There are 84 ratings for the drug: SONATA in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for sonata: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken and Dosage		Date Added
				F  M
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1	insomnia	worse insomnia, hallucinations, agitation, panic attack	I was completely wired and agitated and had a panic attack because the dream-like hallucination I had was so creepy. I was scared to go back to sleep, which was alright I guess considering I couldn't anyway. Thank god it only lasts 4ish hours.	F	20	1 days 10 mg 1X D		6/4/2010
1	chronic can't sleep more than 6 hrs	WORSE! Woke up after 5 hours, even though still exhausted. Body & mind have been totally drained after some of my worst months ever of NEVER being able to stay asleep longer than 5 or 6 hours. Desperately need restorative sleep, but this woke me up! And my whole day has been ruined so far. I never get headaches, but had such a bad headache & NECK-ache I had to take ibuprofin. My ONGOING always-hungry, never-satisfied issue is TRIPLE-BAD today = I am eating constantly yet feel I am STARVING. And, nearly 17 hours after taking it, I still feel like a complete ZOMBIE = FOGGY in a not-my-usual foggy way; "out of my body"; even my bones and muscles feel DRAINED. I hope I have given some validation to anyone else who has had such weird affects. I thought this was a MILD drug = but I am ultra-sensitive to "everything", so I probably should not be surprised!	TRUST YOUR BODY & YOUR DEEPEST INTUITION, everyone! Blessings!	F	58	1 days 5 mg. 1X D		5/20/2010
1	insomnia	I tossed and turned all night, fully waking up at least every hour. I had a horribly, terrifying hallucination or dream-- it was hard to tell whether or not I was awake or asleep, but I woke up screaming, crying, and too scared to sleep for another hour. At least I did not feel a hangover effect the next day.		F	23	1 days 1X AN		5/1/2010
4	Insomnia	Loved it the first year -- worked extremely quickly for taking with middle-of-the-night awakenings so I got back to sleep. But it has lost all effectiveness now. I have to take 10-20 mg and only lasts 2-3 hours. I end up taking my whole 30 day supply in a few nights and am still up several times per night. I even wondered if the last few bottles were placebos....sometimes I would take 2-3 pills over an hour and still be awake. Loss all effectiveness for me.	I never had side effects with Sonata, but horrid ones with Ambien, Ambien CR and Lunesta: night wandering with total amnesia, cooking and eating with no memeory. Woke up one time in bed with a grilled cheese sandwich and had left the stove on downstairs. Even gained weight from pigging out at 3 AM in bed without knowing it (except for the mess!) No memory whatever. Was afraid I might drive somewhere so I stopped and flushed the remainder.	F	57			1/2/2010
3	insomnia	hallucinations, dry mouth, inconsistancy of effects	I am a chronic insomiac, for 10 years. Lunesta works well for me, but my insurance will not pay for it. Ambien and Ambien CR both did nothing for me. I was on Seroquel for a year, and boy does it put you to sleep. A deep, long, sleep. I can easily sleep a solid 12+ hours when I take it. I also gained 40lbs taking it. Next! My doctor gave me Sonata (the only other one my insurance will pay for). It's erratic. Somenights I fall right to sleep, and wake up 8 hours later just fine. Other nights, it's like I did not take anything and end up awake the entire night. THE HALLUCINATIONS: Boy am I glad I found this board and see it happens to other people too! I thought I was losing it. They are not scary, just funny and interesting. Graphics and texts on my computer will wave like a flag, or look 3D, or melt. Sometimes I will be reading something, and the voice in my head that is reading it changes from my regular voice to almost a cartoon voice. Weird stuff man. I'll take it, it's better than nothing.	F	32	2 months		12/8/2009
3	Insomnia due to manic episodes	Fast acting, but hallucinations if not laying down within 15 minutes. Hinders sleep; causes paranoia from hallucinations.		F	30	2 months		10/7/2009
4	not sleeping	none	Too short acting but better than not sleeping		91	3 months		5/20/2009 Email
