I understand completely what your husband is going through. When I was diagnosed with insomnia the first thing my doctor prescribed to me was lunesta. And the first night i took it about a couple hours before I went to bed I felt high. And it felt like I was on top of the world. I was more talkative, not afraid to speak my mind, and I really opened up to everyone around me. But, then I started to get addicted to it. I wouldn't take it to fall asleep anymore, I just took it to feel "normal". This went on for about a couple of years. Until I started to forget things. When I brought this up at my doctors visit he told me that if you abuse lunesta you could get memory problems and it could destroy your liver. That thankfully scare me enough to quit taking it. Is he still taking it?

Chloe,
If Lunesta is like Ambien, he should be very cautious with it. My AD's drug of choice is Ambien and she has ruined her life with it. She says when she takes it during the day, she gets the most relaxed feeling she has ever felt. She also does extremely stupid and criminal things for which she is now in jail. In addition, it causes amnesia for the things she has done.
Drs. don't realize for the most part how dangerous these sleep meds can be. I wish they would take them all off the market!!

Yes!
 

I took lunesta on occasion in high doses to get high(usually about 18-27 mg). I know from experience that lunesta can cause euphoric effects and I would not at all recommend giving it to someone in recovery in high doses. I have never taken anything less than 18 mg so I cannot comment on effects in lower doses. If you stay awake for several hours after taking lunesta you most definitely get a pleasant buzz.

Hi, Chloe,
I noticed the topic of your post and thought maybe I'd offer my two cents. My mother is a prescription pill addict and her newest thing to abuse is Ambien, which is a prescription sleep aid. I don't know how Ambien and Lunesta differ chemically, so maybe my comment's irrelevant. But I know she takes large amounts of it and then purposely stays awake. She's told my brother (not me, because she unsuccessfully tries to hide her pill abuse from me) that she sees things that aren't there and that it's fun. Ughh. I don't know if she gets a "high" per se, from it. I am sorry you're having to deal with your husband's addiction...I know how rough it can be.

My son overdosed on otc sleeping pills that contained ingredients similar to benedryl. if you take enough you can hallucinate. he was completely out of his mind - didnt know who anyone was or where he was and was in a complete euphoric state - not sleepy at all. it was very difficult for the ER docs to find out what he took and he couldnt tell us so they had a very difficult time knowing how to treat him. we did finally get to one doctor that recognized the signs. so from what i've seen first hand you can get high on certain sleeping pills.

i didn't get much sleep my first 5 years clean, went to a sleep specialist and we decided to give lunesta a try. i've been taking 3mg every nite before bed for about 2 years and sleep very well. i've skipped several days, several times, and no withdrawals, just can't sleep well (duh, that's why i was prescribed them). according to my specialist, lunesta is non-narcotic and unique in that "tolerance" does not develop, and my experience taking it is consistent with that. i take the same amount now as when i started and get the same effect, good sleep throughout the night without interruption. i've been clean almost 8 years now, severely addicted to oxycontin and many other things prior to that. imo and experience, prescribed medications are not "drugs" unless i decide to obtain or use them like drugs (other than as prescribed or lie to get a prescription i want).
i've never felt the least bit "high" from taking lunesta and to my knowledge, lunesta doesn't have any "street value". that doesn't mean it can't be abused, it just indicates to me that taking it as prescribed is probably not going to present a big issue for a retired drug addict.

I have just been prescribed lusnesta for insomnia, and found these posts helpful when trying to understand the dependence factor. A few comments posted here were a little off, so I'll try and add my two cents on what the drug is, and how it works.

Sleep-aides such as Lunesta, Ambien, and Sonata are non-benzodiazepine hynoptics, also known as the "Z-class drugs"(Because their hemical names generally start with a "z"). Don't let the "non-benzodiazepine" classification fool you; They act the same way typical benzodiazepines work, by agonising (or increasing activity) at the GABA receptor sites in our central nervous system. Benzodiazepine is a chemical class of drugs, which all share a common molecular construction. Z-class drugs are constructed differently, but act the SAME way benzos do. Any chemical or substance that agonizes GABA increases tolerance, thus causing dependance and/or addiction.

Yes, every drug is different, thus cause different effects, and that is why one may be prescribed ambien over lunesta. They all are CNS depressants, and cause benzodiazepine dependence over time. Any one who has a history of drug abuse should only take these medications as a last resort. Z-class hynoptics are extremely dangerous to abuse, and may kill someone if other depressants are mixed, such as opioids. At higher than prescribed doses, they generally cause amnesia and sleepwalking, which can cause problems on their own.

(Also Id like to add that ambien and lunesta are water soluble, so they may be abused intravenously. IV use of a hypnotic can cause physios.)