After three nights of taking Lunesta (3 mg), I'm still getting used to it. I've woken up each night at around 4 am (usually when I leak), and have seemed wider awake than when I would wake up while taking Ambien CR. But for two of the three nights so far, I've been able to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.
When I wake up in the morning, I don't seem as drugged as when I was taking Ambien CR. I assume that is because the Lunesta has worked its way out of my system, unlike the Ambien CR, which seems to take about 10 or 11 hours to be metabolized out of my system. For the past two mornings, I have not felt quite as foggy in the morning as I was when using Ambien CR. I also have not noticed the metallic or bitter taste that others have reported when using Lunesta.
The quality of my sleep is not as clear, however. I am aware that my sleep is the result of being drugged, and it does not feel natural. While I think I'm getting a bit more sleep that I was using Ambien CR, but I still have not felt as alert as I did before surgery.
It's still too early to make any definitive conclusions about Lunesta, however. I'm going to continue with it and see how it works over a longer period of time.
As far as the incontinence at night goes, I'm pretty sure that it is not the result of overflow incontinence. That happens when the neobladder is not fully drained before going to bed, and the pressure of the urine causes leaking in the night. I know it's not overflow incontinence because, when I void at 4 am, I am only producing about 200 ml, and I know that my neobladder can hold over a liter. What I suspect is that, after several hours of laying down, the position of my ureterovesical valve (where my neobladder connects to the ureter) is such that it starts to leak. The ureterovesical valve is OEM equipment; Dr. Steinberg removed my entire bladder, except for the ureterovesical valve, then sewed that into the bottom of the colon that he converted into the neobladder. But for whatever reason, the valve is not working like it used to. I'm going to continue to try to figure out the root cause of my sleeping issues.
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