My experience of zopiclone (down the rabbit hole)
Posted , 150 users are following.
Hi my name is Margaret and I am a 35 year old housewife who is prescribed 3x 3.75mg zopiclone a nightand I would like to share with you the signs of an addiction silently creeping up in order someone might recognise where they are and stop the process( unlike I who was given no warning s at all and blundered in foolishly.)
My doctor failed to tel me on first prescribing zopiclone 1. THEY ARE HABIT FORMING PHYSIOLOGICALLY IF TAKEN DAILY FOR JUST A WEEK!!!4
Point 2 , THERE ARE STUDIES SHOWING REPEATED INFECTIONS OF THE BODY WHEN TAKEN LONG TERM DUE TO THE FACT THEY ARE THOUGHT TO DAMAGE IMMUNE RESPONSES. THIS DRUG IS EVEN THOUGHT TO CAUSE CANCERS DUE TO DECREASED IMMUNE FUNCTION IN THE BODY AND IS LINKED WITH EARLY DEATH IN PROLONGED USERS. ( I might add that a good majority Do end up long term users because the withdrawl symptoms are emotionally and physically intensel and because the pain of them is stopped instantly by taking the pills again
ZOPICLONE CAN PRODUCE PROTRACTED WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS THAT CAN LAST ON AND OFF FOR YEARS WITH NO CURE AND THIS SUBSEQUENTLY CAN CAUSE RELAPSE. People can suffer for years with the withdrawal syndrome repeating and relenting over time, neurologicaly everyone has a different brain and body system so it depends how a persons body reacts to recovery. Zopiclone are a direct assault on the central nervous system and the gamma receptors in our brain that regulate chemicals that are vital in helping you stay calm naturally or go to sleep. Sleep deprivation has been used as torture in the past for good reason. The withdrawal effects are not only felt at night but all day long as well which makes me personally stressed and unable to relax, twitchy and utterly depressed , craving the next dose for the relief that is in it.
ZOPICLONE PLAY HAVOC WITH EMOTIONS AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE PEOPLE DEPRESSED AND STRESSED
ZOPICLONE CAN WORSEN THE INSOMNIA THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING WITH.
ECG MONITORING BRAIN ACTIVITY SHOWED PATIENTS ON ZOPICLONE HAD UNUSUAL BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY INDICATING THE SLEEP PATTERN NEUROLOGICALLY WAS DIFFERENT FROM A NATURAL SLEEP THEREFORE THE PATIENT WAS NOT GETTING QUALITY REST.
This is just the effects bodily, the pain is just beginning for the trusting patient who initially finds the drug effective for insomnia and with the added bonus of feeling wonderfully relaxed and at peace before sleeping (better than any glass of wine one starts to notice).
All of the above are not the only evils this drug brings onto your body, they also have a terrible effect on the MIND.
I speak from experience of being on this drug for more than 5 yrs.
It started innocently and I did not abuse the drug or willfully set out to become a drug addict. I have usually got a strong sense of right and wrong . alcohol has never been a problem for me and I rated myself as fairy responsible in that I would not easily become addicted, how ever, addiction was not mentioned or the horrors above when i was prescribed this on repeat prescription for years! I was just given no info and I trusted my dr as I thought they had an understanding these days that gps do not prescribe addictive drugs since the vaium epidemic of the 50's, seems the lesson was not learned in some cases.
I now struggle with the embarrassment of visiting my gp to ask for this medicine which he does not want to prescribe. I feel I have lost all respect for myself and I no longer feel I am treated with the same respect as I was previously from the doctors. I have been honest and disclosed the fact I am addicted to these pills and this fall is so painfully felt in the completely different way I am treated now. I have become the enemy it almost seems. I have in desperation tried to have my prescription a few days earlier as I have ran out, never more than a few days but the doctors do not sympathise or even talk to me or offer counselling on this , instead I receive a humiliating letter being told off like a child threatened with expulsion. It always seems to look like I am the most deceitful person in the world conning drs , it is awful because I am an honest person with feelings . None of the drs take any responsibility that I did not end up this ill on my own, now it feels like this is totally my fault , even though I followed the instructions given and took no more or less. I find mysef now relegated to the status of junkie which is a killer blow to my self esteem.. Receptionists and pharmacists are wary and suspicious after reading the drug on the prescription, fine before but not after. The social judgement is the worst to take and I only take my pills at home and noone knows except immediate family and the people handling the prescriptions.
