Lunesta

Lunesta impacts unbalanced brain chemicals which impact your sleep. It’s mostly used in the treatment of severe insomnia.

Definition

Lunesta is taken orally in tablet form. The tablets have either 1 mg, 2 mg, or 3 mg of eszopiclone and also include:

• Calcium phosphate
• Colloidal silicon dioxide
• Croscarmellose sodium
• Hypromellose
• Magnesium stearage
• Microcrystalline cellulose
• Lactose
• Polyethylene glycol
• Titanium dioxide
• Triacetin

How Is It Taken?

For adults, the recommended dosage to start with is 1 mg, and you should always take the lowest dose possible for you. This is important because patients who take 2 or 3 mg of Lunesta risk impairment the next day. This can impact driving or activities that need full awareness, such as operating heavy machinery.

Who Takes It?

Lunesta is only approved for adults who have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. The people most likely to take sleep aids like Lunesta include older Caucasian women who have high educational attainment. As age increases, so does the use of sleep aids.

Before taking Lunesta, you should tell your doctor if you have or have ever had:

• Thoughts about suicide
• Depression or other mental illness
• Lung disease or breathing problems
• Liver disease

Effects on the Mind and Body

The point of Lunesta is to fall asleep, so don’t take it during your normal waking hours. You should make sure you have at least 7-8 hours to sleep before taking it.

There have been instances of people taking Lunesta and then engaging in activities that they don’t remember later, such as driving, making phone calls, and eating. If this happens to you, talk to your doctor as Lunesta might not be right for you.

If you are traveling a long distance and have a lengthy car or plane ride, avoid taking Lunesta. You might be woken up before the medicine wears off and amnesia is more common if you don’t get a full 8 hours of sleep after taking the medication.

You should not take Lunesta if you’re pregnant as there haven’t been any rigorous or well-controlled trials of Lunesta use in pregnant women. It’s also unknown whether Lunesta is excreted in breast milk. As a result, a doctor should be consulted before a woman who is nursing takes Lunesta.

Short-Term Health Effects

Lunesta could cause severe allergic reactions. If you have any signs of a reaction, stop taking the medication and seek medical help. Signs of an allergic reaction include:

• Hives
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat
• Difficulty breathing

Some other short-term side effects of Lunesta include:

• Drowsiness during the day
• A “hungover” feeling
• Cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sneezing, etc.)
• Headache
• Unpleasant taste in your mouth

Long-Term Health Effects

A small group of people might experience more serious side effects, however. You should contact your doctor if you experience any of the following after taking Lunesta:

• Confusion or hallucinations
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Aggression or agitation
• Memory problems
• Thoughts of hurting yourself

When you’re going to stop taking Lunesta, you should consult a doctor. If you’ve been taking it for a long time or taking a high dose, withdrawal symptoms can occur.

These symptoms could include vomiting, sweating, shakiness, anxiety, and abdominal cramping. Your doctor should be consulted so they can decrease your dosage gradually so you can avoid withdrawal symptoms.

In addition to the short term and long term effects of Lunesta, you should also be aware of potential interactions with other drugs.

If you are taking any of the following, inform your doctor:

• Rifampin
• Antidepressants
• Seizure medications
• Ketoconazole
• Anti-anxiety medications

The interactions between these medications could have life-threatening effects.

Other drugs that could interact with Lunesta include over-the-counter medication, such as heartburn medicine or melatonin. Before you start taking Lunesta, be sure your doctor knows about any other prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs that you are taking.

Don’t stop taking any of your other prescribed drugs before talking to your doctor, however.

Which Drugs Are Commonly Used With Lunesta?

You should refrain from any drug or alcohol use while taking Lunesta as well. If you drink alcohol while taking Lunesta, the nervous system side effects of the drug may be magnified. The interaction between the alcohol and the Lunesta could result in increased dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and drowsiness.