Eszopiclone and Insomnia: What Users Say

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

Eszopiclone 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..."

• Fli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2018

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I was on Lunesta for occasional insomnia, and it worked fairly well for my insomnia when I took it on an empty stomach (minimum a few hours after dinner). That being said, it is very addictive. I’ve never had issues with substance dependence, but after taking it for several days, I got severe rebound insomnia. It also is very tolerance-prone. Withdrawing from it was horrible and lasted for over a week, with a constant migraine-level headache, chills, nausea, diarrhea, shooting nerve pains, tremors, and absolutely terrible insomnia. So my advice, if you use it for insomnia, then set a limit for yourself. It’s a godsend for occasional insomnia, but don’t take it for more than three nights in a row and make sure to wait a few days after using it to reduce rebound and tolerance effects. It really is a good drug for insomnia, but treat it with the caution and respect it deserves because the dependence and withdrawal are horrible."

• Fli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2018

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I was on Lunesta for occasional insomnia, and it worked fairly well for my insomnia when I took it on an empty stomach (minimum a few hours after dinner). That being said, it is very addictive. I’ve never had issues with substance dependence, but after taking it for several days, I got severe rebound insomnia. It also is very tolerance-prone. Withdrawing from it was horrible and lasted for over a week, with a constant migraine-level headache, chills, nausea, diarrhea, shooting nerve pains, tremors, and absolutely terrible insomnia. So my advice, if you use it for insomnia, then set a limit for yourself. It’s a godsend for occasional insomnia, but don’t take it for more than three nights in a row and make sure to wait a few days after using it to reduce rebound and tolerance effects. It really is a good drug for insomnia, but treat it with the caution and respect it deserves because the dependence and withdrawal are horrible."

• Trb...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 31, 2016

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I have been off and on Lunesta 3 mg for over 10 years. The reason I get off of it, I gain a tolerance to it, so I have to try something else so I can get Lunesta out of my system. Usually, I get on Valium 10 mg or stronger because nothing else works. I can stay awake for weeks. Yes, weeks. My longest time staying awake, 20 days. Lunesta works for a lot of people, I just have a high tolerance to most medications."

• Anonymous
• January 24, 2009

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Started taking this drug after having trouble dealing with anxiety at bedtime, and I honestly could not have asked for a more effective drug or excellent results. Unfortunately, finally built up resistance to 3 mg; at that point, I had to stop taking it and did so the wrong way. Went cold turkey and did not sleep for three nights in a row even though I was taking Benadryl x3 and a Rozerem. Been trying different non-sedating (hypnotic/non-benzodiazepine) sleep aids and have found nothing close to Lunesta yet."

• Tam...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 26, 2018

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Love Lunesta: for me there is a huge difference between Lunesta and generic eszopiclone. With Lunesta, I always went to sleep within 10 minutes, stayed asleep, and woke refreshed and clear-headed. Eszopiclone, the generic, gave me migraines 2 hours after taking it, nausea, and insomnia. Now my insurance has stopped paying for Lunesta, they will only pay for eszopiclone, and it is so horrible!! Lunesta now costs $450 out of pocket."

• Kat...
• November 28, 2015

Eszopiclone 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."

• Ssq...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2018

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I hate Lunesta. I have bad insomnia, and this medication made it way worse! It literally makes me not sleep at all! In the last 2 days, I've totaled 4 hours of sleep. Took it at 9 PM, laid down, and 30 mins later, eyes wide open both nights. Gave in at 4 AM, took some Benadryl in hopes of some sleep. Slept 2 hours, then bam, wide awake. At one point, I literally had to stop myself from getting up to mop my entire house, lol. I guess I'll keep it around if I ever need to pull an all-nighter to clean."

• Ssq...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2018

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I hate Lunesta. I have bad insomnia, and this medication made it way worse! It literally makes me not sleep at all! In the last 2 days, I've totaled 4 hours of sleep. Took it at 9 PM, laid down, and 30 mins later, eyes wide open both nights. Gave in at 4 AM, took some Benadryl in hopes of some sleep. Slept 2 hours, then bam, wide awake. At one point, I literally had to stop myself from getting up to mop my entire house, lol. I guess I'll keep it around if I ever need to pull an all-nighter to clean."

• Hda...
• October 17, 2017

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Recently, I got married, and my insurance changed. The new insurance would not pay for the sleeping medicine I have been on for the last two years. They said I had to try Lunesta, Ambien, or one other before they would approve it. Last night made one full week that I was on Lunesta. Here are the reasons why I HATE it: 1. My mouth gets dry. 2. In the morning, my mouth tastes like I've been drinking spoiled milk. 3. I am so very depressed, I take antidepressants already. 4. I am so exhausted I do not feel like I can function. 5. I do not stay asleep. 6. I feel like the entire world could implode around me, and I still would not care. This medicine is by far the worst thing I've ever been on. I wouldn't even recommend this medication to anyone!!!"

