About to have my 1st tablet help wanted!!!

You should take it about 20 minutes before going to bed, in that time you will start to feel relaxed and a little sleepier, it wont just knock you out.I find it best to go to bed after about 20 minutes and listen to relaxing music or maybe read a little, after a short time of this im tired enough to switch everything off and go to sleep.

Whatever you do, pls dont use them for more than a week or two, prolonged use can lead to addiction and the pain of kicking them is much worse than the original sleep problems!!!.

If you use them correctly however and set a routine for yourself, ie go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time you should have no problems getting a good sleep pattern back safely.

There seems to be a lot of people with very scary experiences of addiction relating to this drug. I was prescribed them because during periods of mania (i have rapid cycling bipolar) i needed something to help me sleep. Bizarrely i have actually found them more useful for knocking me out during the initial stages of a low period, but i suspect this is because they stop the intense anxiety and hallucinations and allow my body to rest.

I usually take them about 30 mins before i want to sleep, then as i start to feel relaxed, get into bed and just read or lay with the lights on until my eyes start to feel heavy and then i turn off the light and sleep.

The next day i find i get the metallic taste in my mouth, which is more unusual than really unpleasant. I find my eye sight is slightly blurry for a few hours and i feel relaxed and more carefree than normal. I agree with other posts on this site, i wish there were antidepressants that were as effective at making you feel relaxed as this drug.

I find the effects of a tablet lasts about 6-7 hours and then i wake up naturally, this is regardless of whether i have used them to sleep at night or during the day.

Usually after 2-3 nights use, i find i don't need to take it again and can sleep more normally on my own, it just gives me a few nights deeper sleep and somehow allows my body to kind of 'reset' its clock.

I can see how prolonged use could become psychologically addictive so i use them with respect and never for more than 4 nights in a row.

I think in careful moderation, they do what they are meant to do.

I hope you feel better soon.

DONT TAKE IT!! I was given Zimovane by my GP 10 years ago to help me overcome a period of anxiety , and I have only just got off it after all this time. They were gr8 at first , but after a while they became much less effective , and worst of all THEY STOPPED ME SLEEPING PROPERLY. I have now been successfully weaned off them by a consultant psychiatrist , but it has been a battle , and my sleeping patterns are still not normal , and he has told me it will take months. I wish I had NEVER taken these pilss , they are VICIOUS and more addictive than heroin.

kwjd - I am in exactly the same position as you!

The doctor gave me 14 of these tablets, having done a bit of research on the net I was aware they can be addictive but I take them 4 nights on (Mon,Tues,Weds,Thurs) and then none Friday, Sat, Sun. I do it this way because it means I can get sleep so I'm fresh for work.

I take one about 10.10pm and by 10.30ish I'm ready to sleep. I usually have a bath beforehand as that relaxes me too, then after I have taken the tablet I read with a head torch for 10-15 mins... I find reading without the main or a larger light helps me feel sleepy.

I wake up at 7am and feel very refreshed... the only side effect I have had is a metallic taste in the mornings, but I find decaff coffee sorts that out straightaway.

I think you just need to be sensible with the tablets. I don't take them at weekend because whats the point, if I don't have a great nights sleep I can always have a lie in!

I have had 3 lots of these pills (only 14 prescribed at a time) with a month break in between each lot... I find my body clock is just manic and a few days of these gets me back on track.

I also swim 3 times a week in the evenings and walk my dog 4 miles every evening and the exercise definately helps me sleep so that may be worth trying.

I hope it all goes ok. Don't get scared or worried about the horror stories on here, that will only make you more anxious and effect your sleeping even more. As long as your doctor isn't stupid and you are careful about how you take them there shouldn't be a problem.

All the best :D

I am a nurse. I take zopiclone, as do many of my colleagues, to get some sleep when on irregular shifts. I have never had any side effects.My colleagues have never had any side effects. The only thing we have noted is a metallic taste in the mouth sometimes the next day.

I usually take a tablet 20 minutes before going to bed.I read a bit then feel my eyes going.They do not stop you waking to go to the loo etc but you will fall back to sleep and not lay worrying etc.

Good luck in getting into a good sleep pattern.

I took my first Zopiclone 3.75mgs last night and I've just had the first night's sleep for weeks where I did'nt end up downstairs at three in the morning because I just could'nt switch off [I'm recently bereaved]. Even though I woke several times I returned to sleep and feel rather detatched but rested this morning. I just want to say thankyou to all the people who have entered their experiences - it's really helped me decide how to use these pills - I will just take one for two more nights and then try and manage on my own, fingers crossed and thankyou all. [size=18:7ecb7a2daa][/size:7ecb7a2daa]

I've also been bereaved this year and suffered from very poor sleep - either taking hours to drop off or waking up with a start between 2 and 4am, just about every night. It's left me feeling constantly exhausted and barely able to function in my job as a university lecturer.

My doctor prescribed a short course of Zopiclone but was very clear that I shouldn't see it as anything more than a short-term fix, to try and break the vicious circle of not sleeping through anxiety and getting anxious about not sleeping. Well, some nights it didn't work at all, other nights I've had 6 or 7 hours uninterrupted sleep which is a rare treat for me. However, I haven't managed to get back to a normal sleeping pattern.

The doctor has now referred me to be assessed for counselling. She wants to avoid giving me anti-depressants, which I fully agree with: I think if we are experiencing sleeping difficulties there is generally a reason for it which is more than a chemical imbalance in the brain, and the only way to get a permanent solution is to tackle the underlying causes of stress and anxiety.

PS: thanks to Mabbie79 for the tip about the head torch, I'm going to get one today

i have just had my first nite on zopiclone and i didnt see any difference to when i wasnt on the. I took one at midnight when i went to bed then read for half an hour so they could kick in. At half twelve on the dot i put down my book and turned my light off. For the next two and a quarter hours i laid in bed waiting to fall asleep and nothing. Is it because it was my first nite on them and they take a few nights to work or do they just not work on me. I havent had a proper nigt sleep for 6 months since a very messy break up wit an ex and was hoping these would help but they dont seem to. any advis eon what i should do?

Hello boys and girls. I'm in my late 60's and find that zopiclone is a bl00dy waste of time....Just because it doesnt work for me, doesnt necessarily say it wont work for others, but in my experience, if i had to choose something to get me off to sleep :::between zopiclone, a cocked pistol, tramadol, watching cricket or a double whiskey, I KNOW which one I would choose. Sri, as far as i am concerned, zopiclone is no better than a placebo...(BTW, I'm a retired doctor), cheers, Howard, UK.

Throw them in the bin, having a sleepless night is far worse than getting to use Zopiclone, which is a *highly* addictive drug wuth really nasty side effects if you stop using it.

The side effects are also not nice. Short term memory loss, irritability, nasty metallic taste in your mouth, you name it. You're better off without it.