I suffered from insomnia for more than ten years, and I tried many different remedies to try to cure my sleeplessness. When my doctor prescribed Lunesta for me, I was hopeful and optimistic because he told me that Lunesta is the most commonly prescribed sleep medication in America. However, taking it was one of the worst mistakes of my life. Lunesta’s side effects were disastrous for me, and I have since learned that many people who take it experience similar results.
Lunesta is a sedative, also known as a hypnotic drug that is commonly prescribed as a sleep treatment. It affects chemicals in your brain that may be unbalanced and cause insomnia. While it is the most commonly used prescription medicine for insomnia in the United States, Lunesta’s side effects often prove to be harsh and unrelenting.
Lunesta's Side Effects: Severe & Worse
Lunesta often causes a severe allergic reaction. Also, many users of Lunesta have engaged in certain activities like eating, making phone calls, or even driving–and later have no memory whatsoever of doing these actions.
Lunesta’s side effects often impair your reactions or your thinking. Some people become agitated and even aggressive.
Many users of Lunesta have thoughts of hurting themselves, when they previously never experienced any thoughts of suicide.
Some people begin hallucinating and seeing or hearing things that are not really there. Amnesia and forgetfulness are common if you sleep less than 8 hours.
Another side effect of Lunesta is that it is habit-forming. People usually experience withdrawal symptoms after having been taking it for only a few days. It is classified as a “drug of abuse.”
And, of course, these common side effects are not mentioned much by doctors or drug companies. They will tell you that Lunesta is virtually safe and non-addictive when used properly. In other words, they will lie to your face so they can make more money.
The "Less Serious" Side Effects Of Lunesta
Many Lunesta users complain about day-time dizziness and drowsiness, and commonly report that they feel like they have a hangover. A lot of people cannot concentrate and experience memory problems.
It is not uncommon to suffer headaches, stomach pain, constipation, and skin rashes. Almost every Lunesta user experiences dry mouth and an unpleasant taste on their tongue.
Many people suffer from anxiety, nervousness, and depression. An analysis of clinical trials submitted to the Food and Drug Administration found that sedative hypnotic drugs more than doubled the risk of developing depression! Other studies have concluded that users of sedative hypnotic drugs have a markedly raised suicide risk.
All in all, from my experiences and research on this drug, I have found that Lunesta’s side effects are far worse and much more harmful than using other, safer remedies for insomnia. I cured my insomnia without ANY drugs – much less dangerous ones like Lunesta, and so can you.
Cathy says
January 30, 2012 at 3:46 pmI was prescribed the 3 mg dose of lunesta and ended up with horrific urinary issues. After 4 weeks I finally found a urologist that put 2 and 2 together and realized that it was the lunesta causing all of my problems, my symptoms started out as frequent urination but I had no it infection. As my symptoms got worse I started taking lunesta more often just so I could sleep. I ended up with severe pain and an ulcerated bladder . These side effects are all listed in the fine print. It is unfortunate that the doctor who prescribed me the drug–an obgyn–was unaware of theses side effects– I could have been diagnosed so much sooner.
BlissPlan says
February 1, 2012 at 6:48 amCathy,
Wow, that is a true horror story. I’m so sorry that you had such a horrible time. But how fortunate that you realized what was causing your symptoms so that you could stop the urinary problems. If they had dragged on for years they might have caused serious damage.
Thanks so much for sharing. Perhaps you have saved some other people from such misery.
alex says
January 2, 2013 at 10:50 amthis is So helpful. i just started lunesta once in awhilea few weeks ago and was taking more of it in the last week and I suddenly got a urinary tract infection that is getting worse. now i knowhat to do.
BlissPlan says
January 3, 2013 at 11:33 amAlex, we’re so glad that this post is helpful to you. Good luck with your infection and we hope it stops when/if you give up the Lunesta. (Sydney)
Wendy says
March 2, 2012 at 12:54 amThis is what I did to help my sleep…zinc, Vit A, 10,000 IU daily, 2000mg of fish oil daily and 5000IU of vit D3 daily. Not eating gluten/dairy/soy/sugar and taking vitamins/good oils and LDN which helps to block Celiac, EDTA/DMPS IV chelation to remove heavy metals blocking my thyroid and Armour thyroid medicine and more. Low oxygen in my brain caused me not to sleep. I now need bioidentical hormones also to help me sleep. Sleeping drugs did not help me sleep and didn’t let me drive the car well the next day. Tests to diagnose Celiac may not work. Best wishes.
BlissPlan says
March 4, 2012 at 11:53 amWendy, it sounds as though you have tried a lot of approaches to get some sleep. Thanks for sharing your great list.
