Has has anyone recovered from taking zopiclone
Posted , 3 users are following.
Loosing hope that I will ever recover from zopiclone withdrawal. Stopped it over 10 months ago symptoms only mental anxiety and intrusive thoughts gradually got worse no improvement. Benn trying sertraline in desperation to help now depression has joined the part, so don'T know if it'S side effect from that. Affecting my marriage poor husband had enough as well. Just be interested if anyone has actually got their life back as after 10 long months giving up hope. I know people advise against more drugs but I' desperate for some relief
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charlie95778 Guest
Edited
Hi
im sorry for your current struggles with Zopiclone withdrawal.
May I ask how long you had been taking it and at what dose? 10 months is a very long time for withdrawal!
The sertraline may be making this worse, it may just not be the antidepressant for you and you may need to look at alternatives. All antidepressants have the ability to produce worsening depression and anxiety. depending how long you have been taking it, if youve been using it over a month and have expiereinced ZERO improvement then I would advise against any dosage increases. and opt for a different anti-depressant (NOT venlafaxine, the withdrawal from that is like withdrawing from crack)
But ultimately I would advise that you seek talking therapy, I think that a lot of what you are expierencing are more psychological in nature as opposed to being physical.
Antidepressants have a place, but at the end of the day, they are just masking problems that need to be discussed in a theraputic setting.
Speak to your primary care provider about this and ask what other treatment options you have, and what talking therapy options are available to you, because with all this going on you wont be in a good head space and improvments can be made!
Things will get better, I promise you that!
Guest charlie95778
Posted
Was on them 12 years on and off only ever took low dose 1/4 of tablet. I did seem to get bit better at 6 months but then hit what's callled the six month wave. Have done a lot of research and 12 months plus is the average time before people recover so 10 months not unusual unfortunately. Main problem is intrusive thoughts caused by chemical damage from the zopiclone. I've tried seeing counsellor, psychotherapist and had CBT which was useless. As it's not actually psychological problem but chemical damage causing it unfortunately talking therapy doesn't help at all. Psychotherapist did think might be PTSD as that causes thoughts you might have harmed people. Was previously on citalopram but made hair fall out, the sertraline is the recommended med for intrusive thoughts so will persevere bit longer. I was forced to just stop them by GP so that't probably why symptoms are so bad but talking therapy definitely doesn't help.
charlie95778 Guest
Posted
hi
thanks for the reply,
Im concerned what you are expierencing is NOT withdrawal from Zopiclone. Though zopiclone does cause chemical changes within the brain, it causes these increases in GABA production, it doesnt actually cause damage and withdrawal should resolve within a couple of months maximum.
As much as you have tried to convince yourself that psychology isnt at play here, I highly predict that it is. You need to seek help from an addiction service, your GP isnt managing you well enough.
Talking therapy is imperative in all addiction related problems.
I think you are in a difficult place psychologically and your retisance to therapy is alarming. You have convinced yourself Zopiclone is the sole problem and it has caused "medical" problems when what you are expeirencing are almost certainly psychological at this point.
your GP was wrong to allow you to take them for a prolonged period of time and also wrong for abruptly stopping the zopiclone without reducing it slowly over time.
seek help from an addiction service. as hard as it may be to hear - you need talking therapy. Drugs are not the answer. If the sertraline is not working at all at base dose its not going to work at higher doses.
GPs are not trained to deal with this type of addiction the way that an addiction service is.
Your resistence to talking therapy is concerning. Did you finish any of the courses?
Drugs will just replace the addiction with another set of problems and mask it.
deep psychological therapy will be what solves the problem, you owe it to yourself and your family to try again and beat this addiction. after 10 months there will be no zopiclone in your system can it cannot possibly be making anything worse.
The antidepressant may be making things worse as well, but getting to the route of your addiction is where you will find the solution
Guest charlie95778
Edited
I have no wish to argue with you but you are wrong on all counts. Just read the post under mine ( down the rabbit hole) the lady states zopiclone causes withdrawal symptoms that can last years. Professor Ashton advises that paranoid thoughts are withdrawal symptom from benzos and it'S now accepted that zopiclone causes the same problems. I was told by a helpline staffed by previous sufferers that the majority of people do nit improve until the 2nd year. I had no symptoms until I stopped zopiclone. I have tried talking therapy it is not a cure all and the psychotherapist I saw was very dissmissive of it. Sorry if post sounds angry and I apologise for the tone but I am not an addict these symptoms are entirely caused by withdrawal.Please do not respond as I won't reply, but this forum is for support not to tell people they need addiction centres and have psychological problems.