Lunesta and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• DAW...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 28, 2020

For Insomnia "When I take Lunesta, it makes me sleepy and I am able to fall asleep pretty fast. However, I wake up about 2 hours later and then pretty much every hour on the hour after that. I feel like I'm in and out of it the rest of the night and can't tell when I'm really asleep or awake except when I roll over and look at the clock every hour or so and wonder if I will ever get any sleep. I feel exhausted all of the time..."

• Jec...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 18, 2016

For Insomnia "My experience with Lunesta was a bit difficult. The brand name (which I never believed was any different than generic) worked WONDERS for me for years! But after insurance, it was $50 per month. You get this lovely (awful) metallic taste in your mouth right before it kicks in, and it stays - so the trick is to brush your teeth AND tongue, drink OJ, it'll pass. Then the generic came out (YAY CHEAPER), and ALL I got was the metallic taste. No sleep. If you need sleep and have the $, go brand name and enjoy your slumber! 2mg was the perfect dose for me as 3mg made me a bit drowsy."

• Kat...
• November 28, 2015

For Insomnia "I originally was prescribed 2 mg, which stopped working after a few weeks. I then was upped to 3 mg, which worked like a charm, but then after a month or so, again stopped working. And if my sleep was interrupted, it caused me to feel drunk. I still take this, but I take it now at a pill and a half. It's frustrating that tolerance builds up so quickly, but otherwise it works well if you follow exactly how to take it."

• nos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2017

For Insomnia "I have C-PTSD, bipolar 2, and BPD. I have super intense nightmares/dreams and wake up 700 times a night and have difficulty falling asleep. I'm immune to Ambien, reacted awfully to Rimeron, Trazodone, and Melatonin did nothing. Prescribed Seroquel 100 mg/night for sleep. Worked for 2 months but left me feeling groggy in the mornings, difficulty waking up, lots of weight gain, and sugar cravings. Yuck. Saw psych yesterday and switched from Seroquel to Lunesta 3 mg. I was kind of worried because of the horrible reviews but first night, no weird taste, remember everything that happened last night, fell asleep within an hour, slept great! Woke up on time, not groggy, fully rested!!"

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2021

For Insomnia "Worked okay for insomnia, but I remained insanely sleepy the next day, to the point I could barely function. Also, my depression started getting worse, and I had unexplainable diarrhea. I didn't put two and two together until I started reading up on side effects. These symptoms all went away almost immediately after I discontinued. Be very cautious if you have problems with major depression."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 20, 2019

For Insomnia "I took 2.5 mg of Lunesta the other night. I felt drowsy initially, but when I went to try and fall asleep, I couldn't. I laid in bed, exhausted and unable to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I took it again the second night, and I may have caught an hour or two of sleep. I'm honestly not sure. I know they say to give it a week or two to kick in, but my sleep is worse than it was before. It's going to be a long and exhausting few weeks."

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2010

For Insomnia "I have had the best sleep with Lunesta since menopause. Ambien made me feel groggy and irritated. I did not even sleep all the way through the night. I'd take it and wonder some nights if I was even going to fall asleep. With Lunesta, I've been taking one about every 3 nights to fall asleep and stay asleep. If I get up to go to the bathroom, I can fall right back to sleep! Amazing. I have a new insurance company, and they want me to try Ambien again and Sonata! There is no way that I want to go trying other medicines when this one works for me. I think I'll buy it myself."

• hte...
• July 20, 2010

For Insomnia "I've been using Lunesta for almost a week now, and it's wonderful! It puts me to sleep relatively quickly (20 minutes as opposed to the several hours it usually takes). It keeps me asleep 8 hours, sometimes longer if I don't have to work in the morning. There is a bit of a 'nasty' taste in the mouth in the morning, but it isn't that bad and goes away after breakfast and teeth brushing. Also, the first few days I was a little drowsy still after waking up, probably because the medicine was still in effect and my body wasn't used to so much sleep at once. Now I wake up energized, and I would definitely recommend this medicine to others! A little pricey though."

• Dal...
• October 15, 2017

For Insomnia "Genuinely hate this medicine! The side effects of dry mouth and a terrible taste (even though pills are coated) make it impossible not to drink extra water. Drinking extra water caused me to wake to pee in the middle of the night every night. One night I was so groggy and out of it - feeling really drugged - I fell and hit my head, shoulder, and elbow. In the week I took Lunesta, I never got more than 4-5 hours of sleep and each night had to use the bathroom. My sleep tracker showed little REM. Dry mouth was constant day and night. I never woke refreshed once and always felt like I had a residual “hangover” of a drugged feeling in the AM. I took Lunesta because Ambien seemed to stop working for me. I took it years ago and couldn’t remember why I disliked it."

• Dal...
• October 15, 2017

For Insomnia "Genuinely hate this medicine! The side effects of dry mouth and a terrible taste (even though pills are coated) make it impossible not to drink extra water. Drinking extra water caused me to wake to pee in the middle of the night every night. One night I was so groggy and out of it - feeling really drugged - I fell and hit my head, shoulder, and elbow. In the week I took Lunesta, I never got more than 4-5 hours of sleep and each night had to use the bathroom. My sleep tracker showed little REM. Dry mouth was constant day and night. I never woke refreshed once and always felt like I had a residual “hangover” of a drugged feeling in the AM. I took Lunesta because Ambien seemed to stop working for me. I took it years ago and couldn’t remember why I disliked it."

