Posted by Larry Hoover on April 17, 2005, at 9:26:56
In reply to Re: My first night on LUNESTA - GREAT!! » jerrympls, posted by temoigneur on April 17, 2005, at 1:03:35
> Oh I hope it does work, I can't imagine how it could be any different from zopiclone, I'm Canadian and we have that here too, **however tolerance to zopiclone is sometimes noticed, as was the certainly the case with me after about 2-4 months, I can't quite remember.
I just started zopiclone about three weeks ago. Still works just like the first night for me.
Turns out the interference with sleep I was having was due to gabapentin. I can't take it past 2 p.m., or it interferes with sleep.....so I go into withdrawals every p.m.
> I wouldn't really know, but I'm not aware that it's been approved for long term use anywhere, and I was told, and discovered, that taking more than 7.5mg of zopicilone, did not improve efficacy.
Ya, it's a saturation effect. A sponge will only hold so much water.
> If Ed, or anyone knows of any structural difference between zopiclone and lunesta, or possibly even a mechanism in the 'inactive' zopiclone enantiomer that may make metabolism of lunesta and zopiclone different I would be very interested.
I don't think anybody ever tested the R-enantiomer separately. I could only hazard a guess based on differential response with the R-zopiclone absent. I'm not sure you'd learn too much from that.
> I have been addicted to clonazepam, (rivitrol for years; has anyone found that they didn't experience a cross tolerance between benzo's and lunesta?
I was on 30 mg temazepam for years. I stopped cold turkey the night I went on zopiclone. I had no transitional adverse effects. No rebound. No withdrawals.
> Thank you for the posts, they are invaluable, as we don't have the drug up here, but I'll ask my pdoc, if it seems like it may be indicated, they may be able to import it.
>
> BenI don't know if Lunesta is more efficacious, but it most certainly provides the most patent protection in the US. The clock just started ticking on Lunesta, whereas the clock had just about run out on zopiclone. Zopiclone was patented in the US many years ago, but never went through the FDA trials required.....no money in doing that now, but lots of money in doing that for the S-enantiomer, which meets the patent requirements for being a new drug.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:485089
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050413/msgs/485398.html