Lunestra stopped working :-(

[sharonlk]

Hello,

I am new to the forum, so please forgive me if this has been discussed numerous times already...

I started taking 3mg Lunestra about 5 weeks ago for insomnia. I am bi-polar and also take 10mg of Lexapro with it. It worked great for the first 3 weeks. I was getting sound sleep and feeling refreshed. Then all of a sudden, it seems to have stopped working I am now up 4-5x a night and sleeping all day again.

In the past, I have been on multiple medications for my bi-polar 2 disorder. I seem to not respond to meds very well after a certain amount of time.

Has anyone else had the Lunestra stop working, and if so, did you increase the dose or switch to a different med?

I can't afford my co-pays to keep going in and trying new things. My meds are already too expensive

Thank you so much for any and all input!!
Sharon

[rudyboysilva]

I moved to seroquel when my ambien quit working on me. Might be worth a try. Since seroquel is made for bi-polars like yourself, might be a way of killing 2 birds with one stone?

Rudy

[sharonlk]

Thank you for the reply...I appreciate it.

I had been reading up on Seroquel and considered asking my provider about it. I would love to only have one med!! I only work 6 hours a week and I can barely cover the cost along with chiildcare :-(

Do you have any side effects with it? I am also questioning IH as I sleep ALLLLLLL day long and cannot fall asleep at night. I have been like this for about 1.5 years now. Along I questioned my meds. I was always on a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. I am no longer on mood stabs though...

Again, thank you. Any feedback that you can provide will be greatly appreciated!!
Sharon

[rudyboysilva]

Sorry took so long for me to reply. Two things with seroquel.

-first week I was on it, I was sleepy and zoned all day the next day. after that, I was ok.

-makes you crave sweets like crazy. Lots of folks say they gained enormous amounts of weight while on seroquel. I gained 10 lbs at first because Iof the constant cravings for sugar. After that, I learned to live with the cravings and not act on it, so I went back to my normal weight in a month or so.

I take 200mg a day

[sharonlk]

Thank for getting back to me. Yeah, not looking forward to the weight gain with any of the drugs. I just lost 8lbs in a wekk due to another illness I have and I am trying hard to keep it off. LOL...Luckily, I am not a big sweets person. Maybe it will work though?

[kssfgirl]

FYI - have you checked to see if Seroquel causes diabetes - everything I read about the side effects are not good - what does your doctor tell you about it can raise your blood sugar and cause this - be careful.

[ewisely]

Hi Sharon and Rudy, though I used to be a chronic insomniac myself, I didn't like taking these drugs. Because like what you've experienced, all sleeping drugs can only put you to sleep for a short-term only. After 2 - 3 weeks, your body becomes immune to the sleeping effect and you started to get back to your old usual self again. And you must try a different drug to get to sleep again.

Did you ask yourself, how many kinds of different drugs are you going to use before they all become ineffective to you? More importantly, are your bodies able to withstand the so-much side effects from these different drugs before your health deteriorates day after day? And how much are you preparing to set aside for these medication costs? I'm asking you these because I asked myself these questions too when I couldn't cure my insomnia with these drugs. I even got the "strongest" sleeping drugs (which my doctor said) losing effect on me that my doctor simply shrugged her shoulder gesticulating that she can't help me anymore.

I've stopped relying on drugs since few years. My advice for you is, do a 10-minute workouts in the morning (you should progressively increase your workout duration and intensity level where possible and appropriate), and then cut down on your meat intake and start eating more fruits and vegetables. A nutritious diet does help your body function better and improve your sleep. Then stop work 3 - 4 hours before bedtime to unwind and try to turn in before 11 P.M. (I learned it from a site but couldn't remember what the site is but the thing is, it's somewhat effective on me... I will try to find that site and post the link here, if I can find it) It's very difficult at first because it requires some degree of self-discipline.

When I first executed this plan, I lost my sleep for the first night and got my heart pounding fast for fear I would lose my sleep again (which I did). I knew the next day will be extremely terrible for me and will feel like sleeping in the daytime. But I kept going to the washroom every 1 hour or so to wash my face to keep myself awake and then got back to my work until past 5 P.M. Then it seemed ok and when night falls, I was too tired that I couldn't think much and fell asleep. Once I got to sleep early the second night, the momentum picks up and the rest of the nights become almost automatic, albeit I suffered a delay in the sleep nonetheless at times.

I don't know how bad your situations are over your side, but if possible, give my method a shot (I know, it looks a bit crazy to force to stay awake in the day when you feel so groggy, but just try and see how it goes). Or you can improve on it to suit your style.

