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Spurred by fears that the recommended dose of the popular sleep medication Lunesta could possibly impair driving abilities increasing accident risks, the federal administration has moved to lower the recommended dose of the drug.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, its action is based on a study that it conducted which found that persons, who used Lunesta just before bedtime, had serious problems with driving the next day. These people continued to suffer from the effects of this medication up to 11 hours after they took the pill. The next morning they struggled with tasks including memory and coordination. These persons were very often unaware of the side effects of the drug. They remained unaware about their impaired driving abilities.
The study was published last month, and in the study, researchers compared 91 patients, who were on Lunesta or a placebo. The patients were monitored when they were performing several tasks, and researchers found that persons who took Lunesta definitely had trouble performing tasks, that measured memory and coordination.
As a result of that study, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. which manufactures Lunesta has lowered the starting dose of the drug from 2 mg to 1 mg. Doctors can make the decision to bump patients up from 1 mg to 3 mg, but doctors must remember that the increased recommended dose will only increase the risk of impaired ability the next day.
Prescription drug use or misuse can be a serious contributor to distracted driving accidents. A person who is driving under the influence of sleep medication, and many other drugs that cause drowsiness like antihistamines, antihypertensives, and antidepressants, may suffer from impaired driving abilities, and not even know it.
