FDA Issues New Warnings About Prescription Drug Lunesta

The FDA has just recently released new warnings regarding the popular sleep aid Lunesta (Eszopiclone). In addition to issuing new warnings, the government agency has published new requirements that Lunesta must meet in terms of properly warning consumers of the possible dangers of taking Lunesta.

One of the primary reasons for these new developments is the recent discovery by the FDA and others that taking Lunesta can seriously affect the ability of the consumers to do things such as safely drive a car the day after taking the drug.

As personal injury attorneys, our lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg frequently represent individuals who have been injured in auto accidents caused by others. The negligence that leads to these crashes is not always the result of texting while driving, adjusting the radio or even being drunk – sometimes, individuals who have taken prescription drugs such as Lunesta, as they were instructed to by their doctor, are rendered unable to properly operate a motor vehicle and thus become more and more likely to get into a car accident.

The FDA, in issuing its new warnings and labeling requirements, cited a recent study of 91 healthy adults between the ages of 25 and 40; some of the individuals in the study were given Lunesta, while some were given a placebo pill. The individuals who were given Lunesta showed “severe psychomotor and memory impairment” the morning after taking the pills; they also demonstrated “impairment to driving skills, memory and coordination.”

Now, these dangerous effects seemed to linger for 7.5 to 11 hours. If taken at bedtime at, say, 11 P.M., someone on their morning commute to work the following day at 9 A.M. would likely still be affected by the prescription drug’s effects. If someone took the pill at 11 P.M., and had to get up early to go to work or the airport, for example, at 5 A.M., they’d be even less able to safely operate a motor vehicle.

When you get behind the wheel of a car, not only do you assume the risk of injuring yourself, you also run the risk of causing a car accident that can injure others, including other motorists and pedestrians with whom you share the road. Ostensibly, it would seem that a decision to take a sleeping pill at night to remedy insomnia is a very (and solely) personal choice, yet as the aforementioned study reveals, the medicine you take in the privacy of your home to cure personal issues can have a very serious effect on the livelihood of others.

Thus, you should only take pills such as Lunesta if you are sure that you will not be operating any motor vehicle until the effects of the drug wear off. It’s also important to keep in mind that the drug affects each person differently, so speak to your doctor about dosage. Speaking of dosage, the FDA has reduced the recommended starting dosage of Lunesta from 2mg to 1mg, cutting in half the amount of the drug that it suggests a regiment should be started with.

Causing a car accident while under the influence of legal prescription drugs such as Lunesta might not fall in the same criminal category as drunk driving, but the deadly consequences can be the same. As our experienced personal injury lawyers know, if someone is hurt or killed in a car accident caused by someone who was unable to properly drive, the reason for the inability to safely operate a car is meaningless in the face of tragic loss.

So, if you or someone you know has been injured in an accident due to the negligence of another, please contact us for a free consultation. You can reach us by calling 561-266-9191 or by emailing us at daronberg@build.simple.biz. Our personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg look forward to assisting you!

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