Eszopiclone
SleepAlso known as Lunesta
Eszopiclone helps you fall asleep and stay asleep by working on your brain's calming GABA receptors, much like zolpidem. It's one of the few sleep medications studied for longer-term use, but it shares the same serious caution: an FDA boxed warning for complex sleep behaviors — people have driven, cooked, and wandered while not fully awake, sometimes with deadly results. It's a controlled substance and can be habit-forming.
How to take it
When
Right before bed, and only when you can sleep a full 7-8 hours. It's not for naps or half-nights.
Food
Don't take it with or right after a heavy meal — it works slower and weaker on a full stomach. A bitter or metallic taste the next day is common and harmless.
Avoid
Never mix with alcohol, opioids, or other sedatives — the combination can dangerously slow your breathing. Don't drive the next morning until you know how it affects you.
Good to know
If you discover you've done things while asleep — driving, eating, calling people — stop taking it and call your doctor. Never share it; that's illegal and dangerous.
Missed a dose?
Eszopiclone is only taken at bedtime, so if you forget, just skip that night. Don't take it in the middle of the night unless you still have a full 7-8 hours to sleep. Never double up.
Common side effects
- Bitter or metallic taste in your mouth
- Daytime drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Dry mouth
Call a doctor if
- You find evidence you drove, cooked, or walked around while asleep — stop the medication and call your doctor right away
- Swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing — this is an emergency, call for help immediately
- Extreme sleepiness with slow or shallow breathing, especially if mixed with other sedatives — get help now
- New or worsening depression or thoughts of hurting yourself — get help now
- Memory gaps or doing things you don't remember