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Is there a way to wean off serious zoplicone addiction without terrible side effects?

Posted , 9 users are following.

gary0221
gary0221

I am taking 4 or 5 tablets a night (7.5)

i did this 8 years ago and stopped cold turkey when i was caught.

The side effects were terrible.

I want to stop now slower.

Please someone tell me a success storey of doing this and how.

Regards,

Gary

0 likes, 48 replies

48 Replies

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  • dee6565
    dee6565 gary0221

    Posted

    What are the side effects Gary, I'm feeling awful been without 4 days now nightmere
  • lynn70879
    lynn70879 gary0221

    Posted

    Oh you poor thing . Have you been to your GP to let him/her know you want to come off them ? I suggest you do. I have taken myself off this drug but was only on it  2 months for fibromyalgia not getting refreshed sleep I don't sleep for more than 3 1/2 -4 hours a night and have been known NOT to sleep AT ALL for 5 days at a time. You will probably have to reduce your nightly use by one tablet at a time, it's best to get your docs advise but insist that you want off it. My body doesn't like pharmaceuticals  I have nasty reactions maybe yours has had enough too and needs a rest. Try and eat very healthily plenty of greens and salads fresh fruit and chicken and fish in your diet. Make goals for yourself every day that are attainable and not too taxing so you have a sense of achievement . Hope you at least start feeing better soon, don't give in or give up , determination has real rewards

    all the best

    lynn

    • dee6565
      dee6565 lynn70879

      Posted

      Thanks Lynne I'm trying my best to get off em, not had one now for few days just hope side effects arnt to hard to cope with 
    • gary0221
      gary0221 lynn70879

      Posted

      Hi Lynn,

      I'm sorry for the delayed response.  I felt so incredibly embarrassed and really stupid after posting my note.  I expected to be reminded of my dumb actions.  Instead, I was stunned to see 100% supportive replys, including yours.  To be clear, I was mostly at 4 per night when i posted.  The last 2 nights I tried to reduce to 3 and a half but got 2 bad nights trying get throught he night

      Then I saw the replys and got good advice.  I am in a situation where I must do this on my own without a doctor to help.

      Last time I did this, my doctor told me to quit cold.

      That was bad.

      Plus, I've conned all these walk-in clinic doctors for over a year.

      The only solution, I am told, is a gradual reduction over a number of months.  But I don't want to continue lying.

      Thanks for your thoughtfulness.

      Regards

      Gary

       

  • tootsie58
    tootsie58 gary0221

    Posted

    Stopping a tablet each night is not the way to come off these drugs,
  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 gary0221

    Posted

    Hi Gary, 

    The z-drugs are like any other psych med and should be tapered very slowly, allowing 3 weeks minimum between cuts to allow the nervous system to adapt to less drug without causing big withdrawal effects.  Ultimately, you need to listen to your body, meaning that you should only make another cut if you are feeling OK.  Anything less than ok means your system is struggling with the cut and adding another cut on top of that will only cause more chaos.  

    The nervous system pushes back against these drugs by making modificaitons to neurons to bring about homeostasis.  Cutting too much means you are left with the modifications which are opposite to what the drug does, so INSOMNIA is a big rebound effect.

    10% reductions are slower than most are patient enough to deal with but really is the best approach. Consistency is very important.  So, which is your more frequent dosage, 4 or 5?  If 5, I'd start by reducing half of one pill for 3 weeks.  If you are ok with that, then reduce to 4 a night for three weeks.  Then 3 1/2 and so on.  

    Ideally you should reduce by 10% of the previous month's dosage.  You might get away with reducing by half tablets, but again, you must listen to your body!  At any point you feel a rebound effect, you are going too fast and should hold at that dosage for a few weeks and then look at doing actual 10% cuts, which may require purchasing a milligram scale (inexpensive on e-Bay) or making a liquid from one of the tablets that you can dose with an oral syringe to get closer to 10%.  You should be able to keep your sleep throughout the tapering process if you are willing to go to these lengths.

    Good luck!  

    • Cass73
      Cass73 betsy0603

      Posted

      Good points made here Gary.  I posted a similar plan a few days ago on another Zop line.  It took me 8 months, now off fir 4 months and starting to sleep better.  My doc gave me the time plan and said the slower the better.  You are on a large amount of Zop and hope you tell us how you get on.  You will be amazed st how much clearer your brain will be.  I was in admin, and wonder how I kept it all going.....you will look back on this with pride and relief st what you have accomplished.
    • gary0221
      gary0221 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi Betsy

      I'm sorry for the delayed response.  I felt so incredibly embarrassed and really stupid after posting my note.  I expected to be reminded of my dumb actions.  Instead, I was stunned to see 100% supportive replys, particularly yours.  To be clear, I was mostly at 4 per night when i posted.  The last 2 nights I tried to reduce to 3 and a half but got 2 bad nights trying to get throught the night

      Then I saw your reply today.  I am in a situation where I must do this on my own without a doctor to help.

      Last time I did this, my doctor told me to quit cold.

      That was bad.

      Plus, I've conned all these walk-in clinic doctors for over a year.

      The only solution, is what you said, a gradual reduction over a number of months.  But I don't want to continue lying to go that way.

      Please tell me, could I do this with a combination with over the counter slleed aids?

      Thanks for your thoughtfulness.

