Eszopiclone 2mg tablets
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Eszopiclone, marketed by Sepracor under the brand-name Lunesta, is a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic drug used to treat insomnia.
Minimal controls; includes benzodiazepines and anabolic steroids
Legal requirements and restrictions
Benzodiazepines and similar medicines. Subject to minimal controlled drug requirements.
Legal requirements
- Prescriptions valid for 28 days
- No controlled drugs register required
- No safe custody requirements
- Record keeping requirements for imports/exports
Other medicines in this category
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
View EudraVigilance report
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Eszopiclone
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Eszopiclone on the MHRA register
Lunivia 2mg tablets
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
2 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Eszopiclone
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
1 found
Half-life
6.1 hours
Mechanism
The exact mechanism of action of eszopiclone is unknown at this time but is thou…
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
6 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
1 hour
[A179659][L6769]…
Half-life
6.1 hours
Protein binding
52-59%
[L6769]
Volume of distribution
89.9L
Metabolism
[A179641]…
Elimination
10%
[A179659][L6769]…
Clearance
184 mL/min
[A179638]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
One major benefit of eszopiclone is that it is approved by the FDA for the long-term treatment of insomnia. This sets it apart from many other hypnotic sedatives, which are generally approved only for the relief of short-term (6-8 weeks) insomnia. Eszopiclone was initially approved by the FDA in 2004.[L6769]
[L6769]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1653 interactions
[L6853]
Symptoms of overdose may include mental status changes and somnolence, demonstrating general exaggeration of the drug's pharmacological effects. Perform gastric lavage and offer supportive treatment if an overdose is suspected, including intravenous fluids as required. Flumazenil may be used.
Vital signs should be closely monitored in addition to patient symptoms. Appropriate medical interventions should be employed. The possibility of an overdose with multiple drugs should be considered.
Ensure to contact the local poison control center for the most updated management of hypnotic drug overdose.
[L6769]
Eszopiclone is a central nervous system depressant with various effects. These include changes in alertness and motor coordination and the risk of next morning impairment, increasing with the amount of eszopiclone administered. Exercise caution and advise against driving a motor vehicle or activities that require full mental alertness the next morning.[L6769] Complex sleep behaviors may result from eszopiclone use. Eszopiclone should be discontinued in these cases.[L6874] Avoid the use of alcohol and other CNS depressants when eszopiclone is administered. Advise patients to skip the eszopiclone dose if alcohol has been consumed before bed or during the evening. Use the smallest dose of eszopiclone as possible, especially in elderly patients, who may experience exaggerated drug effects. Though the potential for dependence and abuse with eszopiclone is lower than for other hypnotic drugs, this drug has been abused and is known to cause dependence.[L6868]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A179659][L6769]
The mean AUC after a 3 mg dose of eszopiclone was 278 ng/mL × h.
[A179638]
The consumption of a high-fat has been shown to slow absorption. Steady-state concentrations of eszopiclone are reached within 24-48 hours.
[A179662]
[A179638][L6769]
[L6769]
[A179641]
The enzymes involved in the metabolism of eszopiclone are CYP3A (the primary metabolizing enzyme), CYP2C8, and CYP2E1.
[A179641]
The N-oxide derivative shows weak pharmacological activity in animals. The N-desmethyl metabolite is pharmacologically active.
[L6769]
[A179659][L6769]
As much as 75% of an orally administered dose of racemic zopiclone as is found to be excreted in the urine in the form of metabolites. Eszopiclone, the S-isomer of racemic zopiclone, would likely show the same excretion pattern.
[L6769]
[A179638]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:23909897 PMID:25489750 PMID:29950725 PMID:30602789
GABA-gated chloride channels, also named GABA(A) receptors (GABAAR), consist of five subunits arranged around a central pore and contain GABA active binding site(s) located at the alpha and beta subunit interface(s) .
PMID:29950725 PMID:30602789
When activated by GABA, GABAARs selectively allow the flow of chloride anions across the cell membrane down their electrochemical gradient .
PMID:23909897 PMID:29950725 PMID:30602789
Alpha-1/GABRA1-containing GABAARs are largely synaptic (By similarity). Chloride influx into the postsynaptic neuron following GABAAR opening decreases the neuron ability to generate a new action potential, thereby reducing nerve transmission (By similarity). GABAARs containing alpha-1 and beta-2 or -3 subunits exhibit synaptogenic activity; the gamma-2 subunit being necessary but not sufficient to induce rapid synaptic contacts formation .
PMID:23909897 PMID:25489750
GABAARs function also as histamine receptor where histamine binds at the interface of two neighboring beta subunits and potentiates GABA response (By similarity).
GABAARs containing alpha, beta and epsilon subunits also permit spontaneous chloride channel activity while preserving the structural information required for GABA-gated openings (By similarity). Alpha-1-mediated plasticity in the orbitofrontal cortex regulates context-dependent action selection (By similarity). Together with rho subunits, may also control neuronal and glial GABAergic transmission in the cerebellum (By similarity)
PMID:10449790 PMID:16412217
GABA-gated chloride channels, also named GABA(A) receptors (GABAAR), consist of five subunits arranged around a central pore and contain GABA active binding site(s) located at the alpha and beta subunit interfaces (By similarity). When activated by GABA, GABAARs selectively allow the flow of chloride anions across the cell membrane down their electrochemical gradient PMID:10449790 PMID:16412217
Was initially identified as peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor; can also bind isoquinoline carboxamides PMID:1847678
PMID:10449790 PMID:29961870 PMID:31032849
GABA-gated chloride channels, also named GABA(A) receptors (GABAAR), consist of five subunits arranged around a central pore and contain GABA active binding site(s) located at the alpha and beta subunit interfaces (By similarity). When activated by GABA, GABAARs selectively allow the flow of chloride anions across the cell membrane down their electrochemical gradient .
