Lunesta is probably the last best chance you have. Assuming that you have already tried several of the basic general sedative hypnotics like Restoril (Temazapem), Xanax (Alprazalom), etc. I have heard good things from the patients at our store. I would warn you that the risk of dependence is greater on these drugs, Lunesta and Ambien than Rozaram, but that’s the price you pay for effectiveness I guess.

Personally I have mild trouble so a xanax now and then was all I’ve ever really needed. So much of the therapy prescribed though is based on the actual problems you have (getting to sleep, staying, light sleep, etc.) so you might want to talk to a sleep specialist and not just a family practitioner. You should ask them how they feel about Lunesta (I say this not just because the Lunesta drug rep is smoking hot and brings us tons of swag..haha). Seriously though, I hope you get the help (and sleep) you need.

Edit: Regarding the rebutal post on sedative hypnotics, I think you may be confused. While I do think that part of my job is to continue studying, Benzodiazepines are a specific type of sedative hypnotic, which is a broad catagorey defined as a drug, such as a barbiturate or antianxiety agent, that depresses the activity of the central nervous system and is used to relieve anxiety and induce sleep. Pretty much all of the drugs we’ve talked about on this page are in that catagorey. I think I also mentioned they ran a high risk dependence also, but I will reiterate it. As far as them not being in the same “class” I think I just addressed that they were all sedative hypnotics, but if you meant drug schdule (II, III, or IV) then you were wrong there too. Ambien, Lunesta, and Xanax are all DEA schedule 4 drugs.

Then again the only medicine that helps induce sleep (including the “worthless OTCs”) that does not run a statistically significant risk of dependence/addiction as shown in clinical trials is Rozarem. Ambien by the way is a drug that is being shown to have just as high an addiction problem in some patients as many other controlled drugs. As you can see from other posts though that doesn’t mean that it is ineffective or that for several people the risk have not outweighed the benefit, as I assume it can for certain people who wish to try benzos. Your claim that they are all horribly more addictive than say, Ambien CR or Trazadone is somewhat exaggerated. (Your comment that a depression medicine has little lasting effects rely on your own experience and not the larger reality that they too are dependecne forming and should be slowly tapered off of.) You would be suprised how many patients abuse both. Since alot of people like to use Wikipedia and their vast customer pamphlet knowledge, I posted links below, as well as a webMd article that lists sedatives in the Benzo family that can be used for sleep treatment. Notice the first and last example drugs. I’m assuming that while I might make drug classification mistakes every once in a while (but not in this case) that the dozens of doctors who write these scripts for my patients don’t, and must think they are useful for their sleep problems. (Notice I ddn’t argue they were the best drug to use.) I guess they could all just be getting kick backs to write scripts from the poor xanax junkies. (That, like the drug rep line was a JOKE.)

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As someone who has been on every sleep med known to Man for extreme insomnia, let me offer up some personal knowledge.
First, forget anything over-the-counter because that is just cold medicine basically and you will only end up dizzy and tired the next morning, like a hangover. Also, forget anti-anxiety meds like Xanax, Klonopin, or Restoril for sleeping because they are benzodiazapines (BTW Xanax and Restoril are is absolutely NOT sedative hypnotic class meds like Ambien or Lunesta, they are benzos, so I think the certified pharmacy tech above me should study a bit more) and the benzos are soooo extremely addictive you may need to take them forever once you start just to stave off the very nasty withdrawal. As far as Lunesta goes, you can see what it does for you, but my experience was bad. First off, it just did not work and made me feel very depressed. Second, there is a good reason why “unpleasant taste” is mentioned first before any other side effect in the commercial. It is a very common side effect and it is awful. Upon taking the pill, you will probably start to get an absolutely vile bitter metallic taste in your mouth that will make everything you eat or drink taste disgusting (even pure sugar. I tried it!), and it may last up to 24 hours after. So certainly try Lunesta and see, if you want, but just be forewarned. Trazadone and Remeron, which are prescribed a lot for sleep because of their heavy drowsiness effect is another option if you are in dire need of sleep because they do knock you out cold, but those are anti-depressant meds so you might want to avoid it if you have no depression problems, but you could try them a just as “emergency” sleep meds now and again because they don’t cause much addiction at all that I have experienced. Now, Rozerem does not actually contain any real “sleep medicine” which is why it is not addictive, however that also makes it not work very well for bad insomnia because it just increases natural melatonin production in the brain which is the chemical that makes us feel sleepy normally. Melatonin is also sold on its own as a sleep aid, along with herbs and such like Valerian Root, but these things probably would not work for you because they are not powerful enough and may also cause very negative reactions as far as mood goes because they are herbal and therefore, not FDA monitored or approved. Overall, the thing that really worked best for me was Ambien CR (controlled release) . It is not like the original Ambien because it releases two doses of meds. One time to get you to sleep, and then again to keep you asleep so it feels a bit stronger than the original, but as long as you don’t overdo it with the dose there is no real addiction to worry about. So my suggestion would be to try the CR if you haven’t and if you have but it has stopped working, it may just be that your body is too used to it so just stop it for a few days, if you can , so it is out of your system and your body is completely “off” it, and then start it again. It’s kinda like tricking your body into thinking it is a new med again so it works. You may have to repeat this on-and-off process with the Ambien CR, but it is the only sleep aid I have come across so far that really works. Hope that was helpful. Cheers! : )

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