IF YOU FIND YOURSELF PRESCRIBED ANY DRUG IT WOULD ALWAYS BE MY ADVICE TO INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE TAKING , ANY PILL OR DRUG FROM THE DR AS I ENDED UP HERE BECAUSE OF SIMPLY FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY THE DOCTOR RELIGIOUSLY UNTIL i WAS ADDICTED.. I HOPE WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED AND SHARED WILL HELP SOMEONE MAKE A GOOD DECISION. I ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO LEAVE ME A MESSAGE OR CONTACT ME AS I SADLY FEEL LIKE AN EXPERT IN THIS ZOPICLONE ADDICTION NOW SO ID BE HAPPY TO BE THERE FOR ANYONE IN THEIR STRUGGLE TOO. tAKE CARE X
24 likes, 544 replies
dave88
Posted
Dave FOURTY ONE DAYS ZOPICLONE FREE!
steve_44408
Posted
dave88
Posted
jaw444
Posted
nobby1967
Posted
The next day is an awful drag, unable to muster the energy to get through the day. Hope things pick up for you, I will continue to strive to get myself off them. Wish there was more help with sleep problems. When I consult the dr she asked me do I want to go on anti depressants, I know Im not depressed naturally, its the chemicals in zopiclone that are causing it. Take care
jaw444
Posted
i had a doctor once that wanted to put me on an antidepressant, the brand name is Lexapro. This was because my much loved home got contaminated with pesticides and i had to relocate. I went to my doctor to ask her to write me a thing that could qualify me for sick leave from work, so i could move to my new place and get adjusted. She was willing to do that and she wrote a prescription for the antidepressant and told me to take it. I told her i wasn't depressed, i was just dealing with a difficult transition of losing my home, and relocating to a place that was much farther from work, and related things like that.
She said i should take the antidepressant, she said i needed it. She said research has shown that people who are depressed who don't take medication get cancer. Can you believe that? She was threatening me with getting cancer if i didn't take the antidepressant. She was saying the antidepressant could keep me from getting cancer.
I already knew that antidepressants can be difficult to get off of, very hard really for many people, and i didn't need that. i didn't argue with her, i just took took what i came there for. But i was shaking my head as i was driving away from there, thinking about how readily some doctors try to get people onto drugs, they really have faith him them. And they disregard all the problems the drugs cause. She used to prescribe my sleeping meds with a year's worth of refills, but my insurance company would only let me get it for 6 months, so she gave it for 6 months.
I imagine that antidepressants really help many people, but if you aren't depressed, and i certainly wasn't, then it's asking for trouble to condition the body to taking some medication. i was already on the sleeping medication.
You might have success getting off the Zopiclone using a taper method. To minimize side effects, there are people who do very slow tapers, reducing their dose by a tiny amount and then waiting for a week to three weeks, and then reducing by another tiny amount. This can take a long time to get completely off the medication, but it's a good option for many people. I have read that people say this prevents them from having withdrawal symptoms, including rebound insomnia. When this is done, people get their prescription in a liquid form from a compounding pharmacy and they use a dropper to reduce their medication by precise tiny amounts. I am just learning about this recently.
nobby1967
Posted
Thankyou for your response. i did manage to do the taper effect and was making a weekly script last months, but sleeping never returned to normal. I now suffer high blood pressure and low moral. I totally blame zopiclone its an evil drug
hazel90446
Posted
I have tried metatonin and it helped quite a lot but not solved the problem. I am thinking of trying your suggesion of diazepan but I only have 30 mg altogether - is that enough? Also, I think 10 mg initially may be too much - the most Zopiclone I have ever taken is 7.5 mg,but more usually 3.75 mg.
dave88
Posted
I'd say that 30mg of Diazepam might not be enough to see you through the worst part so if possible get a 'script before you start or it is a very common drug to source elsewhere. You don't want to get past the worst bit then start dropping the Zopiclone because you don't have the Diazepam to see it through do you?
