Lunesta - an overview
Lunesta, active ingredient eszopicline, is a sleep medicine that is prescribed to treat insomnia. It belongs to the group of medicines known as hypnotics or sedatives.
The maker
Sepracor, Inc. is the maker of Lunesta.
How it works
Lunesta belongs to the group of medicines known as hypnotics or sedatives. They are more frequently called sleep medications. Like many other kinds of sleep medicines, there is the potential for abuse and it can be abused.
Benefits
This medicine has been studied in many clinical trials in the treating of insomnia. Studies of chronic insomnia sufferers found that those that took this medicine were able to fall asleep more quickly and were able to sleep for longer amounts of time than those that did not take this medicine. The results were similar in studies with those that had occasional insomnia.
Studies have also found that this medicine has the potential to cause mild worsening of sleeplessness after stopping taking Lunesta. Symptoms of rebound insomnia were usually apparent for only a night after the medication was stopped. After this time, people got back to their usual sleeping schedules.
Dosage for Insomnia
The starting dosage of Lunesta that is most commonly recommended for young through middle aged adults with sleeplessness is Lunesta 2 mg, to be taken just before bed. In some who have a hard time maintaining sleep, it may be appropriate to start at a dosage of 3 mg, to be taken just before bed. For those that start taking a lower dose, the dosage can be increased to 3 mg if necessary.
In elderly individuals, the starting dose of this medication will depend on the kind of sleeplessness the patient is suffering. When it's trouble getting to sleep that is the problem, the beginning dosage of Lunesta is 1 mg, to be taken just before bed. When the problem for elderly people is staying asleep, the doctor may prescribe a dosage of 2 mg, taken just before bed.
Secondary Effects
All medications have the potential for secondary effects. The same is true with Lunesta. Not all people that take Lunesta will notice secondary effects and Lunesta is generally tolerated well. If you do notice secondary effects, they will likely be minor and not require treatment.
Most of the commonly reported secondary effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Unpleasant taste
- Headache
Lunesta strengths
Tablets of Lunesta can be found in these strengths: 1 mg; 2 mg; 3 mg
Generic forms
At this time, there is not a generic form of this medication available.
