Positives

• Patient reviews on Drugs.com show eszopiclone has a 5.9/10 average rating across 345 reviews for insomnia, with 46% reporting positive experience — supporting use for the sleep-onset and sleep-maintenance issues common in Long COVID and ME/CFS Drugs.com.
  
  
• Lunesta is one of the few sleep medications FDA-approved for long-term use (up to 6 months), making it more appropriate than zolpidem for chronic insomnia in Long COVID populations where short-term use isn’t enough WebMD.
  
  

Negatives

• 35% of patient reviews on Drugs.com report a negative experience, with the most common complaints being persistent metallic/bitter morning taste, daytime drowsiness, and rebound insomnia on discontinuation Drugs.com.
  
  
• Like other Z-drugs, eszopiclone carries documented risks of complex sleep-related behaviors (sleepwalking, sleep-driving, sleep-eating with no memory the next morning) and a tolerance/dependence pattern that complicates withdrawal American Addiction Centers.
  
  

Hurdles & Side Effects

• Eszopiclone carries a boxed warning for complex sleep behaviors after reports of patients driving, eating, or walking while not fully awake Drugs.com.
• Patients commonly describe a persistent metallic or bitter taste plus headache and dizziness, which leads many to stop within weeks PMC.
• It is a Schedule IV controlled substance with limits on quantity dispensed, and pricing has historically run around $111 a month Drugs.com.