not true benzodiazepines, they do have many of the same withdrawal symptoms such as rebound insomnia, rebound anxiety, panic attacks, etc. High dose users may also possibly experience generalized seizure from abrupt discontinuation and should only detox under the supervision of a doctor.
How do I know these things? Because I was on ambien for nearly a year, and after suddenly quitting I had a very severe panic attack followed by 3 days of excruciating anxiety and derealization. As a result, I now have a completely unnecessary panic disorder and my insomnia is worse than ever.
So for the sake of your mental and physical health, do not abuse this medicine. If you truly suffer from chronic insomnia, ambien is not the drug of choice anyway. Oh, and the warning about the risk of deepening depression is very real. If you are prone to depression or are currently on antidepressants, don’t even think about using ambien for much longer than a week or two.
I recently started taking Lunesta, Ambien never worked for me. Lunesta works well. Just wanted to point out that you really can’t declare Lunesta to be “non addictive.” All hypnotics have a potential for dependency. Numerous addictive substances were marketed as “less-addictive” or “non addictive” when they first hit the market. Google that when you’re bored amd you’ll be suprised which particular drugs were initially marketed In this way.
I’ve been on Ambien 10 mg every night for over ten years. It has stopped working for me, plus I’ve had short term memory loss during the day. The doctor switched me to Lunesta, with the instructions, stop the Ambien and take this one, no tapering off, just quit it. The first night, even with Lunesta, I got two hours of sleep, second night I got five hours of sleep, and the third night it was seven. I made myself not take naps during the day while I was adjusting as it tends to make sleep worse at night for me. I had NO withdrawal symptoms other than little sleep the first couple of days.
But, being off Ambien, my memory is improving. I have less upset stomach problems in the mornings (not sure if that’s due to Ambien but definitely an improvement). I also have major depressive disorder and anxiety, and changing meds did not affect either.
It sounds as though the side effects and the possibility to become addicted are more prevalent with Ambien. I’ve had friends and family members take it and they were quickly taken off it because of the effects. My husband takes antidepressants and was prescribed Lunesta which worked really well for him. We’ve recently switched insurance companies to PHP and they will only cover Ambien. With all of the negative press regarding Ambien, and our observations, I wonder if the drug company that makes Ambien and PHP are in business with one another. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. VERY discouraging!!
I have been on Ambien for several years now. The problem is – it doesn’t last very long. I am up again in 2 hours. I just got a script for Lunesta. Doc says it’s suppose to last a little longer. Time will tell!
I ended up in the emergency room because of Ambien, I was extremely dizzy and lightheaded and it progressed to the room spinning around and everything was topsie-tervie, along with dry-heaving and vomiting!Not to mention I couldn’t think straight! Now that I stopped taking Ambien I can’t sleep. My Dr. asked me to give Lunesta a try. I’m worried about the same side effects.
I’m 75 years old, have been taken Ambien for several years. I sleep well but don’t seem to dream. I get up in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom and continue sleeping. Only in the last couple of weeks I have been very tired, my legs tingle but have not lost my strenght. I’m very active. My Dr. wants to switch me to Lunesta, Im afraid of the transition. During the last six months I have reduced the amount of Ambien to about 3/4 of a tablet and never use it during the day, I still sleep 8-9 hours. No problems taking naps. I feel like reducing it gradually rather than switching to Lunesta
It’s been a month or so with NO ambien and only lunesta. I sleep well, not as deeply as Ambien (noises wake me up like dogs barking etc) but I go right back to sleep. I get a full nights sleep, and I have less memory problems during the day. I took Ambien for years and years, but so far I am liking the Lunesta. It can leave a bad taste in your mouth the next day, but the doc told me to take it with OJ instead of water, and that helped. After a couple of weeks, I didn’t even need to do that. Listen to your drs advice, but don’t be afraid to try Lunesta. Also, go to Lunesta’s site and get your prescription discount coupon to use. It saved me a LOT.
I have been on Ambien for years, and have recently decided to stop it, cause it was no longer giving me the sleep I needed, AND I was taking higher and higher doses. I was taking 20 mg towards the end and have been gradually tappering it off. I am now taking Lunesta with little help at getting to sleep, but refuse to go back on Ambien…..the side effects are too great!
Just thought I would mention that the doc said they are coming out with a longer release formula of lunesta soon.
Since 2000 when I had a cancer recurrence I’ve taken Ambien 5-10mg hs and it does work well but I sleep to 10AM after falling asleep at 1-2AM. So I switched to Lunesta 4MG (double the prescribed dose) and it seemed to work well for 2 nights getting me up at 8 AM. Tonight I took 4 mg at 10 PM and 12PM (midn) and I am still up at nearly 4 AM. Each person reacts differently so these comments are probably not a good guide to usage.
I’ve been taking Ambien for about three months and have recently tried Lunesta. Basically, my problem is that I wake up several times during the night to urinate and this seems to be related to insufficiently deep sleep, rather than something urogenital in nature. I have developed a tactic where I allow myself to fall asleep naturally and then take 1/3 of an 10 mg Ambien when I awake at 2-3:00. Even if I take 5 mg consistently for several days, I have never experienced memory problems. With Lunesta (1/2 pill), I seem to sleep a bit deeper and wake somewhat less frequently. My only problems to date have been with Ambien. Occassionally, I feel slightly dizzy or have a mild headache during the day. Neither is as good as natural sleep, but compared to not being able to sleep…both are a godsend.
TOOK AMBIEN FOR APPRO 1 YEAR AFTER MY HUSBAND DIED SUDDENLY…AND FOUND MYSELF WAKING UP AFTER ABOUT 2-3 HOURS…COULDNT FUNCTION THE NEXT DAY..SO MY DOCTOR SWITCHED ME TO LUNESTA..WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE DIDNT FALL ASLEEP FAST LIKE AMBEIN BUT SLEPT DEEPER AND MORE SOUNDLY…THE ONE FOR ME…LUNESTA
after taken Ambien, eat the whole entire house and not remember doing it. suffering from anxiety, minor panic attacks, and daily headaches. can not sleep without it.