      Regards

      Gary

       

    • tess33005
      tess33005 gary0221

      Posted

      You CANNOT do this with Nytol etc. You MUST attend a clinic for drug addicts (forget your stupid GP who told you to go cold turkey - that's as useful as a hole in the head) I wrote another reply further down this list. You MUST change to diazepam - all the literature supports this premise. Trust me. And DON'T do it alone. YOU NEED EXPERT HELP.
    • Cass73
      Cass73 tess33005

      Posted

      I got off Zop and now take herbals.  Went to a pharmacy and asked about NyQuil or ZzzQuil, etc.  She was horrified and said no, no, they are not good to take at all.  You are right.  I did it myself with dr help,but would have had an easier time at a clinic.
  • sharon12462
    sharon12462 gary0221

    Posted

    Good luck Gary I hope it's not gona be to tough on you. I'm having a tough time of not sleeping with just goin from 7.5 - 3.75..

    I'm surprised your doc hasn't given you a plan it's a massive thing your doing .. x

    • gary0221
      gary0221 sharon12462

      Posted

      Hi Sharon

      I'm sorry for the delayed response.  I felt so incredibly embarrassed and really stupid after posting my note.  I expected to be reminded of my dumb actions.  Instead, I was stunned to see 100% supportive replys, particularly yours.  To be clear, I was mostly at 4 per night when i posted.  The last 2 nights I tried to reduce to 3 and a half but got 2 bad nights trying to get throught the night

      Then I saw your reply today.  I am in a situation where I must do this on my own without a doctor to help.

      Last time I did this, my doctor told me to quit cold.

      That was bad.

      Plus, I've conned all these walk-in clinic doctors for over a year.

      The only solution, is what you said, a gradual reduction over a number of months.  But I don't want to continue lying to go that way.

      Please tell me, could I do this with a combination with over the counter slleed aids?

      Thanks for your thoughtfulness.

      Regards

      Gary

       

    • tess33005
      tess33005 sharon12462

      Posted

      I'm not in the least surprised that Gary's GP didn't give him a treatment plan. Mine was equally unhelpful. (It's your own fault kind of thing) Most GPs are terrified of benzo and z addicts because they haven't got a clue how to help. The answer (I'm beginning to sound like a parrot now) is to refer yourself to a drug addiction centre, who will expertly and kindly and respectfully assist you, by prescribing for you, so your GP doesn't have to do anything.
  • lynn70879
    lynn70879 gary0221

    Posted

    Hi Gary just to clarify what seems to be a misunderstanding when I said about reducing your tablets by one a night I meant going down one tablet at a time on a weekly of fortnightly basis. You need medical supervision you need to get to the docs as he/she was the one who put you on the drugs in the first place .  None of us are doctors that I'm aware of so getting the docs professional help on reducing your very high dosage IS the way to go , make an appointment ASAP and start out on the way to being and feeling less dependant once again .

    kind regards 

    lynn

    • tootsie58
      tootsie58 lynn70879

      Posted

      Well Good luck Gary if you can find a Doctor who knows about tapering off these drugs. I certainly couldnt find one when I decided to taper.

       

    • tess33005
      tess33005 lynn70879

      Posted

      Heavens! If i was ONLY taking 4 - 5 zopiclone at night i would have been proud of myself. My tolerance to these things is incredibly high. I have taken as much as 30 x 10 mg diazepam plus 30 x 7.5 zopiclone and still been able to hold a normal conversation. No, I'm not proud of it. I'm having expert treatment now, thank goodness. It was costing me a fortune. And sometimes I still didn't sleep!!!!!!
    • tootsie58
      tootsie58 tess33005

      Posted

      I have to ask this . i knew that i was tolerant to my benzo and i was

      on 10 mg. Why did you keep taking more. You must of realised what

      was happening

      Well done in wanting to come off.

      I do hope that you are getting the right help in coming off them.

       

    • tess33005
      tess33005 tootsie58

      Posted

      I took more because I couldn't sleep on the 'small' doses I was on. It got totally out of hand. Of course I knew what was happening but it didn't stop me. Show me an alcoholic with liver failure and see how quickly they'll want to stop drinking...............

      I've been taking these things for forty years - it started when I was 17 and a doctor at the hospoital where my father had just died gave me some valium. He also gave some to my mother.

      We both became life-long addicts. It didn't help that a docgtor from our church came round that night with a huge bottle of nitrazepam (good old mogadon) and told us to help ourselves.

      Then I trained as a nurse. In those days we didn't count benzos at every change of shift as they do now. I just used to take a bottle of 100 whatever from the drug trolley.

      I'm being totally honest here - I'm not proud of what happened next. I discovered my ludicrously higih tolerance level with the advent of the internet.

      Oh yes. That's when I realised I was in FAR TOO DEEP.

      I told my husband and grown up children and my sisters. All were mightily supportive, as was the amazing team at my local drug addiction clinic.

      To be only now on 28mg diazepam a day is an amazing feeling of achievement. I have a way to go, but I'm doing it, and I'lll carry on until I either get to 5mg a day or actually manage to get to nothing. The reason I mention the 5 mg a day is because my expert doctor says he considers that a success in my highly unusual case. He reckons if I got to only 5 mg a day I'd be as good as cured. We'll see.I'm going down to 26 mg a day on Friday but I'm not afraid. And I was, before. Terrified. Well, you would be, wouldn't you?

      I ought to be dead, apparently, but as you can see I'm not, and am approaching my 60th birthday.

      Love and strength to you all.

    • tootsie58
      tootsie58 tess33005

      Posted

      Thank you for your honesty.

      You are lucky that you have help from a doctor.

      Sadly many dont like myself and was on my own .

      I wish you all the best .

    • tess33005
      tess33005 tootsie58

      Posted

      thanks, tootsie. I REALLY NEED A LOT OF HELP!  I ordered 40 x zolpidem 10 mg tabs on the internet yesterday. I TOLD ALL MY KIDS WHO SAID, DON'T WORRY, JUST THROW THEM AWAY WHEN THEY COME.

      But I just couldn't. I'VE ALREADY TAKEN ABOUT FOURTEEN of them in one go. OH, i feel so guilty and stupid.

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