Quitting Lunesta

[soxfan]

I have been on Lunesta for 6 years now and it hasn't worked well for about 8 months. I mean I was waking up to 5 times a night including only 1 hour after taking it. I didn't feel good in the mornings either.
I took the plunge last night and didn't take one. I only took 1/2 klonipin 1mg instead since the night before I had only 2 hours sleep (with lunesta!) I needed to sleep. Anyway...I had the best sleep I have had in about 2 or 3 years....I woke only once because of the cat and slept until 7:30 which is unheard of for me.
I do feel a little drowsy this morning but I am hoping that will go away as the day goes on.
I know klonopin is not a good option either but I am extremely excited that I could even sleep at all without a lunesta.

So I am on a quest to sleep on my own at some point....has anyone successfully quit sleeping pills (lunesta...ambien..etc) and able to sleep on their own?
I really feel the lunesta was having a huge impact on how I felt during the day so this is a very big day for me! I have wanted to quit for so long because I had a feeling it wasn't doing me much good..
If anyone has any suggestions of natural things to try I would like to hear..I can't take anything that raises serotonin as I am on Wellbutrin.

I have tried in the past with no success....melatonin...valerian...benadryl..kavinace..5HTP...I think there are more but can't remember...I have tired everything a regular drug store sells....

Thanks!

 

[john66]

I wind up going back and forth between Lunesta and Ambien, as I seem to develop a tolerance to both after a month or so. It is huge that you could sleep without it and I congratulate you for it. I have always thought of the dilemma that sleep quality is worse with medication, but without it, I have gone up to five days without sleep. I have yet to find any supplement that will replace meds.

 

[soxfan]

I have felt for a long time that sleep quality is definately not as good with the lunesta I had been taking. My husband works nights...1 week on and 1 week off..he says certainly on the weeks he doesn't take sleep meds his sleep is much better and he feels much better during the day.
I too have gone days without sleep in my many attempts to quit lunesta. I am still shocked I slept without it and who knows what tonight will bring.

A sleep specialist I once saw told me that Klonopin prevents deep sleep so I know I can't keep taking that either...

I also have taken ambien in the past but had the same problems...waking up multiple times and not really feeling well rested...I have started the quest to stay off lunesta and with fingers crossed can continue.

 

[taniaaust1]

Rule out too that there is nothing else making it harder to get to sleep. I myself realised only after my old CFS specialist mentioned it, that trying to sleep with an electric blanket on.. was making it more difficult for me to get to sleep and also causing me awakenings once asleep. I only realised that once I stopped using the electric blanket while I was in bed.

In my own case.. light too had a huge affect on my ability to get to sleep (even with pills). Ive ended up boarding up my bedroom windows as I had to even block the cracks of light which can make a room a little lighter instead of pitch black. Even the coloured light coming from the time on a alarm clock can affect my sleep.

Also consider taking combos of things eg the over the counter, antihistamine sleep aid (Doxylamine succinate) when i take it along with taking melatonin at same time .. works then as well for me as Temazepam does. Neither the Doxylamine and the melatonin are as effective for me by themselves. What I take each night..all depends on the strength of effect i need.. I myself also find Doxylamine succinate by itself thou to be stronger then just melatonin by itself.

(take care.. I found i did gain tollerence to doxylamine succinate and hence needed to then start taking more of it to work, if i was taking it nightly. I ended up having to take it no more then a few nights per week.. but it could be quite usual if you are taking different things on some of the other nights.. say a couple of nights Klonopin.. a couple of nights of this if it helped.. and a few nights of something else.. all which will help stop from building tollerences).

My sleep has currently improved some so Im now no longer needing Temazepam (only would if i had to get up early then next morning eg say for a doctors appointment I couldnt get at a later time, so only if i had to go to sleep very early for me) and currently are getting on great with just taking melatonin by itself.

Maybe the fact of Klonopin working so well for you could indicate you have neurotoxicity or excess neuro activity which is causing your sleep issues?... in which cause things like melatonin even in combo with other things may not help. Issue may need to be worked on from the point of slowing down the activity of your nervous system. (I myself didnt find Klonopin at all helpful for sleep.. in my case it was only useful for calming things down during the day).

Also consider things like hypoglycemia causing night time awakenings.. a small complex carb snack just before bed helps some.

 

[soxfan]

Thanks for all those great points....I just had another great night of sleep with the klonopin. I also am taking one kavinace right before dinner. I am going to have to switch things up so I don't become dependent or tolerant on the klonopin. I also have ativan which could be an option since it doesn't have as long as half life. It is really like a miracle to me that after all these months of waking 4 or 5 times a night I am sleeping.

I have tried melantonin many many times in combination with things but it makes me feel wierd...I really don't like it at all and I don't think it ever helped really. I was at times waking up hungry as well so took the advice of my doctor and would have some peanut butter with a piece of bread. I also keep a can of almonds next to my bed in case I wake up feeling hungry. I do have adrenal issues but am being treated for those.

We actually just bought ( 4 months ago) room darkening shades which work wonderfully. They were quite expensive but you can't see a hint of light at all in the bedroom. My husband works nights and sleeps days so we thought that would help him as well. I will say they are fantastic. Even the cat is fooled and doesn't get up at the crack of dawn!

So for now after 2 nights of great sleep I am going to keep taking the kavinace and klonopin. I will have to start thinking of alternatives to switch them up at some point. I am still in shock that I am having such great sleep NOT taking the lunesta....