Reading Time: 5 minutes
A glowing green moth swoops through the night and into an open window, circling the beds of restless sleepers while a soothing voice-over promises quick and easy relief from insomnia with Lunesta. This non-narcotic sleep aid delivers on that promise – but the eight hours of uninterrupted slumber it brings come with a cost.
Here’s a look at seven of the strange and potentially serious side effects of Lunesta.
What Makes Lunesta Different From Other Sleep Aids?
Lunesta (ezsopiclone) is a hypnotic, a kind of drug that depresses the central nervous system and slows down brain activity to encourage sleep. The actual mechanism by which Lunesta achieves this is largely unclear, although it seems to affect levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical connected to depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Unlike other classes of sleep aids, Lunesta can be taken for relatively long periods, although insomnia typically returns once the medication is stopped. Lunesta isn’t a narcotic, but quitting it suddenly can produce withdrawal symptoms similar to those of other addictive drugs.
Is Lunesta a Controlled Substance?
Yes, the FDA classifies it as a Schedule IV controlled substance. This means it has a low potential for abuse compared to other controlled substances, but it still requires a prescription and can lead to dependence with prolonged use.
Treating Sleepless Nights: Options for Older Adults
Many older adults in the United States struggle with sleep problems. While prescription drugs may seem like a quick fix, they can have drawbacks. Healthcare professionals often recommend non-medication approaches first, like behavioral therapies, to treat insomnia and anxiety disorders.
However, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional because certain medical conditions or medications can also disrupt sleep. Prescription drugs, while helpful in some cases, can have side effects like dry mouth or even increase the risk of allergic reactions or drug interactions. A healthcare professional can create a personalized plan that addresses the underlying cause of sleep problems and minimizes risks associated with long-term use of medications.
What are the Side Effects of Lunesta?
Memory loss is a potential side effect of Lunesta.
Though its advertisers downplay the darker side of Lunesta, this medication can cause a wide range of side effects, even when it’s taken as prescribed by a doctor. Mild side effects can include nausea, lightheadedness, vomiting and a metallic taste in the mouth. Some users also experience stomach cramping and short-term memory problems. Some of these effects subside once the body adjusts to the medication. But other, more serious, effects can be disorienting and dangerous.
Sleep Activity
The most widely publicized side effect of Lunesta is “sleep activity” similar to sleepwalking. But Lunesta users do much more than walk. While under its influence they may drive, eat, have sex, and a variety of other things – all without conscious awareness.
Lunesta users may wake in strange places, crash cars, and gain weight from binge eating they don’t recall. They might contract STDs from risky sex they’d never have when awake, or wake up with unexplained bruises or contusions.
Irritability and Aggression
Because it acts on receptors in the brain that are related to mood, Lunesta can cause generalized irritability, anger and aggressive behavior, even at prescribed doses. These effects can be amplified when Lunesta is used with alcohol or other mood regulating drugs or alcohol.
Impaired Coordination
Despite advertising claims that you’ll wake up bright eyed and alert after taking Lunesta, many users report problems with coordination and motor control, even days after using the drug. This can be a surprising cause of falls in elderly people who take Lunesta, and can affect efforts to drive or use machinery, computers and other tools.
Suicidal Thoughts
Lunesta’s connections to brain chemicals that affect mood mean that it can also intensify existing mood disorders such as depression and anxiety – or create them. Some users report having sudden thoughts of suicide, even though they might not normally feel that way. And for those who already struggle with depression and suicidal tendencies, Lunesta can create additional risk.
Hallucinations
Even when taken as prescribed, Lunesta can cause visual or aural hallucinations, especially if you’ve been awakened before the recommended eight hours of sleep. Hallucinations can persist into the next day or two of taking the medication, as part of the “brain fog” that can follow a dose.
Memory Loss
Short-term memory loss can be a part of the post-Lunesta fuzziness many people experience the day after taking it. But memory and cognition problems can persist even after you’re no longer using the medication.
Common FAQs About Lunesta
Is Lunesta a Narcotic?
While Lunesta is a schedule IV controlled substance that displays sedative effects similar to many narcotics, it is not traditionally defined as one. These days “narcotic” usually means an illegal substance taken for nonmedical purposes, and is typically used to describe opiates and synthetic opioids. Lunesta is also not a benzodiazepine. It is a hypnotic that promotes relaxation by stimulating the release of GABA in the brain.
Does Lunesta Cause Weight Gain?
Lunesta has not been shown to directly cause weight gain. Some subjects in Lunesta trials did gain weight, but this was mostly limited to individuals who ate more before falling asleep and not a direct cause of Lunesta itself.
Can Lunesta Cause Anxiety?
While some Lunesta users experience a mild increase in daytime anxiety when taking Lunesta, it was not a common side effect of the drug. In fact, many users generally report reduced anxiety when taken at night, especially due to increased drowsiness and improved quality of sleep. Some users have reported increased anxiety when they stopped taking Lunesta.
Is Lunesta Habit Forming or Addictive?
Lunesta can be strongly addictive, both psychologically and physically. Because insomnia often returns after quitting Lunesta, users may take higher doses and try to get hold of new prescriptions in order to get the same effects. Using Lunesta in combination with other drugs, prescribed or not, can raise the risk of severe complications or even death.
Can You Overdose on Lunesta?
Taking too much Lunesta can increase the chance of experiencing negative side effects however, these side effects are rarely life-threatening like an opioid overdose or other hard drug overdose. Learn more about overdosing on Lunesta.
Lunesta offers relief from moderate to severe insomnia – but its side effects can compromise your health and quality of life.