3	insomnia	works erratically; side effects are very mild, also erratic	Bipolar w/extremely addictive personality; Ambien not an option for me. Psych initially prescr year's worth Sonata. Warned me of 4hr half-life. Works well at first for nite or 2 then no longer effective. Took occas to see if I was lucky enough to get any sleep on it; sometimes *sorta* worked. Wish I could type "occas" as Time Taken on this forum b/c it just doesn't work on LT basis (maybe 3-4 nights consec'vly). Stopped taking it for almost a year (wasted that script) b/c I gave up on it ever working again. Repl'd w/Seroquel, which I found hindered badly needed 50+ lb wgt loss; ditched that. Currently working on drastic med change under shrink's superv (now month 2) b/c sick of walking around w/this extra wgt; back on Sonata (generic now). On mood stabes Topamax & Lamictal, no antidep for 1st time ever to promote wgt loss (working!). Sonata still erratic. Tonite exper'd literal brain fart! Very, very loud, synthetic sounding "BEEERRPP" in my head, like a key on a synthesizer was struck. Lasted a solid second. Was already half-waking up after few hrs since taking med; I burst out laughing, admittedly after overcoming initial great fear [had to convince myself wasn't becoming schizophrenic & about to hear reprimanding voices (runs in distant fam)]. I usually resrch my meds but never took this one seriously; hubby did resrch & said ppl use it recreationally. LOL! In no hurry for refill now; got laid off anyway, bldg biz from home so I sleep when I	F	40	2 months		4/10/2009 Email
2	INSOMNIA	IRRITABLE UPON WAKING, DRY EYES, VERY BAD PMS AND VERY BAD PERIOD CRAMPS	THIS DRUG WORKS GREAT FOR SLEEPING BUT THE PMS IS UNBEARABLE, THE MOODINESS, THE SORE BREASTS, THE CLUMSINESS, ETC.	F	42	10 days		1/20/2009
1	Insominia	made me hyper. Just the opposite of what it was supposed to do. I have had about 21 hours of sleep in 6 days. Ambien CR didn't work either. B ut the Ambien did knock me out for a couple of hours.	Don't like this drug. Used one night, will not use again.	M	46	1 days		1/6/2009
3	To hep with insomnia	Minor Hallucination	When I took this I had just finished eating and hopped on the computer for a while. After one thirty minutes I got up to go to sleep and when I turned around to get into bed, my bed seemed to be moving, almost as though it was breathing or had a pulse. (One ten gram pill) Besides that it was good. When I did lay down I fell asleep within thirty minutes.	M	18	30 days		10/4/2008
4	insomnia	No side effects	As others have stated, Sonata gives me about 4 hours of sleep. I found it put me to sleep quickly, but the effect is short-lived. However, even if I wake up around 4:00 a.m. I feel refreshed and have no "hangover" or other after effects. I often fall asleep again until about 6:00 a.m.	M	69	1 months		8/16/2008
3	Trouble sleeping all night!!!	sleepy the next day, cracky, hard to be around.	I was given this drug to finally get a goodnight sleep, however was unable to completely stay asleep. i woke up 2 - 3 times during the night. I think I had better results with over the counter drugs at a high dose. That's what I felt anyways, my husband said within the hour of taking sonata i was snoring.so i guess sonata was ok, maybe next time i'll try 2 pills.	F	26	1 weeks		6/20/2008
1	lack of sleep	Med works in reverse - Its 5am and I am here typing...	The few times I have taken the sonata (at about 11 or 12am) I have not been able to fall asleep for 5-6 hours. If I do drift into sleep then would wake up after only a few hours of sleep and be very tired.	F	49	3 days		6/4/2008
1	Insomnia	Um... Insomnia.	I might as well have taken a crap in a pharmacy, asked a pharmacist to put it in a bottle, and sell it to me for $60. The most worthless "sleep aid" ive ever taken. I might as well watch a Meg Ryan movie to fall asleep. Damn.	M	21	2 weeks		4/27/2008
1	Insomnia induced by mania	none	I wondered if it was a placebo. It had no effect.	M	31	1 months		2/23/2008 Email
2	sleep disorder, insomnia	grogginess the following day - all day, waking up during the night (which hadn't been a problem before this drug)	didn't seem to have any helpful effect whatsoever on my sleep - in fact, i slept better and was less groggy after i stopped taking this medication.	F	27	6 weeks		1/22/2008
4	Early awakening	I take Sonata between 2:00 am and 4:00 am if I have woken and can't get back to sleep. In the mornings I sometimes experience lethargy lasting a few hours, and lapses of memory. Usually Sonata DOES promote sleep (not always). Sometimes the quality of sleep with Sonata is not good and occasionally it gives me bizarre, unpleasant dreams.	The trick with Sonata is not to take it too often. I try not to take it two nights running. It usually helps me to get back to sleep after early awakening, but the level of sleep may not be restful. The scary thing about this drug any any other sleep aid is the memory lapses. Is this occuring naturally because of my age? I don't think so. This has frightened me a little, and I take Sonata as little as possible. One other thing to consider: Alcohol will cause early awakening. Attend to that before resorting to Sonata. That said, I wouldn't be without it when I actually need. Hence the 4/5 rating. To sum up: Use it sparsely.	M	70	4 years		1/19/2008
