For some, Lunesta leaves bad taste with good night's sleep

Q. I recently tried Lunesta. It helped me get a good night's sleep, but for the next two days I had a horrible metallic taste in my mouth. I'd like to take Lunesta again sometime, but not enough to suffer with that taste! Is there anything I could take to combat that?
A. Nearly a third of the people in clinical trials of Lunesta reported an unpleasant taste as a side effect. We know of no way to counteract this reaction.
Q. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease) and prescribed Tapazole to treat it. Hyperthyroidism has made me lose a lot of weight. I'm actually pleased, because weight has been a problem all my life.
I have not been taking this medication, since I worry that treating Graves' disease might make me regain the weight. Am I harming myself by not taking Tapazole?
A. Your thyroid gland has gone into overdrive and is producing too much thyroid hormone.
Although you feel well now, leaving this condition untreated might result in serious health issues such as heart failure, eye problems, extreme muscle weakness and stroke. Other symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, tremors, palpitations and trouble concentrating.
We are sending you our Guide to Thyroid Hormones for more information about Graves' disease, Tapazole and both hyper- and hypothyroidism.
Q. I was having trouble with hot flashes waking me and causing sleep deprivation, but my physician solved the problem. She prescribed 25 mg of Zoloft daily. She said it only works for about half her patients.
I still have an occasional hot flash, but I fall back to sleep immediately, so my husband is not disturbed. It's working for me.
A. Thanks for the success story. Many women have found that drugs such as Zoloft or Prozac can help ease hot flashes during menopause.
Q. In a column you wrote about generic drugs, you urged consumers to be vigilant. How would a consumer know if a generic drug has the proper ingredients? I would be unable to determine this. How do you suggest we exercise vigilance?
A. In many situations, you can tell whether a medicine is having the desired effect. If your blood pressure was well controlled with a brand-name drug but not with its generic equivalent, that's a red flag. The same thing would hold for a pain medicine, blood thinner or sleeping pill.
If you suspect there's a problem, check with your doctor. Switching back to the brand name may tell if the trouble is with you or with the drug.
Many generic drugs are manufactured under careful controls. But the Food and Drug Administration does not have a system in place for detecting problems if an unscrupulous manufacturer decides to cut corners.
Q. Nothing I have taken for leg cramps has helped. I heard that quinine is a classic cure, but that it is dangerous. When I asked my doctor, he suggested I drink a little tonic water daily.
This works, but isn't it just as risky as taking quinine pills?
A. Some people develop a life-threatening blood disorder when they take quinine, either in tonic water or a pill. For those who are not susceptible, tonic water can be an effective remedy against leg cramps.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
& copy; 2006 King Features Syndicate Inc.