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Reducing Zolpidem too quickly - help needed

Posted , 9 users are following.

stephen85422
stephen85422

I added a post about finishing my prescription early. Will I experience withdrawals if I reduce from 15mg Zolpidem to 5mg a night? I probably will?  I desparately need to help myself what can I do?

0 likes, 16 replies

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  • sharon12462
    sharon12462 stephen85422

    Posted

    Hi I was on 7.5mg then down to 3.5mg I couldn't sleep at all .. Havnt slept for 2 months without alcahol ..I didn't suffer any other side effects thankfully
  • sheila65847
    sheila65847 stephen85422

    Posted

    Hi Stephen

    can you cut down in stages? From 15mg To 10mg for 4 weeks, then 10mg to 5mg for 4 weeks then 5mg to 2.5mg for 4 weeks. It will be much easier reducing, stabilising for a while before the next reduction. In the past I've gone cold turkey and experienced dreadful rebound insomnia. I've reduced and stabilised as outlined and can't believe that it has gone so smoothly. Currently I'm in the 2nd week of taking quarter of 7.5mg pill 1.87mg or thereabouts so another 2 weeks of this then my plan is to take 1.87mg on alternative nights for 4 weeks, then 1.87mg every 3rd night etc.

    I am finally learning to sleep unaided for 1st time since I was a teenager. I used alcohol every night until I discovered zodiac lone so I've had 40+years of self medication. I have found reducing slowly fantastic, I didn't think it was possible. It is no exaggeration to say I'm gobsmacked. I've actually nodded off to sleep in the armchair 4 nights out of the past 7, BEFORE taking my quarter pill. But I've still taken it after waking in the chair with a stiff neck! This tells me I'm psychologically addicted, I'm unsure of how to get over this aspect and would welcome any advice.

    The hardest part was cutting from 2-3 pills a night to 1. I did have a week or so with very little sleep and freaky dreams. But expected that from reading about others experience in this forum. If I can do it, so can anyone, I was and still am addicted to these pills but doing the best I can. I had to, my memory & thought processes were in bad shape. Best of luck, Stephen

    • vivien58797
      vivien58797 sheila65847

      Posted

      hi Sheila.

      hiw do you manage to cut tablets into 1.87mg.

      i find it difficult to cut a tab into quarters, even with a pill cutter.

       

    • sheila65847
      sheila65847 vivien58797

      Posted

      Hi Vivien,

      using a very sharp knife! And care! I never get it exactly right but it's thereabouts. I suppose it would be much simpler to obtain the 3,75mg pill from my doctor and halve it but he is unaware that I continued to purchase online. When zop was reclassified my practice withdrew from prescribing them and all long term users were given a reduction programme, which was over a 3 month period. Fool that I am I continued to buy them online as I was absolutely convinced that it was impossible to sleep without them. I would probably continued but I went through a bad experience which made me realise that the pills were playing havoc with my cognitive processes. Basically I said something extremely stupid, had no recollection of the event and I realised that I had had a 'black out' while fully awake. It shook me and that was when I decided it was time to escape. It was the final straw. Obviously there had been other times where I couldn't remember saying or doing things but it was this particular event where I made a complete twit of myself

    • tess33005
      tess33005 vivien58797

      Posted

      One doctor suggested shaving a little off the edges of the pills with a nail file. That seems like a good idea, but coming off \opiclone is very difficult because of its short half-life. We're back to the Ashton Method...........
  • thom62255
    thom62255 stephen85422

    Posted

    I'd say try your best. Start with 5mg and if you can hack it go up to10mg. But expect withdrawal and try to get to a point where you absolutely need to take that extra 5mg. I'm not religious but i was told to try and pray during the worst withdrawals and it really helped. I wish you all the luck in the world.
    • thom62255
      thom62255 stephen85422

      Posted

      I was on zopiclone 37.5 mg a day for 6 months. Cold turkey i had auditory hallucinations, extreme paranoia and tension, hyperthermia, severe derealisation, and severe tremors to pick out the worst. Hyper acusis is a pain in the ass so use ear plugs. I'd take some paracetamol as an anti pyretic as i was running a fever during one night. Also an anti histamine like doxylaminine can help a lot. Buenas suerte hombre
    • tess33005
      tess33005 thom62255

      Posted

      Heavens! What made you go cold turkey? That could have been dangerous. Did your GP not suggest a slow tapering off with diazepam, which is the reccognised method of tapering off from high doses of zopiclone?
    • thom62255
      thom62255 tess33005

      Posted

      Hi Tess,

      Unfortunately i was able to buy them over the counter in the country i live. Then i couldn't get them. I was in the process of moving provinces and didn't have access to a gp. It was extremely unpleasant but i got through it.

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