5	problem falling asleep	a bit of sleepiness the next day.	I take sonato because I am on another med which makes me wakeful. I have problems falling asleep but will stay asleep once I nod off. This makes sonata perfect for me.	F	51	1 years		1/16/2008
3	could not stay asleep all night	I suffered from hourly wakeups. Needed something to sleep all night and did not want anything leaving me grogged out next day. Doctor said 1 Sonata good for 4 hours(dropped to 3) 2 for 8 hrs( dropped to total of 4 to 5 hours) Made the EXTREMELY STUPID mistake of drinking alcohol even 2 or 3 hours before taking medication, resulting in a side of me I and my wife have never seen before. Hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, drastic depression(possibly lasting up to 6 weeks so far). Drug gives me "BAD KARMA"	BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL WHEN TAKING THIS MEDICATION ITS EFFECTS CAN BE UNSETTLING(EVEN MADE ME STOP DRINKING)	M	55	8 months		1/14/2008
5	insomnia	No side effects for me, just the best 4 hours of sleep I've had in years!	I love it! I was constantly waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning and not able to go back to sleep until 5 or 6, just before I had to get up and get kids to school! I was unable to exercise because I was so tired all the time, and felt terrible, almost falling asleep while driving in the afternoons before starting this! It has made me feel human again!	F	46	2 months		12/7/2007 Email
5	Insomnia (trouble falling asleep)	None.	I was prescribed Ambien, but Ambien knocks me out for 7 hours. I only take it on nights I have insomnia, and some nights, I don't realize I need extra drugs to fall asleep until I only have 4 or 5 hours left. This is why I like Sonata better. It gets me to sleep almost as well as Ambien does, and then I can wake up 4 hours later. I don't feel like it's quite as strong as Ambien-- I had both at one point and used Ambien on the nights I had adderall in my system and seriously needed to sleep. Sonata, however, is perfect for that unexpected insomnia.	F	23	3 weeks		12/5/2007
4	Early wake up.	None	When I wake up, usually between 2-3AM, I take 5mg and sleep another 2-3 hours, which is what I need. Take 5-7 nights a week. No side effects or "hangover." Have tried all the other sleep aids, only regular Ambien was effective. Ambien CR did not seem to work.	M	67	1 days		9/9/2007
3	Anxiety/Depression-Related Insomnia	Minor hallucinations on more than one occasion, dizziness, and paresthesia.	This medication did make me feel drowsy and shortened the time it takes me to fall asleep. However, I had minor hallucinations each and every night I took it, as if I was dreaming while I was still awake. Along with the other side effects, this convinced me to stop after just three nights.	F	19	3 days		9/3/2007
3	insomnia, waking too early	One minor hallucination	Much less problems than Lunesta and if it doesn't work, it's largely out of your system in 2 or 3 hours. It works best on an empty stomach and a relaxed mind-set that doesn't try to fight it. If you fight it and stay awake you *may* experience the hallucinations many have mentioned here. This only happened to me once and it was not a horrible experience for me (semi-amusing, actually). Stops working if I take a lot of it (every night or more than one day, like one for night and one the next day for a nap).	F	32	1 years		8/11/2007
5	mild insomnia	No side effects of any kind except for slight forgetfulness.	I have been taking Sonata for 4 years. At first just occasionally but for the past 2 or 3 years almost every night. I fall asleep easily but wake up every night at 3 or 4am and then take 10 mg. I fall back to sleep and usually get at least 8 hours every night. Although it is still working fine for me, it is expensive and I am thinking seriously about weaning myself off of it.	F	55	3 years		7/28/2007
2	Difficulty getting to sleep	See comments	Sonata is good for a contained period of difficulty in going to sleep. It has a very short "half-life" and is out of your system in about four - five hours. However, for me, it lost effectiveness rather quickly after a few weeks of taking it. I started with 10 MG and after a several weeks of on and off again use, the 10 MG dose had lost all effect. I would have to bump it up to 20 MG to force my brain/body to go to sleep. I even had to go up to 30 MG a few nights to have any effect. I have stopped taking now as it is useless. If you do have to go up in dosage, watch out for extreme stupor and sluggishness if you have to get up to go to the bathroom after going to bed. I have switched to occasional use of AMBIEN CR for now.	M	45	3 months		7/28/2007