• Jon...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2023

"This saved my life. After a bad bout of COVID turned long COVID activated autoimmune disease in me, one side effect was sleep apnea overnight. I'm an in-shape, fairly skinny guy. Every time I'd doze off, I would gasp awake like I would shock myself awake. Almost like something scared me. After months of symptoms and no help from doctors, I felt like I was dying. Before being prescribed steroids, I hadn't realized that my soft palate not only had swelling issues but would close easily suddenly (I'm a back sleeper by nature). I never slept and looked like I aged 10 years in months. In my town, specialists are 6-month plus referrals, but I lucked out, finally, one of my doctors prescribed Lunesta. Game changer. Lunesta lowers your sensation waking triggers or 'respiratory arousal threshold' and evidently is an effective treatment for some forms of sleep apnea. Thanks to Lunesta, I got my life back, and 2 mg about an hour before bed gets me a solid 8 hours. I do get groggy in the AM, but it wears off."

• Anonymous
• July 20, 2009

For Insomnia "I used this medicine to help me fall asleep. While it did work and I fell right asleep, the next day I felt groggy and had a metallic taste in my mouth, accompanied by ringing in my ears. The side effects far outweighed the benefits of this medicine for me."

• Ktb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2017

For Insomnia "I took 3 mg my first night. I was so groggy, I don't remember anything from about two hours before bed, and I had the WORST TIME waking up this AM. I was so groggy and cranky and again can barely remember anything until I started finally getting up and around. This is super strong, I took 3 mg, but for someone who goes days without sleeping, I'll take these side effects over no sleep any day. I am taking the generic. At least give it a try. I have to for insurance purposes, and I'm pretty glad I did. My doctor says the grogginess will fade after a while."

• Lmm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 17, 2022

For Insomnia "I used Lunesta for approximately one year. Coming from someone who tried all lesser 'evils' (melatonin (and other natural crap), hydroxyzine, trazodone, diphenhydramine, SSRIs, benzodiazepines, meditation, improved sleep hygiene), Lunesta was a godsend. I've had insomnia since I was a teenager, and as a 30-year-old adult, a medical professional, I was sick of insomnia ruling and ruining my body and mind. It worked great for a year, with three complaints: 1) the metallic taste is second to licking a battery, 2) I got daytime grogginess I accounted to mental health but was actually this drug, 3) I became tolerant to it after one year with STRICT normal use. Went from 2mg to 3mg to it only worked with 4mg+/dose. I had to switch to something else because that's unacceptable. I've been on 10mg Ambien for a little over a year, and it works as good, if not better, without taste issues, daytime fog, or any tolerance so far. Only complaint-- rarely it makes me feel a bit 'high.'"

• chi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 6, 2019

For Insomnia "In 2013, my PCP prescribed this for me for insomnia. At that time, I would fall asleep quickly by 10-11:00 pm but awaken by 3-4:00 am & could not go back to sleep. The first night I took this med, I slept quite well. I opened my eyes and the bedroom was upside down. I was so scared. I rubbed my eyes, and the room went right side up, allowing me to go to the bathroom. As I sit on the toilet, with my eyes closed, then open them up, the bathroom went upside down. I was freaking out. I repeated the eye rubbing process, and everything went normal again. I was groggy the whole day & night. I was prescribed 5 mg. The next evening, I cut the pill in half, and I was fine the next morning, but the grogginess continued. I couldn’t even drive my car for 2-3 days. I continue to have sleep problems of a different nature but am fearful to try it again. Melatonin 3, 5, 7 mg works for 1-2 days, then it’s no longer effective."

• Hea...
• November 30, 2017

For Insomnia "I have been dealing with major insomnia for the past 2 months. After trying other sleep meds (which didn't work), I was prescribed 1 mg of Lunesta before bed. It took about an hour to put me to sleep. I got about 5 disturbed hours of sleep. I tossed and turned all night and woke up feeling like I'd had 1 hour of sleep. Then the bad part came: the morning. I woke up super drowsy, had intense anxiety, OCD, tremors, chest and nasal congestion, stomach upset, and shortness of breath. I was also super emotional and cried uncontrollably all day. These symptoms lasted all day. All that for basically no sleep on this pill?! Needless to say, I will never take this pill again! The side effects are worse than anything I've experienced!"

• lot...
• June 11, 2021

For Insomnia "I decided to give Lunesta a try after Ambien stopped working. The first night, I took the whole 3 mg pill. BLECH!!! I woke up many times throughout the night with a HORRIBLE bitter, metallic taste and dry mouth. I learned that the bitter taste is not the taste of the pill itself but related to the levels of Lunesta in your blood serum. That is to say, it is not bitterness from the pill touching your mouth, it is being excreted into your saliva during the metabolization process. The next night, I split the pill and took half. Still had some bitterness in my mouth, but NOTHING like it was the first night. I also drank it with a glass of orange juice, as it was suggested elsewhere. Sleepwise, Lunesta does some weird things: crazy dreams and seemingly fractured sleep. I also wake up very groggy."

• Ats...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2025

For Insomnia "Lunesta made me feel groggy the following morning, and I was in a pretty crummy feeling for most of the day before it finally left my system. Would match rather Ambien or Sonata. Even more than those would be the newer ones, Dayvigo and Belsomra."

• Nel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2024

For Insomnia "Works for me. I get 6-7 hours of sleep. Bad taste in my mouth. Kind of groggy some mornings."