Ambien versus Lunesta

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor and I don’t take these regularly, but I thought some of you might find my experience from occasional use of them helpful.
Most common question: What’s the difference between them?
I am not touting one over the other, because… As far as I can tell, in terms of actually helping you get to sleep and sleep through the night, neither seems to work better than the other for me. However, I cannot speak as to chemical make up and risks or possible drug interactions that might make one preferable to the other.

The two do seem to behave a little bit differently just before falling asleep and upon waking. Doctors recommend allowing 8-9 hours of sleep time when taking these drugs.
Let me preface this by saying, I am not a morning person. I like to loll around under the covers for a while even if I am fully awake. (Please keep that in mind as you read the following.)
When waking: Ambien leaves me a bit more groggy… not still tired and not still sleepy, but I need a little more time to be fully alert and ready to work. A cup of coffee usually perks me up enough after Ambien to start my day.
With Lunesta, I was alert a little more quickly. I only sat up in bed for 5-10 minutes, as opposed to 20 minutes with Ambien and 30-45 without any pills. I didn’t feel as if I * needed * any coffee to get going after taking Lunesta. (I had some anyway, because it is part of my routine and I get headaches later in the day if I haven’t had caffeine.) Both drugs made me feel overall more rested, like I had a more quality sleep than normally.

Before bed: Ambien makes me slightly giggly and silly. Actually, it is a really pleasant sensation! :) But, that reaction does not cause my body to get physically worked up; it makes me drowsy VERY fast, despite the laughter. BUT, because of that ‘fun’ effect, I would not suggest it to anyone that considers themself to have an addictive personality or who uses drugs recreationally. I would choose this medication when you know you’re going to have trouble falling asleep and absolutely have to get to sleep quickly.
Lunesta is more mellow in its onset. It gives a feeling of gradual relaxation rather than drowsiness, a sense of easing into sleep. It isn’t as euphoric. It is soothing. As it take effect, you feel you’ll be able to go to sleep whenever you choose. I would choose this medication after a stressful day, allowing you to unwind and leisurely fall asleep, rather than toss and turn until you’re so exhausted you drop off like you would without such a drug.

All in all, as with any pill, it’s not a magic cure, but sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks. That’s definitely the case with these two.

Edited: April 16th, 2008

“Bad Boys, Bad Boys…”

We live in an odd neighborhood. Directly to the East are multi-million dollar estates and directly to the West are crack houses. Our residence is on the corner and it sits right on the [invisible] dividing line. (We haven’t had problems though… maybe because we are ‘in the middle’ socio-economically and can understand and get along with both sides.) A lot of my city is like this- the areas jump from good to bad seamlessly. But, when you think about it, really, nowhere is completely “safe” anymore. Was it ever? * shrug *

At one point last night there were 6 police cruisers at a neighboring house [across the street and diagonal from ours]. We turned off all the lights and opened the windows in the room facing it so we could find out what was happening more covertly. Honestly, I thought our creepy new next door neighbor was in some sort of altercation. (His yard looks like Sanford & Son, he has a mullet and a molester mustache and is outside at all hours of the night making noise. Other neighbors have come to us asking questions about him after they’ve had unsettling encounters with him. So, yeah, anything shady involving him would not be surprising to me.)

Back to the story! I watched the officers searching with flashlights for something in the surrounding yards. I figured it was dope, but after listening for a few moments, I heard it was a gun they sought.

Thanks to a teenage girl and a couple of her friends pacing up and down the scene on cellphones, I overheard that five juveniles robbed a man and women (and apparently tried to ditch the pistol). Then, I caught snatches of the statements as all parties were questioned. Interesting stuff! Better than television!

I soon discovered the girls knew these boys and were hanging around, trying to talk to them while the boys were in the back of the cop cars, asking what they did, etc. The girls then started calling to tell their friends what was going down. More teenagers gathered and soon, a lot of vehicles drove by several times each, very slowly, hollering at the suspects and the cluster of teens. At the instructions of the girls, males in the crowd were trying to pass their phones through the windows to the suspects and hollering questions and accusations at the police.

The cops told these kids repeatedly to go home, to get back, to stay out of the way, that unless they had something to do with this it was none of their business. In response, the brats started asking for their names and badge numbers and shouting back at the officers, “whun cun you do? you cain’t do nuttin ta us!” and muttering obscenities.

I was shaking my head in disbelief. These little bitches were interfering with an investigation! Obstruction is a crime! Why weren’t they being arrested too?! For the first time, I felt for The Law. I imagined how precarious a situation they were in- all white cops, white victims, black suspects, smack dab in the middle of wealth and poverty, with each side demanding a different outcome. I don’t know how I would have handled it, considering.
Eventually, some of the parents showed up and corralled them home. I watched the police continue to look for the weapon, re-assure the victims and finally haul the suspects away. I checked the local news website this morning and found nothing. Stuff like this happens all the time, every day. How out of hand is it? Enough that I won’t be walking through there at night or alone anymore, at least.

Edited: April 8th, 2008