4	insomnia (waking after 2-3 hrs.)	Tried sonata after having very bad time with rozerem (horrible side effects the following day). Didn't feel any side effects with sonata at all, but med did not help much with the insomnia.	Rating of 4 is for a combination of sonata & another med: Sonata did help relax me, and seem to help reduce restless legs episodes but was not keeping me asleep for the 4 hours suggested. Would wake after 2-3 hours, and then just doze off & on rest of night. I am now taking sonata with a low dose of trazodone (antidepressant, 50 mg) This combination seems to be working-though I still seem to wake up after just a few hours now I go back to sleep for at least an hour at a time, instead of waking up every 10-20 minutes. Also, having dreams now-not nightmares, just normal/goofy dreams. (Haven't had dreams I was aware of for several years, so this has been very interesting!)	F	50	15 days		7/10/2007
4	Insomnia	The drug worked well if taken only twice a week. More than that and I experienced joint pain. Developed rotator cuff damage without any injury. Seems to weaken tendons.		M	61	1 years		6/29/2007
4	chronic insomnia	No side effects after 90 days! Least intrusive sleep aid I've used.	Too bad it's only meant to work short term - approx. 4 hours. I sometimes take awhile to fall asleep (45 minutes), but I've had no side effects at all. In the beginning, I was also using CPAP for sleep apnea. If Sonata worked for 8 hours, it would be perfect!	F	64	90 days		6/11/2007
3	Insomnia	Have a hard time waking up	Sonata, like the other sleep medications I've tried, ambien, lunesta, etc didn't help me fall to sleep, it just keeps me from waking up the next day. I find that tylenol pm is just as if not better than all the prescription medications I've tried.	F	38	4 months		5/27/2007
1	insomnia	Big time trippin effect like on LSD. Room was spinning. You are awake, but you cannot move. It's terrible. Last about 2 hours.	It would be better off sold as an illegal street drug.I cannot take it anymore.. I threw it out!	F	22	3 days		5/21/2007
2				M	34			5/17/2007
1	sleep. blackout	i normally took these and went straight to bed. my mom told me i was up for hours rambling on and on, going up and down the stairs nonstop, working out, and slamming doors all night. i also took 17 10mg pills the first three days! i really dont remember doing all of this.	i STRONGLY dont recommend using this drug!!!	M	16	2 months		5/9/2007 Email
4	Insomnia	It puts my brain to sleep but not my body; my husband says I twitch like mad in my sleep when I take it		F	35			4/20/2007
2	insomnia	Hallucinations	I am an RN and took this drug for sleep. I started having hallucinations about an hour after taking it. The valance on my windows started turning into faces and other odd experiences. I even burst into tears out of fear. Very frightening and would not take it again	F	40	1 days		3/14/2007
1	Sleep	My Mother My sister and Myself has taken Sonata and each one of us had serious delusions, Horrible. I would see and hear things that were not there, and so would my mother but my sister, She didnt know where she was who we were she couldn't see my mother and I, she kept screaming saying that there were millions of people around her and that she was flying.	This should be NOT be offered anymore. It is way to dangerous and puts you through some scary stuff!!!!!	F	18	2 months		3/7/2007
5	Insomnia	I take 10mg before bed, works well, very mild. I try not to take it for more than 3 nights, then take a night or two off, so that it doesn't lose its effectiveness, and to limit my withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes it's hard to get to sleep on those off-nights, but Sonata is habit-forming and I don't want the symptoms to get severe.		M	58	5 years		2/21/2007
5	Early Morning Awakenings	Nothing I would consider undesirable. You go into the ozone about 10-15 minutes after taking and you remember nothing while you are sleeping. In fact you could swear you never slept at all... but it is several hours later.	After several months of continuous use, 10mg only equates to 1.5 or 2 hrs sleep. I still use it for my early morning awakenings at 3, 4 or 5 a.m., but sometimes I have to take another to get me to the desired wake-up times. I may try taking 20mg (2 pills) and see if that gets me 4 hours like it used to. I like the way I get back to sleep with Sonata. Even though I've grown tolerant to its full effect, it will always get me to sleep for at least awhile. I always feel good when I wake up too. No ill effects	F	51	9 months		1/24/2007 Email
