How Long Does Lunesta Stay In Your System? Detection Time & Half-Life Explained

Sleeping pills are something people do not want to get addicted to. But a sleepless night is something of a worry in itself. Under these circumstances, doctors generally recommend a controlled dosage of sleeping medication. One among these many medications is Lunesta. If you have been prescribed Lunesta by the doctor. Then you might also be asking yourself, how long does Lunesta stay in your system? How exactly does it work? And, can it actually harm my body in any way? Well In this article, we will discuss just that and answer all your queries and concerns. But before we jump into it, let us first talk a little about what Lunesta is.

What Is Lunesta? And How Does It Work?

Lunesta, which is also known by its generic name Eszopiclone, is a sedative-hypnotic medication that is used to treat both short and long-term insomnia. It is to be taken orally right before going to bed. The drug will help you fall asleep faster and keep you asleep for a longer period of time. It works by calming your central nervous system by binding to GABAA receptors (a calming neurotransmitter) in your brain, making your body more relaxed for a good night’s sleep.

Few medications for insomnia are actually approved for long-term use by the Food and Drug Administration, USA (FDA). Even so, Lunesta can cause next-day impairment, disorientation, and dizziness, especially if you did not get a full 8 hours of sleep the night before.

In a case like that, you might be wondering, how long does it actually take to get rid of Lunesta from your system? Well, it all comes down to the half-life of the medicine.

Half-Life Of Lunesta

The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the concentration of Lunesta to be reduced by half of its original concentration inside your body. If a sleeping pill has 5 hours as its half-life, that means after 5 hours, only half of the drug’s original percentage will be left in your body. After about another 5 hours, half of that remaining amount will be used, and this process goes on until the drug is completely wiped out of your system. The half-life of Lunesta is about 6 hours for an adult’s body. But this number also increases as the age of the consumer increases. In the case of old-adult who are above 65 years, the half-life of Lunesta might be around 9 to 10 hours.

How long a drug stays in your blood differs from how long it can stay in your urine and saliva. Let’s see how long does Lunesta stay in your system.

How Long Does Lunesta Stay In Your System?

Who searches on the internet, “How long does Lunesta stay in your body?” The person not only queries about the known Lunest’s onset duration. They are also interested to know, “Can Lunesta show up on a drug test?” if answer is yes, then “What does Lunesta show up as on a drug test?” Now we will disscus above questions. I hope all questions are clear after this discussion

How Long Does Lunesta Stay In Your Bloodstream?

Lunesta or Eszopiclone is not shown in standard drug test like blood tests, but the highest plasma concentrations occur within one hour after taking the drug. So, Eszopiclone can show up in a blood test. No need to worry, though, as most professions do not test for Eszopiclone. However, if necessary to do a drug test, it’s better to do it after 48 hours of the drug intake, since Lunesta lasts about 48 hours in your bloodstream. After 48 hours of intake, Eszopiclone won’t be detected in your blood tests.

How Long Does Lunesta Last In The Urine?

A urine test is the most commonly used way to test for Lunesta. Urine tests are cheap, convenient, and painless. Which is why the urine test is the most widely used method to test for drugs. This is because 75% of the medicine is excreted through your urine. Eszopiclone stays around 2 – 7 days in your urine. Therefore, if you are required to take a urine drug test, make sure it’s after 7 days of intake. Eitherway you will be just fine as long as you have a doctor’s prescription for Eszopiclone.

How Long Does Lunesta Last In Your Saliva?

Swab tests are of no use while testing for Lunesta because no amount of Eszopiclone can be detected in saliva. The metallic taste left behind in your mouth after taking Lunesta is just the taste of the medicine.

How Long Does Lunesta Last In Your Hair?

Now, hair is a little tricky. Eszopiclone can be detected in your hair for a long period of time, about 90 days. This happens because, as your hair grows longer, a minute trace of Eszopiclone in your bloodstream becomes incorporated into your hair.

Can Lunesta Affect Your Health?

The answer is yes, Lunesta can affect your health, both mentally and physically. Only 1mg of Lunesta is usually recommended for an average human being per day. Looking at your age, prior health conditions, and body condition, the doctor might increase your dose to 2 – 3 mg at best. Any more than that might cause great harm to your health. Before taking Lunesta, here are some side effects and withdrawal symptoms of Lunesta you should know about

Side Effects of Lunesta

Like every other medicinal drug, use of Lunesta doesn’t come without side effects. Although Lunesta is FDA-approved as a safe sleeping pill, the long-term use of Eszopiclone is not recommended.
Some common side effects:

• Dry mouth
• Bad taste on the tongue, typically bitter or metallic
• Difficulty getting up from bed
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Symptoms of a cold
• Anxiety
• Abnormal thoughts and behaviour
• Memory loss

You should not risk taking Lunesta after knowing its side effects. In this case, if you have decided to quit Lunesta for good, withdrawal symptoms always come with it. Here is what they might look like

Withdrawal Symptoms of Lunesta

If you have taken this medication for a long period of time and now you want to quit, the road ahead is not easy. Lunesta is a habit-forming drug, which means you can get addicted to it if taken over a long period of time, and going cold turkey on it isn’t really easy, as these are some withdrawal symptoms you may face:

• Vomiting
• Cramping of stomach muscles
• Nervousness
• Anxiety
• Tremors
• Returning insomnia

If You Are Addicted To Lunesta, Seek Help!

As mentioned before, Lunesta is a habit-forming drug and is pretty easy to get hooked on. In this case, an overdose of Lunesta is a dangerous possibility, as an overdose can cause Difficulty breathing and swallowing, severe headaches, and in worst cases, Coma. If you notice any physical and mental changes or signs of Lunesta addiction or if you have had an overdose in recent times, you must get to a hospital as soon as possible or seek treatment for Lunesta addiction.

Conclusion

Lunesta can generally stay in your system for about 30 to 36 hours, as it has a short half-life of approximately 6 hours, and the body usually clears a drug after about 5 half-lives. The effects of the medicine may last for 6 to 8 hours. It may last in urine for 2 to 7 days and 90 days in hair. It is very important to take this medication in the prescribed amount. Stay informed – stay safe.