My experience of zopiclone (down the rabbit hole)

how many people on here were prescribed zopiclone after being told they were NON addictive?

As I said in an earlier post I was prescribed mine after a major traumer,I was asked If I needed anything to make me sleep,so I asked for tamazepam,which I was refused because they are addictive (i had been prescribed these in the eighties and after finishing a three shift work pattern i was able to give them up,) I was given zopiclone because they were non addictive or so i was told.

As said earlier in the thread i am now totally unable to relax and fall asleep naturally.

I am seriously considering talking to a solicitor on the matter,whats everyones view on this?

It is conflicting to hear whtat some doctors say.They don't ALL say that that they are non addictive.

I was originally prescribed them by my doctor in London in 1996/7 and was definately told they were Non

addictive, but in the last few years some doctors (Local GP in Surrey) are much more aware of the side

effects etc.

I don't think that some doctors monitor patients enough and it seems easy to get repeat prescriptions on a

regular basis.In my case it was the local pharmacist who alerted the doctor,as at the time I was having

prescriptions filled too often by the doctor.I am still hoping to find a local doctor around here who I have

confidence in,but it is not easy.They will tell you to come off the pills when it is much too late and you are

already too dependant on them.

I am still trying to stop Zopiclone,and have great difficulty doing so,but the only time I am free from worries

that keep me awake all night is when I take one 7.50.

I get nasty withdrawal symptoms when I try to stop.

Dean--in the mid 70s, my doctor prescribed a great big jar of 5mg (yellow) Valium to help me sleep better. i don't remember having sleep problems but i guess i did. Or maybe it he gave them to me for anxiety. i never took them for anxiety, but i took them at night for sleep. It's a Benzodiazapine drug and fairly addictive. I broke them in half for some years, and that was enough for me, i didn't take them every night. But over the years of the late 70s and 80s, doctors would prescribe the 10 mg (blue) Valium and i would take half a pill for a long time. Eventually though i got up to a full pill. And i got up to taking it every night. i also sometimes took it in the morning if i woke up too early, to get "enough" sleep. After 20 years of that, in 1993, because i developed tolerance and it didn't' work any more anyway, i stopped Valium cold turkey. i was happy to be free of it and the lifestyle of being drug dependent. A couple of months later, clean and free of dependency, i was seeing my doctor and proudly told him i had stopped taking the Valium he had prescribed for years. I reported having difficulty sleeping certain nights. He said "There's a new medication that can help with that, it's not addictive. i didn't really want to put any pharmaceutical chemicals in my body at that point but i took the prescription home. in that following year, i started taking it occasionally, only taking a half pill, it seemed mild compared to Valium. it was brand name Ambien in the US--the drug is Zolpidem. That was 1994. I've been taking it ever since, taking a lot more now than in the beginning. I can see why the doctor said it was "not addictive." From his perspective, it's milder than the benzos and bio-chemically milder or less complex in its effects. But i have increased the dose to a point now where the idea of just going off it all cold turkey is too daunting, while going off gradually is daunting in a different way--give up the medication, some of it, give up the reward of strong sleep, and not get the compensating reward of being free of meds. btw in case you don't know. Zoldpidem is the original Z drug. Zolpiclone was the second or third incarnation, brand names in US Lunesta for Zolpiclone and Sonata for the other main Z drug. They are each similar in strength and which gaba receptors they affect, and they ARE easier to withdraw from than benzos, but easier than benzos is not the same thing as EASY. Not easy for me.

in my case, i made the mistake of adding Zolpiclone to my Zolpidem habit, taking now a Z drug cocktail, which has been very effective in getting me to sleep at night, 7.5mg Zopiclone, 10 mg regular Zolpidem, and 6 or 7 mg of Extended release Zolpidem. In return for getting to sleep fast, i pay a price of feeling depressed every night that i am again and again poisoning myself, giving myself cancer, making it so i'm unsafe to drive my car, impairing myself in so many ways, , making myself depressed. And yet, not able to shift my perspective to say "OK, this isn't worth it, time to start cutting down on these things.

