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tapering off zopiclone

Posted , 3 users are following.

julie1111
julie1111

hello all does anyone know what Ambien is and is this available from the gp is this a class c drug, am thinking of asking my gp for this.. any help would be great, xx

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • RobertT
    RobertT julie1111

    Posted

    Hello Julie

    Ambien is an American brand name for Zolpidem, one of the Z-drugs. I'm sure you've heard and read about. It was a Class C drug well before the other Z-drugs.

    Eszopiclone, which is the active part of zopiclone, is licensed for long-term use in the US. It is sold as Lunesta. As far as I know it's not available in the UK by prescription.

    [Zopiclone was never licensed in the US. I don't know why, perhaps it was behind-the-scenes power play. Since it does not contain the R-enantiomer, R-zopiclone, I wonder if it is covered by the new scheduling of zopiclone in the UK. Zopiclone is part S-zopiclone (or eszopiclone), but in its pure state, eszopiclone (or S-zopiclone) could not be said to contain zopiclone.]

    • julie1111
      julie1111 RobertT

      Posted

      hello robert , nice to speak to some one in us .. i want to ask the gp to give me something to help me taper off zopiclone and havent a clue what to ask for xx
    • RobertT
      RobertT julie1111

      Posted

      Hello Julie

      I'm not in the US, I'm on the other side of Manchester to you, I believe!

      I read that sometimes GP's prescribe diazepam, but elsewhere that they're as wary of benzodiazepines as they are of the Z-drugs.

    • julie1111
      julie1111 RobertT

      Posted

      ill mension it to my doctor is diazepam a contolled drug robert? sorry though u was in US x
    • julie1111
      julie1111 RobertT

      Posted

      then they may not give this out easy if its the same as zoplclone as c drug
  • RobertT
    RobertT julie1111

    Posted

    I should hvae written in my previous post: "Since eszopiclone does not contain the R-enantiomer...
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