1	insomnia	Grogginess, depression	Only got one hour's sleep from it. Coupled with the side effects, it's a loser.	F	53	3 days		12/25/2006
2	couldn't fall asleep	hallucination	CONTINUED... My mother asked how many pills I took, I told her one. (10mg) which was true. I managed to call my psychiatrist around 12:25am and I asked her what was wrong and she said that it's a side affect of Sonata that only one of her patients besides myself have experienced. She told me to not take that pill again. She said in a few hours I should be fine, and I was.. I felt sick to my stomach and I had a headache. Everything I saw in the light was very colorful but warped. It's hard to beleive that only 10mg could make me experience such a detailed hallucination. It was very frightening for me.	F	19	5 days		11/13/2006
2	Had a hard time falling asleep	very vivid hallucination	The first time I took this i fell asleep in about 20 mintues. The second time (last night) I couldn't fall asleep.. I experienced a little bit of unessecary anger while I was on the phone with a friend and I told her "This stuff isn't working I'm not even tired" It was dark in my room and I ended up staring into my phone's screen which lit up the room.. I stared and began to see the screen form into a cube.. I was thinking "Ok, neat a optical illusion" then I looked up and my lamp had turned into 3 eucalyptus trees. I looked down at my phone to see that It was a different kind of phone then I had 10 seconds earlier. I then tried to dial my friend's number again and my phone appeared to be a bar of soap. She called back and I managed to answer with great confusion. She told me to go get my mom and I convinced her I was fine but apparently I started rambling and what I was saying made no sense.. I fell out of bed and thought I had fallen from a building into a dark al	F	19	5 days		11/13/2006
1	insomnia	Double vision, vomiting, depression, waking after 4 hours, muscle weekness, dizziness (like being motion sick), and appetite decrease	This stuff is horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm taking 10mg per night, it takes 45 minutes to even be able to go to bed and then, I toss for another hour or so. My mind is fuzzy all day the next day (probably more from not sleeping than the medication itself).	F	30	5 days		11/11/2006
5	insomia	Have to take on a empty stomach for it to work quicker. sleepiness and dizziness.	have to take 20mg for it to work for me. it does help me get to sleep where other sleep meds failed.	F	38	2 months		11/1/2006
1	to fall asleep and stay asleep	Did the opposite and kept me awake	Before taking Sonata I was taking high levels of melatonin which, didn't help me to fall asleep faster or sleep longer, but did help me to get deeper sleep for the 4-5 hours that I did sleep, thus making me feel more refreshed. Every night I have taken the sonata (at about 8 or 9pm) I have not been able to fall asleep for 5-6 hours (much longer than the melatonin), or about 2-3am. I then would wake up at 5:30 after only a few hours of sleep and be very tired. It's almost like it is actually making me wired. Not a happy camper! DOESN'T WORK.	F	36	4 days		10/30/2006 Email
4	trouble falling asleep	None.	After taking Sonata I start feeling drowsy about 10 or 15 mins later. I fall asleep and sleep very sound. I have no problem waking up in the morning.	F	45	21 days		10/3/2006
4	trouble falling asleep	None.	After taking Sonata I start feeling drowsy about 10 or 15 mins later. I fall asleep and sleep very sound. I have no problem waking up in the morning.	F	45	21 days		10/3/2006
4	sleep	Hallucinations on a grand scale.. This is a VERY odd drug, i cant believe its a CIV drug, considering the things i saw on this drug. I began to see everything double on more than one occasion.. I took it once during the day, and i felt euphoric, and highly social,.. very strange!	This drug never made me tired.. infact its only use for me was as a recurational drug!	M	23	100 days		9/24/2006
5		none	This medication works great. Gets you just sleepy enough to drift off and doesn't last more than 4 hrs, but by that time you well asleep and wake up feeling bright and chipper. From what I understand, it's the only RX sleep aid that is approved by the FAA	F	56	3 years		9/19/2006