Last night was a huge milestone for me, a baby step but a step--after fearing it to the point of almost terror, scaring myself with irrational distorted thoughts about the consequences of giving up the toxic kind of sleep i'm getting from this nasty brew.

Last night, not planned but impulsively, in a depressed frame of mind, so frustrated with myself for being afraid to stop taking it, i got out my pill cutter and wanted to see how well a Zolpiclone tablet cuts. It actually cut surprisingly well for such a small pill. i cut it in quarters. With huge trepidation, pessimism is too mild a term, i took only 3/4 for the Zopiclone, along with the 10mg Zolpidem and the 6.5mg Zolpidem. I told myself ruefully that i was not going to be able to sleep, i was sure of it. I would just have to take more meds to get to sleep later after finding i can't sleep on 1/4 less Zop. But i slept, i slept good, from around 12:15 til around 4:15. i laid there for an hour, seeing if i could go back to sleep. i had some good yawns. But i have some other discomforts unrelated that keep me awake which the sleep medications help knock me out in spite of, and that was interfering. So, now i have taken about 7.5mg ambient to try to get back to sleep. That hasn't worked so i'm going to take a little more, but that might not work either and if not, i won't take more after that, i will just survive a night of 4 hours sleep, the dreaded "not enough sleep" day to follow.

i just feel really good because i finally got the courage to cut down one of these meds, my plan has always been to go off Zopiclone first. I've been taking it nightly for about a year and a half. The whole process of going off the meds has been complicated for me conceptually and in planning it, because of taking three different medications, zop plus two versions of zolpidem. That makes it a lot more confusing than just simply getting off one. At least it's made it hard to get started.

But i am starting now!even if i don't make linear progress in the beginning, i know now, finally, that can and will do it. Cheers!!

Dean----so, can you report on the effects, if any, of the Alpha-Stim? I have one but it's still in its sealed plastic wrapper and i'm still paying $100 a month for it. I've been thinking i'll start using it after i get off the medication, to see if it can help me get into the relaxed alpha state, depending on what my sleep situation turns out to be, something i'm not very optimistic about yet, still consider it worth getting off poison medications. Did you remain off the zopliclone and have you tried getting help from the Alpha-Stim? I have been a bit scared of it, yet it does help a lot of people. i'm interested in hearing ways it helps and ways it doesn't, any side effects, etc.

i've had the alpha for a couple of weeks now,but must admit that during the xmas period i havnt used it daily.

So i started again two days ago,when i'm using it i have it at about 75% and feel a little light headed especially when i'm walking,it is simular to the feeling you get when on a ferry,thats probably the best way i can describe it.So far there hasnt really been any significant change in my 'relaxation',i honestly dont feel any different.However i will be persivering and will report back in a couple or so days.

I'm begining to wonder if i'll ever feel relaxed again,it just does not happen anymore,the doctors (gp's) havnt really got a clue,they try and tell me its depression/anxiety but it isnt,not as far as i'm concerned,i suffered with that after i was diagnosed with cancer so i know exactly how that feels.As of now i always feel alert,exited,i constantly feel a really strong heartbeat,for me this is not normal,venlafaxine,citalapram dont make a blind bit of difference,i've tried reiki,hypnotherapy,acupuncture,non make any difference.I've never used 'drugs' as in canabis,coke,heroin etc..it really is like my adrenaline is being produced all the time,but for no apparent reason.

i'm at a loss,but have had to learn to live with it.......but i do feel knackered all the time.

Hello Dean The only thing that has been prescribed for me by a cardiologist is BISOPRLOL FUMARATE 1.25mg per

day,as he told me my systemi was overloaded by adrenalin.I have to say that there is a DEFINATE improvement in the awful,palpitations,

dizziness,buzzing in my head.(at times I could actually fell the adrenalin rush to my head)and then I had

a panic

attack and felt as though I was going to pass out.I could not go anywhere with any confidence.