PMID:10449790
Chloride influx into the postsynaptic neuron following GABAAR opening decreases the neuron ability to generate a new action potential, thereby reducing nerve transmission (By similarity). The alpha-2 subunit exhibits synaptogenic activity together with beta-2 and very little to no activity together with beta-3, the gamma-2 subunit being necessary but not sufficient to induce rapid synaptic contacts formation (By similarity)
PMID:16412217 PMID:29053855
GABA-gated chloride channels, also named GABA(A) receptors (GABAAR), consist of five subunits arranged around a central pore and contain GABA active binding site(s) located at the alpha and beta subunit interface(s) (By similarity). When activated by GABA, GABAARs selectively allow the flow of chloride anions across the cell membrane down their electrochemical gradient .
PMID:16412217 PMID:29053855
Chloride influx into the postsynaptic neuron following GABAAR opening decreases the neuron ability to generate a new action potential, thereby reducing nerve transmission PMID:16412217 PMID:29053855
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
ATC N05CF04
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Eszopiclone
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
22704
ChemSpider
839530
BindingDB
50247998
ZINC
ZINC000019632834
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4075
GenAtlas
GABRA1
GeneCards
GABRA1
GenBank Gene Database
X13584
GenBank Protein Database
31631
Guide to Pharmacology
404
UniProt Accession
GBRA1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4075
GenAtlas
GABRA1
GeneCards
GABRA1
GenBank Gene Database
X13584
GenBank Protein Database
31631
Guide to Pharmacology
404
UniProt Accession
GBRA1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4076
GenAtlas
GABRA2
GeneCards
GABRA2
GenBank Gene Database
S62907
GenBank Protein Database
386422
Guide to Pharmacology
405
UniProt Accession
GBRA2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4077
GenAtlas
GABRA3
GeneCards
GABRA3
GenBank Gene Database
S62908
GenBank Protein Database
386424
Guide to Pharmacology
406
UniProt Accession
GBRA3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4078
GenAtlas
GABRA4
GeneCards
GABRA4
GenBank Gene Database
U30461
GenBank Protein Database
905393
Guide to Pharmacology
407
UniProt Accession
GBRA4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4079
GenAtlas
GABRA5
GeneCards
GABRA5
GenBank Gene Database
L08485
GenBank Protein Database
182916
Guide to Pharmacology
408
UniProt Accession
GBRA5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4080
GenAtlas
GABRA6
GeneCards
GABRA6
GenBank Gene Database
S81944
GenBank Protein Database
1470364
Guide to Pharmacology
409
UniProt Accession
GBRA6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4081
GenAtlas
GABRB1
GeneCards
GABRB1
GenBank Gene Database
X14767
GenBank Protein Database
31635
UniProt Accession
GBRB1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4082
GenAtlas
GABRB2
GeneCards
GABRB2
GenBank Gene Database
S67368
GenBank Protein Database
455946
UniProt Accession
GBRB2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4083
GenAtlas
GABRB3
GeneCards
GABRB3
GenBank Gene Database
M82919
GenBank Protein Database
182925
Guide to Pharmacology
412
UniProt Accession
GBRB3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4084
GeneCards
GABRD
GenBank Gene Database
AF016917
GenBank Protein Database
2388693
UniProt Accession
GBRD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4085
GeneCards
GABRE
GenBank Gene Database
U66661
GenBank Protein Database
1857126
UniProt Accession
GBRE_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4086
GeneCards
GABRG1
GenBank Gene Database
AK122845
GenBank Protein Database
193783776
UniProt Accession
GBRG1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4087
GeneCards
GABRG2
GenBank Gene Database
X15376
GenBank Protein Database
31637
UniProt Accession
GBRG2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4088
GeneCards
GABRG3
GenBank Gene Database
S82769
GenBank Protein Database
1754749
UniProt Accession
GBRG3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4089
GeneCards
GABRP
GenBank Gene Database
U95367
GenBank Protein Database
2197001
UniProt Accession
GBRP_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:14454
GeneCards
GABRQ
GenBank Gene Database
AF189259
GenBank Protein Database
7861736
UniProt Accession
GBRT_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1158
GenAtlas
TSPO
GeneCards
TSPO
GenBank Gene Database
M36035
GenBank Protein Database
306883
Guide to Pharmacology
2879
UniProt Accession
TSPO_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4076
GenAtlas
GABRA2
GeneCards
GABRA2
GenBank Gene Database
S62907
GenBank Protein Database
386422
Guide to Pharmacology
405
UniProt Accession
GBRA2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4077
GenAtlas
GABRA3
GeneCards
GABRA3
GenBank Gene Database
S62908
GenBank Protein Database
386424
Guide to Pharmacology
406
UniProt Accession
GBRA3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4079
GenAtlas
GABRA5
GeneCards
GABRA5
GenBank Gene Database
L08485
GenBank Protein Database
182916
Guide to Pharmacology
408
UniProt Accession
GBRA5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2622
GenAtlas
CYP2C8
GeneCards
CYP2C8
GenBank Gene Database
M17397
Guide to Pharmacology
1325
UniProt Accession
CP2C8_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
All patents expired, 2 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: