1. Community
  2. Symptoms
  3. Sleep Problems

Doctor has given me Zopiclone today, will this work?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Gareth51625
Gareth51625

I seen my doctor today and told him about my 6 month struggle with insomnia and he gave me a weeks worth of Zopiclone 7.5mg. Really hope this works for me, for the past few weeks I have been drinking alcohol to sleep, sure I get to sleep pretty quick if I drink enough but I tend to wake up after 2 or 3 hours so I go to the toilet and get back in bed and sleep for a couple more hours and after that cannot get back to sleep, so I only get about 4 hours sleep on alcohol, felt tired today of because of that so I went to see my doctor. In the past I have taken 50mg of phenergan/promethazine which knocks me out for 6 or 7 hours with no waking up, but I hated the groggy feeling the next day. So with me having success with phenergan will zopiclone work? Is it even better for sedation?

Thanks all, just want a good sleep. Fed up feeling tired.

2 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • lily65668
    lily65668 Gareth51625

    Posted

    If Phenergan works, so should zopiclone.

    Zopiclone is stronger than Phenergan, but it's even more habit-forming. Whichever of the two you're using, you'd do better to just take them on a couple of consecutive nights then tough it out for the next week. I realise you're feeling tired, but four hours is enough sleep for your health.

    I had 40 years of sleep anxiety, but only used to take Phenergan for very short periods, just to reassure myself that I could still sleep. That would often reset my sleep ability for one or two nights, then I'd go cold turkey till I felt I really needed a good night again. That way, I avoided ever getting dependent on it.

    Unfortunately all sleep meds cause dependency, which is usually worse with prescription meds than antihistamines. This means that over time you'll need an ever-increasing dose to get the same effect, then your pills will stop working. Your doctor will switch you to another med, and you'll go through exactly the same thing, over and over again. In the end, no sleep meds of any kind will work, and your doctor will start prescribing antidepressants. These only work patchily for insomnia, so there's every chance you'll then be put on antipsychotics, with all their potential side-effects.

    Gareth, I'm sorry if this sounds unduly gloomy. I'm a former nurse with a 40-year history of sleep anxiety myself, so I know from experience that the best way to deal with this problem is to try and get to the root of this anxiety. If you can't manage that - and I never did - then second best is to manage it, and work around it with minimal chemical help. If it's any consolation, my sleeping problems evaporated completely when I retired from paid employment at the age of 66, though I suspect that's still some way off for you.

  • Gareth51625
    Gareth51625

    Posted

    Thanks for the reply Lily, yes I'm only 32 so retirement is a long way off yet. Just fed up with the insomnia since September, taking hours to get to sleep or on the rare occasion I do get to sleep quick it is the waking up often with intense dreaming when I don't take Phenergan. Not sure what happened to me - even under periods of stress I used to get to sleep quick and stay asleep for 8 hours - sometimes used to sleep through my alarm before September. Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist?

    • lily65668
      lily65668 Gareth51625

      Posted

      It might help, though in my experience psychiatrists are even more likely to reach for the prescription pad than GPs. Is there any way you can get yourself referred for CBT? That's usually the best way of addressing anxiety and stress, though it requires quite a lot of work on the part of the patient too.

    • Gareth51625
      Gareth51625 lily65668

      Posted

      I will look into CBT. Just want to say you have been a good help on here for me since I first posted a long while ago. Sometimes it's helpful to talk to someone about your problems especially others who have struggled with similar issues, it does ease the the stress somewhat especially for overly nervous people like myself who need more support than most. I wish you well.

  • girl02520
    girl02520 Gareth51625

    Posted

    Zopiclone should work for you however please don't drink alcohol with them, it's incredibly dangerous. I don't mean to presume you would but because you mentioned it in your post. I hope they work for you smile

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.