Those symptoms have definately improved,and I function somewhat better during the day.Still have the

Sleep problems,but I don't feel as though I am about to collapse any more when I go out.

It could help.

Ask your GP about Bisoprolol,although mine had never prescribed it until I went the cardiologist.

Dean - when you first reported on the alpha stim in mid december, you said you hadn't taken any zopiclone (for three days?), and you said you took mirtazapine 15mg. Are you still not taking the Zop? i'm guessing you're taking it, since you're considering legal action due to wrong medical advice about it being non-addictive.

Are you taking the Mirtazapine very regularly? i wasn't familiar with mirt. so googled it. its anti depressant action is by stimulating adrenaline production, at a certain dose (i expect this will depend on the individual); at lower doses, this effect is weak (at least for some people) and the anti-histamine effect can cause sedation. Another thing i read about Mirt. is that for many people it's very addictive and has a really difficult withdrawal syndrome, for some people after taking it only a short time like a month or two, only 15 for some. So i was wondering what your experience with that medication was, and how it's going with the zopiclone.

Like you, i find depending on medical doctors for expert guidance is frustrating at best for many purposes. My doctor, who i like, he's very nice, is prescribing three sleep medications a month for me, Zopiclone 7.5, Zolpidem 10mg and Zolpidem extended release 12.5 mg. He does write on the Zopiclone prescription form, "not to be taken with Zolpidem," but since i get both meds refilled every month, i think he may know i'm taking them together. He's asked me before and i tell him a trade off with them but….. I'm just glad he's still prescribing it because i want to be in control of how i go off it. I haven't been doing a very good job of that up until now, but i know i'm going to succeed. I started two days ago, cutting a quarter of Zop. While those medications are addictive, on this forum alone, i know a number of people who have gotten through it so that really reassures me that i will do it too.

it seems like my doctor probably doesn't think there is too much of an addiction potential, since he is prescribing so "generously." But i don't know, i'm not planning to bring that up with him. I think i'm going to be off the Zopiclone pretty soon, a month or so hopefully That is my first step. I am not going to try to predict the Zolpidem yet.

In my case, i think the worst mistake i've made was when i added Zopiclone to the Zolpidem, not because the Zopiclone is worse than the Zollpidem, but because mixing the two drugs makes sorting out the effects more confusing and complicated. So that's why i was interested in whether you were still taking both Mirt. and Zop. It seems either one can cause anxiety among other things, both while taking it regularly and when coming off it. And it seems that the advice and info from doctors about both of them can be really different from people's actual experience with them.

Your report on the Alpha-stim sounds like what i read about it on the company website, it can cause things like lightheadedness or being off balance, and that's why i'm afraid to start it until i get off the meds, so i can tell which is which. But i'm not sure, i may try it after i get down to just one medication. I appreciate the feedback on your experience with it. I hope it helps.

Wendl - it's good to hear that the medication helped relieve those adrenal related symptoms. My daughter is really careful about medications, at least she researches them a lot. She has migraines, beta blockers have been recommended, and she said that type of medication is relatively safe (as long as you don't have history of asthma), she said main side effect is low blood pressure.

Hopefully if you ever try to reduce Zopiclone at any point in the future, the bisoprlol fumarate might ease any anxiety symptoms from that. have you looked into this?

good luck rina (05641) Hang in there. It's probably one of the biggest challenges a person can have in their lives. Especially taking the initial steps.

