Sonata for Insomnia User Reviews
Sonata has an average rating of 5.8 out of 10 from a total of 67 reviews for the treatment of Insomnia. 52% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 39% reported a negative experience.
Reviews for Sonata
- 1Anon...
- July 23, 2014
"Taking Sonata was like taking a placebo. No matter when I took it - 5 minutes before bedtime, 1 hour, 2 hours, I would lie awake for hours! I even tried doubling up with no change. Once I did fall asleep I would wake up 2 hours later, then 2 hours after that - never getting a restful nights sleep."
- katier
- Taken for 10 years or more
- September 4, 2012
"I had an interesting experience on Sonata. I took it, but found myself unable to fall asleep. Instead, I spent several, say 7 hours, sitting in front of my vanity having a conversation with my numerous reflections in my one mirror. While there in reality was probably only one reflection, I saw three. Sometimes more. They all were very active, doing different things at the same time! I decided that one of them should cut their hair, and after some persuasion, they did. Well, to my great dismay, when I awoke, I looked in the mirror, and yes, my reflection had indeed cut her hair, but so had I! I had to go to school that day, my friends were rather astonished. Well...I had a hell of a time explaining it to my mom. When I shared the account of these events with my cousin, however, I was rather stunned by the fact that she had had the same experience!!!! She too, had cut her hair and spent hours conversing and sharing anecdotes with her multiple reflection-visitors. Although her conversation was interrupted by a vision of a dog-man, our stories were otherwise quite similar. After researching this medication thoroughly online, we thought that it could not just be coincidence that we both had such similar nights on Sonata, and we think these things should be listed as side affects, including, but not limited to hair cutting and mirror parties."
Frequently asked questions
- Robert
- Taken for 10 years or more
- March 22, 2020
"I have taken Sonata for 15 plus years. It has been a miracle drug for me. I have no trouble falling asleep, but wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. But with Sonata, I am out within 15 minutes, and wake up with no hangover. I do not know what I would do without it."
- GlamG...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- June 10, 2014
"I love Sonata, for the first time I can sleep. However, I think it works best if you wind yourself down and relax a bit first. Otherwise, I would find myself feeling the effects of the medication and still active and now impaired. So I learned early in once I stop what I am doing and just relax, watch T.V, read a book etc. Right to sleep and I stayed there. Not groggy at all the next day."
Are you taking this medicine?
- TheBigB
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- November 23, 2020
"Insomnia sufferer for half of my 59 years on earth. The older I get the worse the sleeplessness. Have tried every OTC sleep product available. Ambien, trazadone, benzos (stay far away from them), everything you can be prescribed. Two months ago I was given Sonata. Helps me to quickly fall asleep, but I awaken between 3 or so hours. I finally figured out that two diphenhydramine (benadryl) taken with the Sonata helps to finally get 7 or 8 hours of sleep at night. The Sonata puts me out within 15 minutes, while I am sleeping the diphenhydramine slowly gets in my system and keeps me asleep. This took me awhile to figure out but it was heaven sent. No morning side effects just a wonderful refreshing feeling. May the good Lord see fit to let me enjoy this for a long time."
- Amelia
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- May 20, 2019
"I am not sure why doctors don't tell their patients, when they prescribe Sonata, that it should be taken on an empty stomach. My doctor didn't even know. If it's not working for you and you've been eating within 2 hours of taking it try it again at least 2 hours after eating. Also it is short acting so it's great for those having trouble falling asleep. Because it's short acting though you can take it in the middle of the night and it's works quick and you can wake up without feeling groggy. Ambien kept me up all night, I took lunesta for years and it was very helpful but now I just want to make sure I have no lingering drowsy side effects. Make sure and take it in bed, ready to sleep, otherwise you will just feel loopy and miss the sleep window."
- epubl...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- November 23, 2014
"My doctor recently informed me that I should only take Sonata when I wake up in the middle of the night. Just need to have a glass of water near my bed. I tried that last night and it did give me a few extra hours of sleep. When I was taking it before bed I generally would get up in the middle of the night anyway and feel groggy the next day. "
- Moore...
- July 8, 2013
"I don't have trouble falling asleep, but if I happen to wake up between the hours of 2:00 am and 4:00 am, for some reason I have a hard time falling back asleep. I give myself about 10 minutes, and if I am still awake I take one capsule. Seems like it works within 15 minutes and there is ZERO morning grogginess. It is a short acting medication so it really isn't designed to be taken right when you go to bed. Sometimes I will take a Sonata and then check my email while waiting for it to work----big mistake, as I write some very loopy, misspelled things which I have only the vaguest memory of doing. "
- Cookie
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- September 22, 2019
"I have been taking Sonata since 2017 and its done wonders for my insomnia, which was really bad. I tried several before the Doctor subscribed Sonata. I take one every night and I will be asleep within and hour, I don't feel bad in the morning"
- ludlow
- Taken for less than 1 month
- July 16, 2012
"After trying a number of different things without much success, the zaleplon/Sonata is helping me go to sleep and staying asleep for up to 7 hours. When I wake, I'm refreshed and have no hangover whatsoever."
- Tanya
- Taken for less than 1 month
- May 5, 2020
"Have had trouble with insomnia off and on for 20 years. Bi-polar depressive. Started with Valium and overdosed. Used lunesta successfully but temporarily. Used trazodone but it made me throw up. Used ambien but experienced severe amnesia and weirdness. Used Xanax and overdosed. Now using Sonata and it’s marvelous but doctor will only let me use it for a little while. I take one at bedtime then wake up at 1:00 or so and take another. Wake up at 7:00. No grogginess."
- Anonymous
- April 2, 2010
"Finally, I no longer have to chose between falling asleep at night or being productive during the day. With Sonata, I can do both. The only drawback is that on rare occasions, the medication takes awhile to work."