As I have said several times the withdrawals - which were similar to a head cold for me - should only last three days maximum and on the first night or two you might want to knock yourself out using the Diazepam. 10mg should be a perfectly safe dose and high enough to see you through the first night without Zopiclone. The Diazepam has a fairly long half life so you will only need 5mg for the second night and either 5 or 2mg for the third night by which time the withdrawals should have stopped. You might then want to stay on the Diazepam at a very low doseage - say 1 or 2 mg - for a week or so while your body adjusts to being Zopiclone free but I wouldn't use the Diazepam for any longer as that itself carries addiction risks.
Some people say that they have tapered replacing Xmg of Zopiclone with Xmg of Diazepam but to me that seems to defeat the object which is to stop the Zopiclone not reduce it. I would advise go for the total stop.
After 3 days you can give yourself a huge pat on the back because by that time you will KNOW you can live - and sleep - without Zopiclone.
Let us all know how you get on.
Dave - FOURTY SEVEN DAYS ZOPICLONE FREE
dave88
Posted
khalid68558
Posted
I Do have sleep apnea and use a Cpap machine.
Fast forward to last month when i got terrible side effects of shaking , Twitching , Jaw and Gums and balance issues. Did feel terrible in the afternoon but felt a bit better in the evening. Talked to my Doctor about possible interdose withdrawals but she laughed at me. Started reading this forum and then began my weaning process. it was not very hard to wean down to 5mg but going under that just brought the Insomnia back. Went down to 2.5mg and stopped sleeping so jumped back to 5mg only to get the side effects back. 3 nights ago i totally went cold turkey took GABA Supplement to help and so far I am very close to 72 hrs without Zopiclone. Have been encountering terrible Stomach Issues and not to mention the lack of sleep. Last night was the worst where on at least 5 occasions I almost reached out to the side table to grab Zopiclone but somehow survived and eventually got some broken sleep after 4am. Today was overall a better day and am motivated to continue this route.........
Wish me luck!!
I will keep you guys updated.
colette71120 khalid68558
Posted
Do yourself a favour and flush the zops down the toilet ! Others on this site might offer other solutions to help you out . I took melatonin for a little while but not taking it anymore. These days all I take are 2 capsules of Restful Night Essentials.
Take care and keep us updated.
Wendl khalid68558
Posted
I can relate to your Gum/Jaw/Balance problems. My doctor does not seem to think they are connected,even though I have been taking Zopiclone for longer than I can.
remember.If I cut down to 3.75 I wake in the middle of the night and take the other half,if I cut them out totally I experience nasty withdrawal symptoms----- hallucinations send nightmares,so the pills are no longer working properly for me.I only seem to function later in the day and do not go to many social events in London because of the balance/vertigo problems
I usually have to leave, not much point in going any more which is VERY frustrating as my world is shrinking because of these pills.
i am reluctant to start anything else as I am too scared to get addicted to something else with possible side effects.
As I live alone it scares me incase I get bad reactions to other drugs.
Doctors don't seem to realize how addictive and damaging this drug is,but tapering off them seems to work for some people.
Good Luck.
.
khalid68558 Wendl
Posted
Last night was my 3rd without Zopiclone. I took Gaba & A supplement called Sleep 8 together and did get a bit of broken sleep, which was not that much worse then Zopiclone induced sleep as even with Zopiclone I was getting fairly broken sleep too.
I am feeling fairly dizzy today maybe because Sleep 8 had a bit of Melatonin which for whatever reason makes me very drowsy the next day.
My last visit to my Doctor was 2 months ago where when I complained about Zopiclone she just shrugged & told me that they are out of options but did write a Prescription of Temazapem (I only took it for 1 night , could not really sleep and stopped it). I still have a lot of Zopiclone with me & I am still too chicken to throw them and still keeping them just in case more or less for Physcological reason.
I am also encountering a lot of stomach issues and am not too sure if they are because of Zopiclone withdrawal or are in relation with GABA I am taking or just my IBS flaring up.
So have gone 85 + hrs since the last Zopiclone dose & counting.
jaw444 khalid68558
Posted
I'm planning to go off of Ambien soon, i saw an addiction medicine doctor this week who would manage the withdrawal by having me switch straight over to Valium, no tapering the Ambien, just switch, and then when the valium stabilizes, which can take up to a week, taper off of it. He said it usually takes a couple of weeks to taper off it.