Colette - Any news?How're you doing? did you try going to 1/2 yet? If you did, how long did you try 3/4?I am on my second day of 3/4. I can't tell any difference with anything (gratefully), but that was expected because i'm still taking plenty of Zolpidem--yet, also not expected, i was so scared to cut down just that one quarter. i don't know why. As Shiloh said, so much of it is psychological. Second day went the same as the first. My daughter who taped off of Zolpidem last summer, advises staying at each dose for a week. She first tried to do it too fast, cutting in half, and couldn't handle it and went back up but then immediately took a more gradual approach, which took about a month to six weeks to go from around 20mg to 0. She believes that if one stays too long at a dose, the body is confused and goes back to adapting to dependency rather than adapting to an experience of reduction over time. I hope you're doing ok in this brand new year.

shiloh - thinking of you. wondering how you're doing. i only just took the first step night before last, cutting down to 3/4 zopiclone. I was so scared. and trying to keep in mind what i know, how much of it is psychological. i did some CBT work with my thoughts, putting them into words and able to hear the irrationality in them, just so much fear but not based on fact. Doing this did not seem to help much, i felt so negative about it, that i would not sleep and would end up taking even more medication to get to sleep, i was aware that i was thinking crazy but the feeling was just so strong. But i was feeling even more negative about not stopping, not taking the first step, i was so unhappy that i was shoving those pills in my mouth again, another night. And finally this led to cutting off a quarter--still taking my other two sleeping med tablets, and still fearful of not sleeping. That is the big obstacle to get over, to realize not sleeping, while unpleasant, is not an unbearable torture. OK??? haha. anyway, with the usual other meds, i did sleep, though i really thought i wouldn't, and it was the same last night, night two. I can't begin to put into words how good and happy i felt when i woke the first night around 4am and realized i had been asleep, and more important, i had cut down the zop. it was the first step that i had been resisting so strongly, whew, what a relief. I hope you're having a good year so far.

Hi jaw444

Happy to report that I have stuck to my plan and started taking 1/2 of 7.5 mg zopiclone 2 nights ago. I was calm going to bed and thought that I would be able to sleep the same as with the 3/4 dose, which I was taking for about 4 weeks. But like everyone has said , it is so psychological that I was unable to sleep. I may have drifted off for a bit, it is hard to tell sometimes but I know that I did not sleep very much. Felt tired and headachy to next day but didn't let it bother me too much as I kept thinking that when the body & mind are tired enough , sleep will come. I went for 1 hr walk during the day as I am also trying to eat better ( get the weight off that I gained during x-mas ) and rested a bit in the afternoon as heart was beating a bit too hard, a sign that the body is stressed. So last night I drank Valerian tea ( that stuff is awful btw) , took my 1/2 tablet and went to bed at 11pm ,listening to my Sleep Solution CD and slept pretty good till 6ish...Feeling not too bad today , although left eye starting twitching yesterday and is continuing to do so today ? Weird? I think that might be a withdrawal symptom !

But I am also feeling a lot less foggy in the morning, memory seems to be better & words are coming a bit easier so all & all I'm starting to feel more confident again. I WAS going down the rabbit hole if I would have continued with this horrible drug.

In your case jaw444 , I suspect that since you are taking 2 other sleeping pills that you won't notice a big change until you are off zop altogether. But you are definitely doing the right thing in cutting down slowly! So happy that you are taking the first steps for a healthier you ! So proud of you ! Don't worry about not sleeping ....it won't kill you and eventually you will sleep. Trust yourself....you are so knowledgable with all the drugs , now you need faith in yourself that you can do it and boy will you ever be proud of yourself !!

To answer Dean's question about whether we were told that zopiclone was non addictive my answer is yes , I was told 10 yrs ago that it was non addictive and there was no side effects so why not take it? Now we know different so this is why I'm getting off it. But having said that I do not think we have any recourse to bring Doctors to court because they did not force us to take any drugs. We are the ones to blame because we want the easy way out . That is only my opinion.

Love this site and love dialoguing with all you people. Keep it coming!

Hi everyone, well 18 days off zopiclone now, some nights I get only a very little broken sleep, other nights I sleep 5 hrs straight then wake up and doze a little. I get up early - 5am, have a cuppa tea and read. I know it must take time to get better more natural sleep patterns. I have definitely lost the feelings of anxiety and panic I had on zopiclone and that is worth SO MUCH to me.