- Enter...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 7, 2016
"I have had an erratic sleep schedule since the end of January of this year. I had been taking trazodone and it just wasn't working anymore. I talked to my Dr. She suggested Sonata. I was desperate for a good nights sleep. I took 1 last night. I believe it is a good idea to relax before you take it. I slept for 3 to 4 hours. But still felt the calming effect of it and went right back to bed. Not a full nights, but hey, it was better. I think if we sit and wait for a pill to kick it, it makes us tense. I'm going to continue on. I believe in a weeks time, I will have a pattern back. Don't give up so easily after 1 night. Give it a chance. "
- Panda...
- June 19, 2016
"My doctor prescribed me 10mg sonata for my insomnia. Sonata is great if you only want 3-4 hours of sleep on exam days because of its short duration and no drowsiness. However, if you want to get a full 7-8 hours of sleep it sucks being woken up in the middle of the night every time (~2-4am), unable to fall back asleep. Have to take a second dose to fall back asleep but takes a white to kick in since you're not drowsy when you woke up and you're writing this review awake in bed waiting for sleepiness to come..."
- leland
- June 10, 2008
"I asked the doctor about this medication. She hadn't even heard of it. I told her that I had some addictive past behavior and that I did not want anything that made me feel like I was sedated or loaded, just something that would help me go to sleep and stay asleep once laying down. This medication does exactly that. No grogginess in the morning, and no loaded, drugged feeling once taken. I have heard it is a hypnotic like ambien. Sonata is amazing."
- Eliza...
- Taken for 5 to 10 years
- September 20, 2018
"This medication is a miracle! I take 10 mg before bed and I am sleepy within minutes. It is a very short acting medication so it can be taken in the middle of the night without hangover effects. My doctor used to prescribe 2 capsules per night since I would wake up around 1 AM but now will only prescribe 1. It would be great if the manufacturer could develop a time release capsule with 20 mg total."
- Anonymous
- July 27, 2008
"I have severe chronic insomnia associated with FM/CFS. I have been unable to fall asleep or stay asleep for nearly 10 years. Tried many other medicines for sleep that didn't work or had unacceptable side effects. Sonata served me well for 5 years. Was taking 10 mg to get to sleep and then another 10mg to get back to sleep during the night. Our health insurer changed and they will only pay for 1 pill per night. My health and quality of life has deteriorated."
- elabo...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 20, 2012
"It didn't help me fall asleep at all. I tried it one night and I didn't sleep the whole night, so I tried it again during the day since I hadn't slept at night no bueano. Made me cough and hack really bad and sinus, had chest pain the next day. I tried again one more night still no sleep."
- Anonymous
- October 7, 2008
"This usually helps me get to sleep really well. It says to take it while you're already in bed but I don't find that it immediately knocks me out like Ambien did. The Sonata gets me to sleep and lets me wake up just fine in the morning. The only problem is if I wake up during the night and can't return to sleep and so sometimes I take an additional one to help get back to sleep."
- duwa
- June 25, 2008
"Amazing. Helps me fall asleep. I don't have a problem staying asleep, just getting in the mode to fall asleep. This medication is amazing. I do not feel loaded at all, I dont wake up groggy, I just lay my head on the pillow and Sonata does the rest."
- -gtAl...
- June 28, 2008
"I use Ambien CR 12.5mg (strongest), and I still wake up at 3am. Can't take another Ambien. To avoid any risk associated with driving to work and then dealing with the drowsiness while at work, my doctor put me on Sonata. Even if I wake up at 3 or 4, I am able to enjoy the rest of my night in restful sleep with no morning drowsiness at all. "
- SoTired
- Taken for less than 1 month
- February 27, 2017
"Dr put me on 10mg. I have had major sleep problems for years and suffer migraines with aura. For days I don't sleep at all. 10mg did nothing for me. Bumped it to 20mg and while I don't feel sleepy I do eventually fall asleep if I lay there. Usually 3 or 4 am. Since I never sleep this was a good sign. Also I woke about 730am feeling great. Wide awake, not drowsy or tired. No headache which is also not my norm as I always wake up with a headache if I sleep. This has gone on for 14 days now. While its not perfect, I feel so good all day it's the best thing to happen to me in 7 years. I hope it continues."
- GWano
- Taken for less than 1 month
- February 3, 2019
"I experienced no effects from 50mg of Sonata. My doctor switched me to Trazodone 50mg; which has had no effect, as well. I sleep for 3-5 hours a night and wake up 4-10 times during those hours. (yes, I've tried no sound, no light, no screen time, no exercise or food just before bed, etc.)"
- Jazzy
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 14, 2020
"I was previously on Lunesta, didn’t work, Trazodone, made things worse, and Ambien 10mg which was the best, but my body got too used to it. I was prescribed 5mg of Sonata and instructed to take 1-2 a night as needed. I ended up taking them first night and it was basically like popping tic tacs. I didn’t even yawn. Worst medicine EVER!"
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.
Learn more about Insomnia
- Anticholinergic Drugs to Avoid in the Elderly
- Benzodiazepines: Overview and Use
- What are the dangers of mixing sleeping pills with alcohol?
Care guides
Symptoms and treatments
Medicine.com guides (external)
More about Sonata (zaleplon)
- Check interactions
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- Drug images
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- Dosage information
- During pregnancy
- Generic availability
- Drug class: miscellaneous anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics
- Breastfeeding
"After years of not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep and after trying Lunesta and Ambien I was tired. Sonata works great for me and I don't wake up groggy or hung over. I feel great for the first time in my life. I have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome and it is essential to get sleep. I feel refreshed and ready to go in the mornings.....love it. Thankful my doctor said to give it a try. Hope this helps."