5	insomnia; waking up too soon	fatigue for about 8 hours after waking up, although decreasing as that 8 hours wears on; aggravation, irratability and depession during that 8 hours	I have taken this medication on an as-needed basis for 4 years. I have tried all the others on the market as well. Sonata is not meant to be a put you to sleep for 8 hours; it has a 4-hour half-life, so it's more useful for put you BACK to sleep than to put you to sleep at the inception of your sleep cycle. Nevertheless, when you can't fall asleep to begin with, i.e., insomnia, it is capable of putting you to sleep (with some exceptions), hopefully for the rest of the night, or only for about 4 hours, after which its effect begins to wear off. So is best taken on those (hopefully) rare nights when you wake up between 2-4am, and need to get back to sleep. Beware that if you take it consistently, your brain receptors adjust to having it as part of their regular diet, at which point they are hooked, and you can experience withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit, this being those brain receptors way of letting you know that they are that they feeling deprived. Exceptions when Sonata m	M	56	4 years		9/17/2006
3	insomnia; waking up too soon	fatigue for about 8 hours after waking up, although decreasing as that 8 hours wears on; aggravation, irratability and depession during that 8 hours	I have taken this medication on an as-needed basis for 4 years. I have tried all the others on the market as well. Sonata is not meant to be a put you to sleep for 8 hours; it has a 4-hour half-life, so it's more useful for put you BACK to sleep than to put you to sleep at the inception of your sleep cycle. Nevertheless, when you can't fall asleep to begin with, i.e., insomnia, it is capable of putting you to sleep (with some exceptions), hopefully for the rest of the night, or only for about 4 hours, after which its effect begins to wear off. So is best taken on those (hopefully) rare nights when you wake up between 2-4am, and need to get back to sleep. Beware that if you take it consistently, your brain receptors adjust to having it as part of their regular diet, at which point they are hooked, and you can experience withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit, this being those brain receptors way of letting you know that they are that they feeling deprived. Exceptions when Sonata m	M	56	4 years		9/17/2006
1	insomia	like taking nothing nothing.	not worth picking up from the drug store.	F	38	2 days		9/14/2006
4	insomnia	black out, hallucinate, irritability	If I do anything after taking it, I dont remember the next morning. If Im not tired when I take it, it doesnt make me sleep. It only works if Im tired already. Then its great. It really helps me fall asleep. I've moved to the point where I dont require it to fall asleep. But it really helps. If you need to do anything that requires effort or if you'll need to remember, dont take it.		19	3 months		9/2/2006
3	to get to sleep for an early shift	I had taken before and never had problems, until this last weekend I took it and stayed up watching tv. (didn't go directly to bed like normal) I was up according to roomates for 2 hours. During that time I sent an email to friends that I would NEVER have normally sent...and bought a Yogurt maker. So I guess I would take it again but be in bed when I did		M	31	2 days		8/28/2006 Email
3	cant get to sleep -3am,4am awake	few side effects. Next morning felt heavy for first awake hours. Assertive behavior with aggressive tendency. I found I would 'attack' on any given subject and felt persecuted for 24hr after taking SONATA	Want to take in combo with XANAX as catalyst 'accelerant' but cant find side-effects info. Rx says NO XANAX...but dont know why. Need boost since SONATA is good for about 3hr sleep for me. I am 260lb , 56 yr, male. Stressed with business.	M	56	3 months		8/22/2006 Email
4	early waking insomnia	10 mg. worked. I took them between 1 and 2 in the a.m. if I couldn't go back to sleep after waking up. Very slight headache and some irritability next morning at 10 mg, but 5 mg were ineffective for sleep (I weigh 115 lbs and am post menopause).	Insurance won't pay, so I am hoping to use no more than a couple nights a month until the early waking is resolved. Taking 100mg 5htp to raise serotonin levels. So far I am less anxious and depressed, but still not dreaming or sleeping through the night.	F	53	2 weeks		6/22/2006
2	Insomnia	Doesn't work. I took 10 mg 6 hrs ago and nothing. I just took another 20 mg about 1/2 hour ago, nothing still. I'm used to ambien. I went to my doctor today and asked for a different sleep med only because the ambien was wearing off. I was waking up after 4 hours on it, and having to take another dose. But, that's alot better than not sleeping at all on this stuff.	I'm calling my doctor tomorrow to get another prescription for ambien. I've tried everything...from lunesta to trazadone. I was hoping Sonata would be effective, but I haven't even begun to get sleepy yet.	F	34	1 days		6/20/2006