I am so thrilled to hear Collette that you are sticking to your plan and are now down to 1/2 tab, you have the right attitude, stick with it you will soon be zopiclone free forever.

Jaw, wow, you have started, big step for you I know, but all things start with the first step. Don't go backwards!, - just make slow steady progress forward, you CAN do it!

I know that feeling when you go to bed and you take less zopiclone and the first thigk you think off it I'm not going to sleep", - but what I realised is that I actually didn't sleep that well on zopiclone anyway, - a very shallow sleep, and would wake up easily and then couldn't get back to sleep.

When I go to bed I use the affirmation over and over as I do relaxing breathing 'I lovingly release the day and slip into a peaceful sleep knowing that tomorrow will take care of itself"

I leave you with that thought and wish you all well and send kind regards

Re-Mirtazapine,

I take 15 mg every night,some nights i sleep better than others.The last three nights havnt been too bad,falling asleep about 12.30,waking about 5am but managing to get off again for an hour or two.I have been using the alpha stim for a couple of hours every night so maybe this is starting to work,only time will tell.I make sure i go to bed with it on and have been dropping off without much problem.

I'm not sure i was the one to blame regarding the addiction to zopiclone,as i said i'd undergone major surgery after a bad motorcycle accident and also after having a operation for malignant melanoma in the middle of my back.I not really looking to blame anyone,but when i had been on them for several years for a doctor to tell me,no you cant have anymore because you've been on them for too long and proceed to let me go cold turkey cant be be right.Ever since this i've had trouble both mentally and physically,i've been on amitryptline (150 to get me off to sleep) which basically left me unable to do my job properly,I own a convenience store and was unable to talk because my mouth was so dry,i felt groggy and half asleep,it was ridiculous,and now every time i wake my heart is racing away at over 100 bpm and i feel sick,and i've got the shakes which sometimes can take all day to subside.All this because i was taken off zopiclone,which up until that point i hadnt had a problem with.I went more than two weeks with no sleep,my body was running on adrenaline,i was exhausted but because i was so hyped up i couldnt sleep,you have to experience this to believe it,it was then they started me on amytriptline gradually increasing the dose to 150mg.

In the following months i tried chinese medicene,this cost me in excess of 500 quid and was a complete waste of effort,i've spent 200 quid on hypnotherapy,again useless,i went from june 2012 to jan 2013 having reiki,again to no avail (35 quid per week),and now the alpha stim at £300+.Herbal teas,herbal aids you name it i've tried it.

But back to the here and now,as i've said,i've had a couple of decent nights with just the mirtazapine and the alpha stim so i'll see where this goes.

Hi Shiloh09...Wow 18days that's fantastic i am ashamed to say that i have slipped back into the 'zopie' i really could kick myself after reading how well everyone else is doing, okay never mind the woe is me that definitely will not accomplish anything i know that this is case of get on with things rather than feeling sorry for oneself never achieves nothing,but i guess today is not a good day.

When i have a zopie i wake about after 4hours of sleep, which is good because then i make my baby's lunch for school then i go back to bed feeling good and that hopefully i can sleep in a little longer knowing i have done his lunch unfortunately upon waking i have to check to make sure it is done i have many of these kind of episodes where i have forgotten doing things and it is beginning to do my head in i know it is because of the zopies i told my surgeon about my memory being forgetful and explained that it has been since taking zopies and codeine and he told me some rubbish that it is because of what has happened to my braini don't believe him of course as it did not happen whilst i was in hospital taking the same drugs or maybe i forgot he went onto say that, that it will take about a year before things will come right "A year i don't like feeling vulnerable like this, i know the solution is too stop taking the zopies easily said then done i did try...yeah.

I should take a page out of your book shiloh09 and get some Louise.L Hay into my day because she is very good at lifting spirits and putting people into a positive place.