I am researching this. But i guess utlimately there is no way off the medication without going off it. Frankly, i would like to just have broken sleep but witih no medication. if i could sleep broken with no medication, i would appreciate that. But not sleeping at all sounds really rough. I hope you are doing OK.
I plan to keep a big supply of Ambien (and i have a supply of zopiclone from when i was still taking it) because i can imagine there could be times when i really need to sleep and it's the only way. But i will never again use it regularly.
The way i first started using Ambien 20 years ago was about 3 or 4 times a month, i would go with short broken sleep for three days or so, and if on the fourth day, i was still having touble going to sleep or staying asleep, i would take an Ambien and then i could catch up for one night, and then go back to doing the best i could without any meds.
At the time, i had a full time demanding day job and was a single parent of a 9 year old, and that's why i ended up conveniently using the medication. For the past year, i have been retired and when i get off the medication, i believe i'll be able to use it only occasionally. I actually have not found it to be very physically addictive for me. But it's been very psychologically addictive. I don't have any withdrawal symptoms day to day even though the half life is only about 3 hours. Many people do have symptoms in between doses. i don't crave it. I just want to fall asleep so i reluctantly take it. And i have had a mental block against going off it, but i know i'm going to go off it soon. i am hoping within the next couple of months. it's really hard.
i went off zopiclone, tapering in January and February, but that wasn't hard because i had plenty of Ambien to take for sleep. But even still, i was so scared to start that process, i put it off for months when i could've done it, but i was afraid. i felt really protective of whatever sleep i was getting. It's kind of ridiculous because on the medication, my sleep is so poor. I sleep for at most two hours after bedtime dose, which is 17mg, and then i wait until it's been 5 hours since my bedtime dose and i take another 10mg, and i get anohter hour or hour and a half of sleep.
khalid68558 jaw444
Posted
I did take .5mg of Lorazapem(That was the first sleeping pill prescribed to me last yr. They only wrote me 7 pills & I had them all saved as my wife pushed the Doctor to write the prescription but I was just not into sleeping pills , 11 Months later I am a considered a sleeping pill Junkie).
on the 7th night as I was dying to get some sleep & guess what I slept for 6 hours continiously, First time in 1 year that I got that much sleep without waking up. The Best I had with Zopiclone was about 4 hrs.
Last few nights have been reasonable, It takes me a while to fall asleep & I do wake up 3 to 4 times & it takes a while to get back to sleep but have gotten better then a few minutes sleep. I did see another doctor the other day & she told me that it is ok to take Lorazapem or Tamazepam or even Zopiclone after 4 to 5 days as long as I am trying different one so I won't be taking the same pill till the 15th day again. I wil see how the next few nights are going to go as don't want these drugs anymore but then again the temptation of a good night sleep is also an attraction.
I am still taking Gaba on nightly basis 500 mg @ bedtime not too sure how much it is helping me but right now I need it to keep my sanity eventually I will try to get rid of it as I am getting some serious Nightmares which I think are by products of the Gaba Supplement.
jaw444 khalid68558
Posted
lorazapam can be a potent benzo. i have a tiny bit in a pill bottle, at most one small dose, it's kind of in the form of crumbs. Once i had a sort of anxiety attack and there was some laying around my mom's house and i took it, very small amount, less than a milligram, i was short of breath from the panic attack. i knew it was stress related, although i'd never had anything like that before. i took the lorazapam dose and pretty soon, i felt this relief come over me. i was also kind of sleepy, even though it was day time. i have saved the little bit i have in the pill bottle, in case i ever get another anxiety attack. that was 2007.
I just learned something in the past week that i didn't realize before. When the doctor told me he would recommend switching the zolpidem for the Valium, he said one problem with doing it is that it takes kind of a long time for Valium to "reach steady state." i didn't know that. He explained that this means i wouldn't feel the full effect of the Valium for several days. That might be something to consider if you take a medication and it has no effect on you--if it has a long time to reach steady state, you might have to take it for a few days to find out how it's going to effect you. I would call a pharmacist if i needed to find this out.