Eszopiclone and Headaches: What Users Say

• Cra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 3, 2013

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I have taken Lunesta 3mg for around 6-7 years. It takes about 45 minutes to make me start nodding off. I had the metal taste when I first started using it but don't have any problem with that for years. I got insomnia when I had a hysterectomy years back. I used to take Trazodone and it worked great but gave me a headache every morning. Be sure not to eat any snacks near the time you take Lunesta as that interferes with absorption and falling asleep time. I think it might make me a little more depressed. However, if I don't sleep I would be a raving loon! Nothing worse than laying awake and your head won't shut up. I would like to be able to fall asleep without medication but it just doesn't happen without Lunesta."

• ozm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2016

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I have taken Lunesta 3mg for 4 years and haven't had any problems with it. No side effects, no funny tastes. I just pop it in my mouth with a big drink, and voila! I take it and in about 30 minutes, I'm asleep and don't wake up until the next morning with no hangover feeling, no headaches or anything. I have tried them all. I used to go for days and days without sleep, so when I tried this and it worked, it was like a whole new world opened up. This may just work differently on some people as I was reading, but in my case IT WORKED!"

• Jar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 3, 2020

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Just one more random drug my psychiatrist threw out there to try to get me to sleep to prevent hypomanic episodes. It was worse than zolpidem that at least gave me two amazing nights of sleep before it pooped out and left me with headaches all night. On Lunesta, I didn’t even get an hour's sleep. It was like taking an unrestful nap that couldn’t quite get deep enough to get REM sleep. The only upside is that it didn’t make me groggy when I stayed up all night cleaning, reading, making music, etc."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2015

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "'Wow'! That pretty well sums it up. I have been an Ambien user for the past few years. As much as I hate to admit it, I found myself abusing the medication. Even worse yet, I was sleepwalking and sleep cooking almost every night with huge holes in my memory. I asked my doctor for a sample of Lunesta yesterday. He gave me the 3 mg right from the start. The nasty taste hit my mouth within the first 15 minutes of taking it. I woke up twice during the night due to an alarm on my dryer, but was able to fall right back to sleep. I did wake up with a horrible headache. Not sure if it was from the Lunesta or not. I will try again tonight and see what happens. I too would give this medication a 10 if it were not for the nasty taste."

• Sug...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 24, 2017

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "So, I've tried multiple sleeping aids. Temazepam and trazodone gave me headaches. Benadryl, NyQuil, and hydroxyzine increased my restless legs. Melatonin was insufficient at the max recommended dosage. Ambien was by far the best at 10 mg, but because I'm only 27, the doctor doesn't want to prescribe an addictive medication (her words). So I'm on Lunesta. It has a horrible taste of pennies, but if you put it on the back of your tongue and let it slide down while drinking, it doesn't cause it. But DON'T take a drink and let it swish around, because it will leave that metallic taste! My insurance doesn't cover mine, but my pharmacy offers a discount card, so I pay $30. 1 mg is useless, I have to take 3 mg to get any sleep, but it's better than no sleep."

• LDW...
• November 20, 2015

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "10 days on Lunesta (generic). Not sure why doc suggested I try it, as I'd been on the same low dose of Ambien for 3 years, good results. Anyway, had the metallic taste, just annoying, but I slept okay. After a day or so waking up more, sleeping less. Took an extra 1/2 last night - total 4.5 mg. Slept, but today all day major headaches and nausea. Not sure what to do tonight - wishing for backup Benadryl. Calling doc tomorrow - will request back to Ambien."

• Anonymous
• April 17, 2010

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Took Lunesta for the first time last night, and it gently put me to sleep. I have had a lot of anxiety about falling asleep. At first, I was a little hesitant that I needed prescription medicines to sleep. I was able to get about 6-7 hours of sleep that I desperately needed. No metal aftertaste. I used Ambien in the past and woke up and threw up and had a miserable headache all day. That is not the case with Lunesta."

• Jig...
• November 7, 2017

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Tried the generic version after a few rotations of Ambien. The only thing I disliked about Ambien was the weird loopiness I'd get. Read over some journal entries I wrote on Ambien, and it definitely freaked me out. I didn't notice a weird metallic taste when I took Lunesta. The sleepiness also didn't hit me as hard as with Ambien, but it definitely peaked after about an hour, and I knew it was time for bed. Woke up fine, no headache, and no weird journaling. So all in all, a good experience and will likely ask for this instead of Ambien in the future."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 8, 2017

For Insomnia "Generic brand doesn't work for me at all. I couldn't sleep, woke up several times at night. And then when to get up for work, had a pounding headache. However, the name brand works great, how much more expensive."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 7, 2025

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "I have mixed feelings on using Lunesta. While it does help me fall asleep and stay asleep, I typically need at least 8-9 hours of sleep in order to wake up feeling normal. I do notice that later in the day I may have a small headache and feel a bit tired in the afternoon. I power through, but do notice I feel tired again around 8 pm. All in all, the fact that I fall asleep easily is worth the rest of the side effects."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 8, 2025

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "This is the third drug prescribed for insomnia. I am a 73-year-old female, with insomnia for at least 30 years. I take 2 mg nightly. I am in relatively good health. This is the only medication I take on a daily basis. I have been using Lunesta for approximately 3 months. It has helped me to fall asleep quickly (within 30-60 minutes), but I rarely sleep more than six hours per night. It does seem to make me feel calmer. Side effects which persist: constant headache, foods having an odd taste, loss of appetite, leg cramps. Only recently, I feel tired and exhausted all the time, often staying in bed for long periods; some depression, and within the past few weeks, serious muscle and joint pain in hands and legs. While I have tolerated Lunesta better than other meds prescribed, I am now getting discouraged with a new set of side effects. This is something to be discussed with my doctor. Is only getting 6 hours of sleep worth the side effects when I was sleeping the same number of hours using an OTC med?"

• Anonymous
• April 11, 2012

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "No bad taste, no side effects. No effects at all, actually. Every time I've taken it, nothing. I don't feel tired, I don't sleep. The only thing that happens is I'll get a mild headache."

• Anonymous
• July 2, 2009

Eszopiclone for Insomnia "Did not help me fall or stay asleep. Side effects: headaches and terrible taste in mouth."