The detox from Lunesta is finished and I’m finally done with that awful drug. It was not easy. After trying first to stop cold turkey, the withdrawal symptoms were almost debilitating.

The next step was to wean off of it gradually, but that wasn’t working, either.

My primary care doctor devised a plan that finally stuck. She had me wean down, but this time, it was with the help of what she called a ‘bridge’ drug to aid sleep and avoid the worst detox symptoms. (The drug she gave me is Trazodone, an antidepressant with some sleepy side-effects.) In four weeks the whole ordeal was over.

Once the Lunesta was gone from my body for good, the thing that worried me most was whether  I’d ever sleep again. For now, the Trazodone, taken at night with a muscle relaxer and my regular dose of Prozac, puts me to sleep most nights (although I may have to detox from the Trazodone later, according to my doc).

If you’re using Lunesta (its chemical name is ‘eszopiclone’) and it’s working for you, I’m glad. But please, please do yourself a kindness and do a web search for ‘Lunesta withdrawal.’ That way you’ll be armed with knowledge that too many physicians are apparently keeping to themselves.