Lunesta
Sleeping Pill Reviews and
Ratings -- Based on Data From Over 300 Users
What You Need To Know
Lunesta (Eszopiclone) is a presciption sleeping drug that's
used to treat insomnia. About half of its users find it to help
their sleeplessness and half say it works only OK or not at
all.
Lunesta tends to have less serious side effects than Ambien
(according to our Ambien research)
as well as far fewer instances of dependence and tolerance development.
Detailed
Research Findings
SleepLikeTheDead.com
collected reviews and comments about Lunesta from 303 users
of the sleep aid. The sources for the data are more than
25 online message boards in which Lunesta users share with others
their experiences related to taking the drug.
Our research finding are organized into four sections: Effectiveness,
Side Effects, Addiction and Tolerance.
All gathered data was spontaneously volunteered by Lunestra
users and was not the result of any organized, scientific data
collection effort.
Lunesta
Effectiveness
Does Lunesta work? Out of the 303 users included in the data
259 commented on how effective the drug is for them. Out of
these 259 users, 126 indicated that the Lunesta pill is effective;
73 reported that it worked OK; and 60 indicated it was not effective.
In other words, 49% of the 259 users said it was effective;
28% said it worked OK; and 23% said it was not effective.
|
Effective
|
|
49
percent |
|
Works
OK
|
|
28
percent |
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Not
effective
|
|
23
percent |
|
|
|
|
|
Effective
Using Lunesta results in a complete night's sleep, or at minimum
enough sleep so that the user can function adequately the
next day.
Works OK
Using Lunesta gives some insomnia relief, but not enough to
provide for an adequate night's rest.
Not effective
The drug provides little or no relief from sleeplessness.
Lunesta
Side Effects
Virtually
all of the 303 users included in our research indicated whether
the drug causes side effects in them or not. Below are the percentages.
47% indicated that they do, at least in their opinion, experience
one or more side effects. |
Top Side Effects
Based on
our data, the top 15 side effects reported by Lunesta users
are listed and described here.
|
|
|
138
Users |
|
|
Anxiety
/ panic attacks
|
|
45
Users |
|
|
|
|
34
Users |
|
|
|
|
25
Users |
|
|
|
|
24
Users |
|
|
|
|
18
Users |
|
|
|
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13
Users |
|
|
|
|
12
Users |
|
|
|
|
11
Users |
|
|
|
|
8
Users |
|
|
|
|
7
Users |
|
|
|
|
7
Users |
|
|
|
|
7
Users |
|
|
|
|
4
Users |
|
|
|
|
4
Users |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leaves bad taste in mouth
Lunesta leaves a bitter or metallic-like taste in the mouth
that often remains for as long as one is on the medication.
Some users report that the taste goes away after time, possibly
because they have gotten used to it. A few people report a
loss in appetite because of the taste in their mouth. For
more on this issue, see our article Lunesta
Bad Taste in Mouth.
Anxiety / panic attacks
A quickly pumping heart / chest palpitations, sweating, trembling,
shaking, tingling, numbness, paranoia, restlessness, chest
pain, shortness of breath and other anxiety-related symptoms
occur at least sometimes and often on a regular basis. For
more on this issue, see our article Lunesta
Anxiety / Panic Attacks.
Drowsy next day
Drowsiness, tiredness, grogginess, dizziness and / or a "foggy"
feeling are present the day after taking Lunesta.
Headaches
Headaches or migraines occur during the day and / or night.
Vivid dreams
Strange, bizarre and memorable dreams are experienced.
Nightmares
Disturbing and occasionally violent dreams or night terrors
are experienced, often with distress to the person.
Ear ringing
A constant ringing in the ears or Tinnitus are experienced.
Nausea
The Lunesta user can feel queasiness or unease in the stomach
with an urge to vomit.
MS-like symptoms
Symptoms often associated with Multiple Sclerosis are experienced,
such as tingling, numbness, loss of balance and weakness in
arms and legs.
Thirsty
Dry mouth or cotton mouth occur.
Indigestion
The user has a vague feeling of stomach discomfort, possibly
including bloating, belching and pain.
Memory loss
Memory loss in this context means an inability of the Lunesta
user to remember what has happened after taking the drug,
including what the user did and / or said.
Feel drugged
Users experience a "high" and lessened mental and
physical ability, especially if they do not fall asleep immediately
after taking Lunesta.
Hallucinations
Users experience false or distorted sensory information, usually
shortly after taking the medication.
Sleepwalking
Sleep walking includes activities that are often associated
with wakefulness but happens while the person is asleep or
in a sleep-like state.
Lunesta
Addiction
5% of the Lunesta users in our research indicated having
an addiction to the drug.
This does not necessarily mean that users experienced withdrawal
symptoms when they stopped using Lunesta. Rather, the users
said that they had developed a dependence because they sleep
worse for sometime upon ending the use of the drug than they
did before use began.
Lunesta
Tolerance
8%
of users in our research said that they developed a tolerance
to the medication.
This means that the drug would lose at least some of its effectiveness
and that increasing the dosage would be required to maintain
the drug's ability to help one overcome insomnia.
The vast majority of those who reported developing a tolerance
were those users who took the drug regularly for at least one
month. However, a significant number of long-term users of Lunesta
reported developing no tolerance to the drug.
Related
information
Luneata vs. Ambien
Comparison
Ambian Ratings
Page last updated: July 2008
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