5	Insomnia	I used to watch TV in bed after taking rather than going right to sleep. The medicine put me in a highly suggestable state and I was convinced that I wanted to buy the stuff on the infomercials. Once, I actually did.	Usually I'm alseep in 30 minutes after taking a 20mg dose -- 10 mg did absolutely nothing. Meds work better on an empty stomach. I've taken right after dinner a couple of times and they don't work at all then. In one situation (tonight, which is why I'm writing this), I fell asleep on my own at 9pm. Woke up at 12:00. Took 20 mg sonata at 12:30. At 3am, still awake. took another 20 mg. Not sure what to do now. I shouldn't take anything else so late at night or I won't wake up. Still its better than Ambien. Ambien made me sleepwalk down to the kitchen to eat any fattening thing that I had the willpower to avoid otherwise. Gained about 20 pounds.	F	42	2 years		6/12/2006 Email
2	insomnia	vivid hallucinations	Very good for making me fall asleep -- but one night I woke up and had a series of extremely vivid hallucinations. Have never hallucinated in my life, except on this drug. Having said that, when I realised I was hallucinating, I just laid back down and went to sleep again. I appreciate this is a rare side effect and this drug doesn't affect most people in this way.	F	25	6 months		5/9/2006
2	insomnia	almost like a shovel to the back of the head.		F	30	4 days		4/27/2006
2	Insomnia	depression?	Least effective of the new sleep medications. I usually need 20 mg to stay asleep, (even then it may not work). Ambien Cr is much effective.	M	52	3 years		4/21/2006
5	insomnia	It's hard to remember what I said to my wife during the time between taking the drug and falling asleep. Also, better lay down right after taking it; I was sending e-mails and it was a little challenging getting from the computer to the bed.	This stuff knocked me out in about 30 minutes, while Lunesta is not so dramatic -- one night I was not able to sleep right away even with the Lunesta. Sonata definitely seems like the stronger drug. I have not tried Ambien. After I got back on a normal sleep schedule, it was easy to quit the Sonata.	M	34	1 months		4/13/2006
5	Get back to sleep.	None. I average 5 - 7.5 mg per night, almost every night. Dosage depends on when I wake up and how long until alarm set to go off. No drug hangover or other noticeable afteraffect.	I very highly recommend this drug . . . but then I'm from the Dow Chemical/Berkley-in-the-60s "live better through chemicals" generation.	M	64	2 years		2/8/2006
4	COULD NOT SLEEP	AFTER ABOUT 20 MIN. OF TAKING THE MEDS. I BLACKED OUT AND COULD NOT REMEMBER NOTHING........		F	29	2 weeks		2/4/2006
4	insomnia	none	I use this on nights when I don't take Lunesta. If I wake up in the middle of the night, 20 mg of this stuff puts me right back to sleep w/ no groggy side effects in the morning. If 20 mg does not work, adding a Benadry always knocks me out, although it does not feel as restorative as when I just take the Sonata.	M	31	4 months		1/20/2006
5	Insomnia	Occasional mild depression/irritability; Psychological dependency.	Works great for me. Tried anti-anxiety meds first; they did not help. Started with 20 mg. Sonata, then reduced to 10, and have been on just 5. Occasionally have to take a double-dose to get to sleep, especially if I've had caffeine that evening or am particularly stressed about something. Tried to quit a couple of times; had heart palpitations and major insomnia for a few nights. Was able to go without Sonata for 3 weeks once, but insomnia returned so I started taking it again. I wish I'd never started taking it.		48	5 years		1/14/2006
5	Insomnia	Occasional mild depression/irritability; Psychological dependency.	Works great for me. Tried anti-anxiety meds first; they did not help. Started with 20 mg. Sonata, then reduced to 10, and have been on just 5. Occasionally have to take a double-dose to get to sleep, especially if I've had caffeine that evening or am particularly stressed about something. Tried to quit a couple of times; had heart palpitations and major insomnia for a few nights. Was able to go without Sonata for 3 weeks once, but insomnia returned so I started taking it again. I wish I'd never started taking it.		48	5 years		1/14/2006
2	Sleep	Rarely worked.		M	58	1 years		9/19/2005
5	sleeping aid	none	help me sleep for over 4 to 8hrs	M	25	1 months		6/17/2005 Email
1	Insomnia	Made me drowsy, but the drug is not powerful enough to remove any anxiety associated with insomnia. The drowsy effects deminish after an hour or so. The next day, I felt worse than I would if I'd not taken anything and gotten zero sleep.	If your insomnia is caused by anxiety, Sonata is not for you. Take something stronger like Xanax or Ambien.	M	42	1 days		6/10/2005
