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Can't sleep without taking Zopiclone - 9 days in

Posted , 14 users are following.

sarah70627
sarah70627

I have often had trouble with insomnia – but nothing that has lasted this long.

 

Usually if I have one sleepless night – I get into a spiral meaning I won’t sleep the next night so on and so on.

 

Usually, I’ll go to the docs and take one sleeping pill, which will get me out of the cycle, but this time around I go to be feeling so anxious about not sleeping I just don’t sleep.

 

I have been taking Zopiclone 7.5mg for about 9 days. I go to bed  around 10pm, and tell myself I’ll sleep. I end up tossing and turning until about 12am where I give up and take the sleeping pills.

 

I just don’t know what to do from here? It’s never lasted this long and I just want a natural nights sleep.

 

It’s affecting my work, my relationships and my social life. I focus my entire day on trying to think of ways of how to sleep. I can’t stop thinking about it because I just want it so much.

 

Any advice?  Will it go away?

1 like, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • paul52702
    paul52702 sarah70627

    Posted

     Hi Sarah - have had insomnia on and off since end july - tried zopiclone and amitryline. with varying degrees of success. 

    no sign of mine going away - brought on by worry.

    have seen gp and mentsl health team - citalaprom seems sto have insomnia as side effect, so wasn't much help.

    anyone any advice for me?

    • RobertT
      RobertT paul52702

      Posted

      Well, possibly the worst common side-effect of SSRI's is suicidal ideation.

      I suspect if you don't have any success with citalopram your doc will try you with other antidepressants and anxiolytics. If you get moved on mirtazapine, you'll probably, almost certainly, end up with a weight problem.

      If you don't feel you suffer from depression, I should make it clear to your doctor. I'm not at all sure antidepressants are safer than zopiclone, and if you're not suffering from depression ...

    • winzarten
      winzarten RobertT

      Posted

      Suicical ideation is danger for people who already have suicidal thoughts, that's because SSRI improve the motivation aspect of depression, before acting on depression itself. This, sadly, causes suicidal people to be more motivated to actually perform a suicide.

      From my personal experience it is sometimes very hard for a person suffering from depression to actually recognize how much they are suffering. Only after my condition improved I was able to look back and recognize that I was actually suffering from depression, and that depression was one of the drives behind my insomnia.

      The problem with zopiclone is that with prolonged use it cause changed to the GABA receptors it it acting on. This cause the brain to be unable to calm (and sleep) by itself, and slow and painfull tamper is oftentimes required (a time when the insomnia is usually worse that the insomnia that make the person take the drug). That's why zopiclone is not a good drug for chronic insomnia threatment, and in some countries insure companies are even refusing to pay for prolonged threatment.

    • RobertT
      RobertT winzarten

      Posted

      I think it very probable that any drug for treating insomnia will work on the BNZ receptor and successful research will be towards finding a drug that does it in the most natural way, but has it been proved that zopiclone causes long-term changes (damage) to the BNZ receptor?

      People keep saying that you can take zopiclone and become addicted to it, but how do you distinguish that from a simply worsening problem with insomnia? No one's saying zopiclone cures insomnia, only that it treats it. And who says they know a cure for all cases of chronic primary insomnia? Simply because someone sleeps like a log every night does not give them licence to draw probably untrue conclusions about those who have a problem getting to and/or staying asleep.

      Possibly I don't know too much about all the different forms of depression, but some, nervous depression fo example, will make it impossible to function properly. I think it's a fair idea to suggest that if you ask yourself whether you can work effectively during the day so long as you get enough sleep at night and decide you can, you might then go on to decide whether you are suffering from depression.

  • grace62045
    grace62045 sarah70627

    Posted

    HI Sarah,

      Have you tried some natural deep breathing excercises for winding down.  You can do this several times a day, sitting or lying down.  For example you can take a deep breath in counting to 3, hold the breath for 3 counts, exhale counting to 6, hold the breath for 3 counts and then inhale deeply counting to 3 and continue the chain.  Best to do this morning and night lying down for at least 10 minutes but it can be more and as long as it takes to calm you.  If you fall asleep and wake up do that again until you fall asleep.  During the day you can do this as well in smaller intervals even a few breaths.  Keep you mind to the counting, if it wonders off bring it back.  Try it and it should help you .  This is the first step to natural remedy for you.

  • ashleigh73727
    ashleigh73727 sarah70627

    Posted

    I am currently going through the exact same thing i was going weeks by just an hour or sometimes 15 mins sleep. I thought at first it was just because i was working nights and had messed up my body clock but i then started exspiereincing anxiety and depression to the point all i was doing was breaking down i spoke to the the docter he gave me cetalopram (antidepressants) and at first i was possitive but 4 days in and i was worse than before the sode effects were too much i was literally at breaking point with those as you have to be patient they take 4 weeks to start working but i told my doctor and he took me off them. after that the doc gave me ziplicone 7.5mg i was getting propper nights sleep again and days seemed brighter so i then tried one night about about 4 days in to get a natural sleep but i fell asleep for an hour and woke up tried to sleep but all i could do was worry that id spend so much time trying to sleep id run out of time and have to go through the next day with no sleep so i kept on taking them ive been on them 2 weeks im making another appointment with my doctor as i feel without ziplicone my anxiety and depression gets worse. Its so horrible the worst thing ive been through and currently going through. Ive statted taking a lot of vitamins omega 3 nerozan. Its important to stay healthy and try to go for walks and get as acive as you can even tho i know its impossible when youve had no sleep but its important to stay healthy! X
  • SamTaylor80
    SamTaylor80 sarah70627

    Posted

    I can't cope with the pain of my break up. Can't eat or sleep, I feel depressed. Can't sleep without the sleeping pills. And to make things worse I think I’m getting addicted to them. How can I make myself feel better and sleep better?

    • GarryR15
      GarryR15 SamTaylor80

      Posted

      You should try CBD oil, or CBD spray. CBD helps treat anxiety also. One month and you will feel better. It's NOT Addictive. Just hard to purchase, because always sold out. My favorite is this one. It's not too strong but helps a lot.

      Moderator comment: I have removed the link(s) directing to site(s) unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

    • Guest
      Guest SamTaylor80

      Posted

      Try talking to yourself, try being with your feelings, try care taking the thoughts you have when you go to bed, just be with yourself rather than escape it with pills and all. Ditch the pills too, confront yourself, love yourself, we are heartbroken to a degree, or have been damaged, just be compassionate with yourself, your feelings are there to show you, demonstrate you something, like the beliefs you've been holding, the illusions you've been living , the pain of loss, abandonment... Everything is normal of all of that, and we all feel it. Pills just blur the awareness, make you less capable of facing the hurt and trying to love yourself from start, because they simply numb us.

      <3

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