But remember, as you've been used to taking drugs, when you stop it for the first time, you might suffer some sort of withdrawal symptoms and feel a bit "empty" and your first and second night without drugs might make you lose sleep. Trust me, when you force your way not to sleep in the day, you should sleep soundly on the 3rd night without drugs. Thereafter, try to keep to this drug-free lifestyle.

I know it's gonna be tough for the first few days, but you'll be fine thereafter.

P.S. I still suffer insomnia once in a few weeks though, but compared to 10 years back which I lost sleep for 2 - 3 days in a week, it's much much better now.

[sharonlk]

ewisely:

Thank you for the advice. But, been there, done that :-( I am a dance instructor, so exercise is not an issue. I barely eat any meat. I have Ulcerative Colitis, so most fruits and veggies are out-As are salads, nuts, anything with spice, most grains and sources of fiber and anything with seeds. Dairy must be done in moderation and I will not eat any fish. Soooo, I am at such a loss with my diet. My Colitis causes horrible attacks which also drains on my energy level.

I saw my Dr. this week and I have been recommended to a Sleep Study program. I will be out of work for the summer and cannot afford even the consultation due to not meeting my deductible yet :-( So, the study must wait until October when I am back to working again.

She did increase my Lexapro to 20mg a night and changed my sleep aide to Ambien CR. I have not filled the prescription yet. I find that if I keep myself out of the bedroom until around 1am, I am able to fall asleep within a half hour of lying down. I only stay asleep for an hour or so, but I am usually able to fall back to sleep within an hour and can stay that way for up to 3 hours some nights. While this is not ideal, it has been working this past week.

Not sure how much longer I can keep this up? It's gonna be a looooong summer. Lots of walks with my young children and playing in the park to stay awake I suppose?

Crossing my fingers that the Ambien will work-Even if it is short-lived. Some sleep is better than no sleep in my opinion.

Thank you all for your advice and support!! Hoping that we all find a restful night's sleep soon!!

[JennyE]

I took Ambien CR for a few months and it continuied to work the entire time. I had a rough few nights when I came off of it, but I'm now sleeping 3 or 4 hours at a time, then go back to sleep easily till 5 or 6. Sometimes I sleep till 8. I don't worry about sleeping. That is where my problem starts. I get myself prepared to stay awake, and it's a self fulfilling prophecy. I tell myself I willl relax and rest and first thing, I'm asleep. My sleep doctor prescribed the Ambien and gave me several months of sleep that broke the insomnia cycle for me. Hopefullty it works for you.

[ewisely]

Hi Sharon,

From what I see, your sleep disorder may be caused by your ulcerative colitis. Why? Because of that, you miss out tons of nutrients from many of those essential foods like fruits and veggies, grains and nuts etc. Not getting sufficient nutrient can trigger several disorders and your sleep disorder could be one of them.

I've heard that coconut oil can relieve ulcerative colitis. But I recommend that you find out more about this food first before decide whether you want to try it out or not.

Hope you and everyone here have a good night's sleep.

[sharonlk]

Well, my husband and I discussed it further and I have had several really bad episodes, so we are going to just live really tight for the next few months. LOL...

I am seeing the Director of the Sleep Center on Thursday 6/10. I hope to have some answers and a treatment plan set up that day. We will do whatever it takes to get the studies done and the treatment that follows.

Had a really bad week :-( Only slept 45 minutes Tuesday night, yet I slept a total of 3 hours on Wednesday morning. Wednesday night, I slept 2.5 hours. Thursday night, I slept a total of 3 hours and Friday night I slept for 6 hours-Only getting up to use the bathroom once in that time. I was able to fall right back to sleep. Guess the exhaustion level had maxed out and I finally crashed? Hoping for at least 4 hours of sleep tonight!!

Thank you all for your advice. I have actually been in remission with my Colitis for the past year-With only 3 isolated attacks throughout the year. So, I am not sure if that is part of the problem or not? I need to see my Gastro as well...

Again, thank you!!

[ewisely]

That's cool. So long as you feel comfortable with what you're doing and you're getting results. Sleep well.

[sharonlk]

Well, I saw the Director of the Sleep Clinic and he feels right now, that it is a circadian rhythm issue. No sleep study as of yet...

I will begin 1/2mg of melatonin on Monday and then we will eventually increase it to 1mg. I will see him in 4 weeks. I have been keeping a sleep log since April, but he gave me a few sheets and wants me to log it a different way for a week and then fax him the results after I begin the melatonin.

I am not sure if I totally agree with the diagnosis or not? Oh, and my blood pressure was through the roof while I was there :-o 170/90!! I have been off of my BP meds for almost 2 years now, so this was quite upsetting to me!! Hoping that it was just a case of "White Coat Syndrome". I will be monitoring it closely at home over the weekend.

Again, thank you all for your support and advice. I truly appreciate it :-)

Good rest to all....
Sharon