1	Trouble falling /staying asleep	None	Took 10 mg twice and 20 mg twice. Never worked and actually seemed to have the reverse effect as my sleep was more restless than usual when I took it.	M	25	1 months		3/22/2005
1	insomnia	Stinging eyes.	Total waste of money. Doesn't do anything for me. I wanted to take it because it wears off more quickly than ambien.	F	33	3 days		3/18/2005
4	insomnia	None	work great but only for 4 hours of sleep.	F	41	3 years		3/6/2005
2	Insomnia	Took on and off for 2 years. At first, it worked well. Would take it for stress related insomia one night and not need it again for several weeks / month. But it became so easy to keep taking it for more than one night. I wouldn't take it for a long time, then I'd take it 4-6 days in a row. It quit working effectively after my first 2 prescriptions ( approximately 9 months / 60 capsules). I began to take it for several days (4-5)in row, and it made me extremely irratable and angry the next day. It quit working effectively, so I'd take a double dose, which put me right to sleep but only for 4 hours. But it affected my behavior the next day. It took me over a year to realize this. When I stopped my weekly dosage of 2 capsules a night every other night, I had significant withdrawal symptoms, even though it's not supposed to be addictive -- heart racing, heart palpitations, anxiety, sadness, insomnia, etc. Beware of Sonata, especially if you find yourself becoming angry or irratable the next day. Stop, or it could ruin your relationships with those you care about, without you're even knowing the cause.		M	53	2 years		2/4/2005
3								1/6/2005
2								11/17/2004
5	Trouble falling asleep at night	Dryish mouth; if you end up doing something else (which takes great effort), you'll hallucinate. DO NOT DRIVE on it. Increased heart-rate, but that could be because I get frustrated when I can't sleep.	It definitely puts me to sleep. The first cycle, I was amazed at how fresh it felt. After being off for a few weeks, I went back on it, but woke up groggy, but I'm still trying to sleep without meds, so I don't take it until later at night which doesn't leave enough hours for sleep before morning. WAY better than ambien which made me puke foam. Mild.	F	34			11/5/2004
1	insomnia	Hallucinations, odd delusions prior to sleep, extreme irratibility the next day.	I have sworn off this drug after its aftereffects tainted an otherwise pristine day at Crater Lake, Oregon. I can't recommend it. It can't even be relied upon to put you to sleep, even with a double dose.	M	49	2 years		10/24/2004
1	insomnia	none	didn't help me sleep at all.........Prescribed 10 mg, nothing.........prescribed 20mg nothing still......	F	30	1 months		10/7/2004
4	mild insomnia	Some fatigue the morning after use (could be due to waiting too long to take medicine and then not getting enough sleep overall).	I am taking sonata for occasional insomnia due to anti-depressant use. For this purpose, I consider it an incredibly effective drug and would highly recommend it. Do not take after consuming alcohol because it will make you delusional.	F	28	1 years		2/5/2004
1	sleep problems	none	does not work	M	37	7 days		10/14/2003
3	Difficulty falling asleep	First 2 weeks I experienced memory losses and felt out of it the next day. It does not help with early morning awakenings. At least you get to fall asleep for 5 hours.	Anybody that has problems falling asleep or early morning awakenings has an anxiety and/or depression problem. I recommend taking Xanax to help alleviate the anxiety of falling asleep. Depression is something else than can be minimized by eating Omega-3 supplements.	M	32	3 months		9/7/2003
2	Insomnia (Caused by Zoloft)	It did not get me tired and when I would fall asleep, it would only last 2 - 3 hours.	I found "double dosing" (at my Dr's recommendation) did get me tired and would give me appx 6 hours of sleep but I found that I would have blackouts at this dosage. I would wake up in different parts of the house or even hold conversations with family members that I would not remember the next morning.	M	26	2 weeks		11/17/2002
2	Insomnia	Seems to make me feel tired, but not relaxed enough to fall alseep. Does it become more or less effective over time. As far as side effects, have not noticed any as of yet.		F	49	3 days		8/12/2002 Email

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Average rating for drug: 2.9. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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