Anita says
March 2, 2013 at 11:03 pmWhat is LDN?
BlissPlan says
March 4, 2013 at 8:08 amLDN: “is short for Naltrexone Hydrochloride (C20H23NO4-HCl), an opiate antagonist. Naltrexone was approved by the FDA (at a 50mg dosage) in 1984 for opiate addiction, and again in 1995 for alcohol abuse. At a much lower dose (1.75-4.5mg), it has been gaining popularity as a treatment for symptoms of auto-immune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis. Low Dose Naltrexone is administered orally, usually in capsule form.”
StupidInsomnia says
May 29, 2014 at 10:44 amI love lunesta. I’ve taken many meds and none of them worked. I had a nightmare experience with ambian that no wants to hear about, trust me. so I switched to lunesta. I have to take heavy sleep meds because I basically have the same sleep symptoms Michael Jackson had. not at all uncommon for me to be awake for four to five days at a time with NO sleep. no street drugs. no alchohol. couldn’t work because of it, so no job stress. my body simply will not shut down. been this way all my life. I am very poor and can’t afford all the tests, so finding a med that worked and kept me out of the hospital was life or death. lunesta for me is like mana from heaven. I have no noticeable side affects. no dry mouth or foul taste on my tongue. I don’t feel groggy in the morning. I am on the highest dosage since the lower dosages didn’t work for me. I am wary of all sleeping pills since my little mid night stroll on ambian, but I have no choice. have had no problems with sleep walking on lunesta. my husband is a diff sleep schedule and watches me like a hawk now after I go to bed. after ambian, all sleeping pills scare me though.
BlissPlan says
May 29, 2014 at 1:24 pmIf it works for you, great! We’re glad you found an answer.
Jerry Meador says
August 8, 2014 at 9:03 amLunesta has been a Godsend to me. I have severe PTSD from serving in Vietnam and the Korean war, I had tried Ambien but it did not help me sleep, but I had no bad side effects. I have been using Lunesta for about 4 years and I get about 7 hrs of no interrupted. I use them every night and I have not experienced any bad side effects. I am not drowsy are dizzy. Well yes. My wife says I have been dizzy {nuts} all my life.
BlissPlan says
August 9, 2014 at 11:15 amJerry, we’re happy that Lunesta works well for you. Thanks for your input.
BlissPlan says
January 4, 2015 at 10:47 amJen, I’m sorry but we can’t tell you about the bad taste in your mouth since nobody around here takes Lunesta. Feeling ‘hung over’ is a real bummer, though.
insomniac78 says
January 7, 2015 at 5:47 amHello everyone I just stumbled across this post I have been on ambien and Xanax for insomnia for 4 years needless to say they no longer work. I asked to try Lunesta it didn’t work!! I had a horrible taste in my mouth like I been poisoned and it gave me a mild headache so my only other option is to try to find a way to do fall asleep naturally again. I honestly don’t know how to fall asleep on my own no more.
BlissPlan says
January 10, 2015 at 9:23 amAngie, I know exactly what you mean. I had the same problem for YEARS and nobody appreciates how awful it is until they have insomnia. Getting off the pills is a great start, though. Here’s how I solved my insomnia problem: http://www.blissplan.com/products/cant-sleep/. I wrote that just to help fellow sufferers like you. And best of luck to you, regardless of what you do to learn to sleep again because you ‘nailed’ the problem with using pills: not knowing how to sleep on your own once you quit using them.
J Hawkins says
January 31, 2015 at 2:02 pmI take Lunesta for CLL seems to be OK but it is powerful the first 24 hours after the injection!
HustlaDaRabbit says
June 3, 2015 at 2:23 pmI’ve been taking Lunesta for 18 months, give or take. While it does put me to sleep, I can’t actually co-sign on it being a useful tool for stopping insomnia. Most often than not insomnia is caused by; excessive cell phone/tv/computer usage; being indoors under artificial light too much and not getting natural, real sunlight; having a poor diet; not exercising enough; and the frequently unavoidable need to fit in an 8 hour block of sleep inside of a predetermined, scheduled window of time, instead of the biphasal sleeping schedule our ancestors were accustomed to. Some slept when it was dark, and were awake when it was daylight. Some slept when it was daylight, and were awake when it was dark. Some slept in 2 3-4 hour blocks, with an awake period in between.
The sleep I get on Lunesta is better than Ambien sleep, but still causes all sorts of memory problems, rage, anxiety, sadness, and a constant need to urinate.
I’m sick of not being able to eat food 2-3 hours before bed, being in a constant cloud of confusion, and being unacceptably impatient/angry with people for seemingly no reason. I’m going to flush the Lunesta, and use melatonin and ZMA only. Enough of this crap.