A few weeks ago I finally bit the bullet about my Anxiety, depression and paranoia problem and saw my doctor. I was prescribed Sertraline as an anti depressant(50mg) to first be taken once a day then two a day. Two weeks later yesterday I went again as was asked and he upped my dosage to 100mg Setraline and also gave me Zopiclone as my sleep pattern if screwed up. Basically, I have been reading up that Zopiclone gives some people hallucinations and stuff. I had some bad recreational drugs trips and hallucinations in the past which was really bad so I am worrying a little bit about starting taking these. I will give tonight a chance and see if it works out well. Have any of you heard or tried these before? Ichi should know I would suspect.
Don't expect to feel better on the sertraline (aka Zoloft) for 2-4 more weeks. SSRIs usually take a month or more to really kick in. That should do double duty and take care of both the anxiety and depression. SSRIs are a bit notorious for sexual side effects. You may have trouble getting an erection and achieving orgasm. It sucks, but at least you won't be so anxious and depressed all the time. You've probably also heard about the suicide risk with anti-depressants. That's because as very depressed people get better, they suddenly have the will to act on their suicidal thoughts, whereas before they were too depressed to do anything about it. As scary as it sounds, it's actually an unfortunate result of the drug working. If you aren't feeling better in a couple of months, get your doctor to switch you to something else. It's fairly common to fail SSRIs, and you may have to try a few before you find one that really works. I know it's anecdotal, but Paxil is the best SSRI in my experience. People who fail other SSRIs always seem to have luck with Paxil. Wellbutrin is another option if the Zoloft doesn't work out. It has a different mechanism of action than SSRIs, and has a lower incidence of sexual side effects and also helps you quit smoking. Zopiclone isn't available in the US. Lunesta is very similar. While I've heard of people having nightmares and hallucinations, I haven't encountered it first hand with patients. But I also haven't seen Lunesta used that much. Disturbed sleep patterns are a very common symptom of depression, so if the Zoloft works for you, you may find that you don't even need the zopiclone. I'm actually not sure why your doctor prescribed it since treating the depression will most likely take care of the issues with your sleep cycle. I hate to contradict your doctor, but in your position I would probably just stick to the zoloft and not bother with the zopilcone, especially if you've had bad experiences with hypnotic drugs in the past. I'm proud of you for going and seeing a doctor. There's still a bit of a stigma against mental illness and it takes courage to actually go and get real help for it. Anxiety and depression are also a lot more common than you think. A good portion of the people you know are probably taking medication and/or going to therapy, you just don't know about it.
I've taken Melatonin every night for years. Puts me right to sleep about 80% of the time. My aunt took Lunesta which I believe is Zopiclone. Said it worked great for a while but then just stopped working. I guess that is very common. It shouldn't be used on a regular basis.
They're enantiomers of each other if I'm not mistaken. Similar, but not exactly the same drug. Lunesta is eszopiclone.
I took one and nothing happened after two hours. I took another one a little while ago but still nothing except a weird taste in my mouth. Hmm not good so far lol
Actually we are all taking them. Trace amount of painkillers, antibiotics, and antidepressants can be found in our drinking water.
and that's why I drink water straight out of the toilet... no really, in my honest opinion water from the bathroom sink tastes better than water from the kitchen sink.
I took 4 of them last night and they did not work. Either I am immune to these pills or something aint right.
Well they made me sleep until 6pm today and I was like a zombie so I don't think so. Maybe the dose is too low for me.
After I managed to fall asleep at 6am, hours after I first took them. I had to lie in bed for a while too and it did not make me feel sleepy or anything it is supposed to do.
It should at least make me drowsy. I have not been to sleep so I can get a full nights sleep tonight. See if that works.
I would just stop taking it. Treating the depression should take care of your sleep cycle problems, and I've read that Lunesta can actually worsen depression.
What do you do before bed? If you just jump straight from the TV/internet into bed after brushing your teeth then that's not going to help you sleep. Try some lifestyle changes before the drugs and even if you can't get them to work alone combine these changes with taking whatever drugs you end up on. Try getting into reading before bed or something. Or just laying there in lower light. Breathing techniques where you focus on nothing but a good breathing rhythm can also help. Your brain has a hard time transitioning between full light and sleep. In nature we have a slow transition from light to darkness so that our brain knows when to sleep. If you're starring at a bright screen for hours just before sleep your brain will not be ready for sleep at all. Obviously there are other issues keeping you from sleeping, but you can't just rely on one thing to solve the problem.
Zopiclone were quite shit in getting me to sleep but the Doctor gave me Zolpidem Tartrate(5mg) today. Any idea what these are like or if they are better than Zopiclone?