Taking very high doses of Lunesta, or taking doses more frequently than prescribed, can result in an overdose. Symptoms of Lunesta overdose are often treatable once medical attention is sought. How long the recovery process takes may depend on the amount taken, overall health, and whether or not the person was struggling with Lunesta abuse or addiction. According to the previous study, overdosing on Lunesta alone is unlikely to lead to death.
Overdose is most dangerous when someone has mixed Lunesta with other substances, like alcohol or other CNS depressants. This does not downplay the seriousness of overdose. Accidental overdoses can happen with medications like Lunesta, but an overdose can also be an intentional act by someone struggling with suicidal thoughts.
One of the potential side effects of Lunesta is worsening depression in people who have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts. The risk for this can be even higher when someone is abusing Lunesta or taking it in high doses. Other concerning side effects and consequences of high doses of Lunesta may include:. There are several risk factors that can increase the risk of overdosing on Lunesta.
Some of these are signs of drug abuse. Others, such as age, require caution when prescribing and may require monitoring of medication as needed. Developing an addiction to Lunesta or abusing the drug for its effects is less common than abusing other sedatives such as benzodiazepines. Overdose, however, can be a significant warning sign that someone has a problem, and may require formal treatment beyond medical stabilization.
Chronic use of Lunesta and taking higher doses than prescribed can increase the risk of someone developing a physical dependence on the drug. This can make it harder for someone to stop using Lunesta. Women and men are equally susceptible to impairment from Lunesta, so the recommended starting dose of 1 mg is the same for both. The 1 mg dose can be increased to 2 mg or 3 mg if needed, but the higher doses are more likely to result in next-day impairment of driving and other activities that require full alertness.
We caution patients taking a 3 mg dose against driving or engaging in other activities that require complete mental alertness the day after use. We have approved changes to the Lunesta prescribing information and the patient Medication Guide to include these new recommendations. The drug labels for generic eszopiclone products will also be updated to include these changes. We are continuing to evaluate the risk of impaired mental alertness with the entire class of sleep aid drugs, including over-the-counter drugs available without a prescription, and will update the public as new information becomes available.
Health care professionals and patients can refer to our Sleep Disorder Sedative-Hypnotic Drug Information Web page to find updated information and access the latest labels for insomnia drugs. In a double-blind study of 91 healthy adults between 25 and 40 years old, the effects of Lunesta 3 mg on psychomotor function were assessed the following morning, between 7.
Measures included tests of psychomotor coordination that are correlated with the ability to maintain a motor vehicle in the driving lane, tests of working memory, and subjective perception of sedation and coordination. Compared with placebo, Lunesta 3 mg was associated with next-morning psychomotor and memory impairment that was most severe at 7.
Subjective perception of sedation and coordination from Lunesta 3 mg was not consistently different from placebo, even though the subjects were objectively impaired.
Lunesta 3 mg had an impairing effect almost as large as zopiclone 7. Zopiclone, which is not approved in the United States, causes consistent psychomotor impairment such that it is often used as a positive control in driving impairment studies. Facts about eszopiclone A sedative-hypnotic sleep medicine used to treat insomnia in adults Marketed under the brand name Lunesta and also as generics In , there were approximately 3 million prescriptions dispensed and , patients who received a dispensed prescription for Lunesta eszopiclone from U.
Additional Information for Patients Patients who take Lunesta eszopiclone and other medicines to help them sleep can experience decreased mental alertness the morning after use, even if they feel fully awake. You may opt-out of e-mail communications at any time by clicking on the Unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.
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