• Ms ...
• September 16, 2009

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I had taken Ambien on and off for several years. It seemed to be the ticket to a good night's rest. Then, it was less effective a few times. The major problem was that I had to lose an entire night's sleep to break away from it if taken for more than 3 nights in a row. Still, I thought it was worth it just to get some sleep. Then, one night I had what I now know is commonly called an 'Ambien nightmare.' Recently, I got the flu. The Tamiflu sparked insomnia once again. I started taking Lunesta. It tastes bad, but it is worth it. I can take it up to 1 hour before bed or 5 minutes, and it relaxes me. If I happen to wake up, I can go back to sleep! Wonderful! What a new life for me! Ready to hop up in the mornings now!"

• IMH...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2020

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "On one of the nights I didn't remember, I apparently walked over to our stand-alone ice maker and put coffee filters in there. There was water from melted ice all over the floor, plus some of the ice had melted and re-solidified under the big ice bucket. That's when I asked my doctor for a change. He put me on 3 mg of Lunesta, and it was as if it had the opposite effect on me. I was awake all that entire night, even after trying to add Benadryl several hours later out of desperation. I was also awake the entire next day, and that night as well. This is with taking only 1 pill!! My body finally let me take a ½ nap on the 3rd night. And I am happy to report that I called my doctor and got right back on the Ambien! I need some kind of sleep. Even if I think the ice maker is going to magically make coffee. Lol."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2019

For Insomnia "Took eszopiclone for a few weeks. It was certainly effective for insomnia. I was out like a light within 30 mins. But coming off them wasn't easy as they work similar to benzodiazepines. I was only on eszopiclone 2 weeks but had terrible rebound insomnia when my script ran out. Took hours to fall asleep or not at all. On the nights I did manage to get to sleep quick, I was waking up every hour, very annoying. It took 2 months to get a full night's sleep without waking up. From what I hear, it's best to take this medication only 2 or a maximum of 3 nights a week to avoid the rebound insomnia. So just tread carefully with this med. Good luck with your treatment as I know from personal experience that chronic insomnia is just awful and anything that will put me to sleep can be very tempting."

• Jac...
• October 25, 2021

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "It doesn't work at all for me. My doctor prescribed 5 mg. I was so disappointed. I'm exhausted. I'm feeling out of sorts due to lack of sleep. It may work for some people, but nothing for me. Not a wink. I'm waiting on a return call from my doctor. I must add the price was $150.00 with my insurance for 30 pills. So, so disappointed and so, so tired."

• Buz...
• October 8, 2017

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "This drug is horrible. I was given this drug because I wasn't sleeping more than 2 hours a night. I took it for 4 nights, and it made the sleep problems worse. On the fourth day, it started messing with my head. I stopped taking it. I went on the Lunesta message board and found a lot of other people who had the same reaction. Some people even had worse problems with this drug."

• Db5...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 5, 2016

For Insomnia "Only one side effect. Keeps me wide awake! Going to talk to the pharmacist tomorrow. Almost a week now. Horrible sleep deprivation, feelings of depression, confusion, sadness, crying spells, and lethargy. Something VERY wrong with this generic brand of Lunesta. I've been on another generic brand of Lunesta for approx. 3 years. Last refill was darker blue in color, this one is a lighter blue."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2019

For Insomnia "I currently am taking 20 mg Prozac and trying to wean to 10 mg, so I was experiencing difficulty sleeping. I had been using Ativan to help on the nights when sleep came with difficulty. My doctor prescribed me Zoplicone instead. I started it last weekend, and the first night it worked like a charm. I've used it on and off since then, and last night didn't take any and had a full-blown episode of insomnia. I likely won't continue using it, as I fear it is habit-forming."

• Wid...
• November 6, 2017

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "After heart surgery in 2014, I went from having normal sleep to insomnia and vivid dreams. After 10 months, I have been taking medications and dietary supplements. I have recently tried Lunesta, and I have found that I only get 2-3 hours of sleep on Lunesta, and I do have that taste in my mouth when I went to a doctor. We have been trying different medications the next day. Ambien works great, but it is a wicked medication to take for very long. You build up a tolerance to it, and the withdrawals, for me, are 2 nights without any sleep. My doctor and I are still working on a treatment and a cure. Medical marijuana is out of the question for me but has been recommended by my Colorado relatives, but I'm not going there."

• bet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2016

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "took Lunesta for 3 weeks, horrible side effects: increased crazy amounts of anxiety, insomnia, weird feelings in my stomach, thought 'I was going off the rails.'"