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Zopiclone addiction?

Posted , 6 users are following.

mandy09725
mandy09725

Hi 2 months ago i came off long term psychiatric medication Abilify and Sertraline...(i dont actually need them anymore now) i was taking them for two years, prior to that chlorpromazine and a variety of antidepressants since 1995. So yes its been a long time on medication.

Well i cam eoff them all and withdrawal symptoms kicked in about 6 weeks ago...hot, itchy,prickly skin and severe insomnia!! The insominia was like 5am every night before i slept. So a friend gave me some zopiclone 7.5mg...knocked me out for two hours exactly! So i took one and a half tablets the next night i took and slept all night and morning as well i hasten to add. Since then ive not been able to sleep without it...not that i was sleeping before i took it anyway!

So ive been taking it about three weeks on and off really...trying NOT to take it but getting SO exhausted ive had no choice really! I finally saw my GP yesterday morning who congratulated me for coming off the psyche medication but scolded me for taking zopiclone...(insert swear word woman!!!) And gave me Double Base cream for the hot itchy skin...and i slept 5am this morning without zopiclone and i feel like absolute crap!!! Im so irritable and bad tempered and cannot function at all!!!

I cant do my voluntary work...

And on top of all this a close friend who had end stage dementia died last week...

I tried to tell my GP everything but she is so ignorant to anything to do with mental health...and told me "you shouldnt take zopiclone just because your itching and cant sleep" I mean what planet is she living on for godsake!! I tried to tell her i couldnt sleep because of insomnia AND itchy hot skin..but she wasnt listening!!

She really didnt get it that these symptoms were withdrawal symptoms from my long term meds at all!! She checked me for rashes and said pehaps its the menopause...how do these people actually pass their exams to become doctors for godsakes!!

So the message is i just have to tolerate the exhaustion and just hope it "goes away" basically she didnt give a damn really! Help...

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • patty_c
    patty_c mandy09725

    Posted

    The withdrawal symptoms will go away, try to cut back.  Yes it is miserable but you will get thru it.  I used some non prescription meds, gravel, antihistamines.  They will not work as well, and you will be shaky.  Try your best to not use anything when you can.  The sooner you are off everything, the sooner you will be yourself.  Good luck, you are not alone
    • Effortly
      Effortly patty_c

      Posted

      I can't understand why your gp isn't helping you ? They are supposed to show compassion to their patients! All the docs should have to go through withdrawl symptons, make it manditory before they can be certified, lol, maybe then they'll know what patients are going through. I have'nt had any trouble with my zopiclone, works great, no side effects. My doc perscribed it after a few TIA's. Been on it for 4 months, I'm only taking 5mg 1 at noon and 1 at bed time, sleep like a baby! Maybe all the people taking the 7.5 mgs, is way to high a dosage to their system. My doctor won't increase my dose, even if I want it, he's not a real proponent of these types of meds, thank god! i'm only replying to let people know that zopiclone isn't bad for everyone and I've never been through any type of withdrawls, so I don't know what you're going through. A few of my friends have gone through withdrawls and they were in a pretty rough state for a while! Good luck, I've seen what witdrawls can do!!!!
    • mandy09725
      mandy09725 Effortly

      Posted

      I think my withdrawal symptoms are more to do with my original psychotropic drugs..but getting addicted to Zopiclone wasnt on my remit tbh...im sure they have their place as you say they are helping you..but sadly you wont know about how you are when you stop taking them until you stop...
  • carmel91433
    carmel91433 mandy09725

    Posted

    Hi Mandy, I know exactly what you are going through, been there but am off zopiclone for the past 16 nights. Am not sleeping great, maybe an hour here and there but am determined to get off these for good after 18 years. Not easy but doable, you just have to hang in there and tell yourself it will get better. All of you are helping me through this and for that I am very grateful. So Mandy hang in there because perseverance does pay off. Take care!!
    • mandy09725
      mandy09725 carmel91433

      Posted

      Thankyou Patty and Carmel for your experiences and support..you have no idea how much it helps..enormously!!! I was getting SO agitated with it all..and the lack of support from my GP! So thankyou very much..helps to know others have been there and are "doing it" not sure whether i am actually addicted to zopiclone yet..been trying hard not to get dependent on them..i will try again tonight without them...What do you all think of "Nitol"? worth a go or? are they addictive? i know ther eis herbal based one (thats pretty rubbish! :-) and another chemical based one? And well done Carmel for kicking them after 18 years! Thankyou again!
  • sheila65847
    sheila65847 mandy09725

    Posted

    Do not take zopiclone! It is highly addictive, does not give proper restful sleep, affects your mental health/anxiety, steals your memory etc.

    your sleep pattern will settle. I've just got free of my addiction to this poison, it took 3 weeks before I got a decent nights sleep. I do understand how uncomfortable hot, itchy skin is, i have psoriasis. Try a cool bath or shower before bed

  • andrea19711998
    andrea19711998 mandy09725

    Posted

    i hope u dnt mind me asking u a question as its not to do with the zopiclone its to do with the chlorpromazine......... how did u come off the chlorpromazine if u dnt mind me asking and also how did u feel whilst coming off it .............. i have been on it 7 years and have been tapering over 6 weeks and the 7th week have stopped altogether ........ been a very rocky road and today has been worst day ever .......... any advice or information u could give me would be very much appreciated this is the first site ive been able to find anyone even mention it ........... and i wish u all the best with coming off zopiclone xx
    • patty_c
      patty_c andrea19711998

      Posted

      I was never on that.  My GP did put me on 50mg of trazodone, it is an anti depression med.  it helps a little.  Most of the shakes are gone, but sleeping is a problem
    • andrea19711998
      andrea19711998 patty_c

      Posted

      thanku patty c that was a question for mandy i may have put it in the wrong place as am new to this site thanku for ur reply though x
    • mandy09725
      mandy09725 andrea19711998

      Posted

      Hi Andrea, well when i actually cmae off the chlorpromazine 2 years ago i went straight onto Abilify..the psychiatrist reduced the chlorpromazine and kind of exchanged it for abilify so i wasnt really without a drug at that time. However from what i have read my undertsnding is withdrawing from chlorpromazine is similar to most of the anti-pschotic drugs...my experience has been so far severe insomina (why i have been taking zopiclone) shakiness, feeling sick (although i havent actually been sick) hot prickly itchy skin and agitation really. Go to Google Andrea and have  a look at Anti-psychotic withdrawal symptoms. To be perfectly honest at times i feel like it must feel to withdraw from heroin! It depends on how long you have been taking it and what dosage you were on as to how intense the symptoms will be and from what i have gathered it seems you just have to weather them honey...i wish i could be more informative for you..but there doesnt seem to be any hard and fast rules except the length of time you have taken it and how high the dosage was. I had been taking anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for 20 years at quite high dosages. I think it is out of your system physically fairly quickly but the long term physiological impact takes some time to adjust back to being balanced...
    • andrea19711998
      andrea19711998 mandy09725

      Posted

      hi mandy thanku so much for ur reply smile the hardest part of coming of the chlorpromazine is the weird brain activity and the feeling of being a space cowboy really today is the first day ive felt okish (touch wood) i was on the chlorpromazine for 7  years 25mg 3x a day 2 years ago i reduced down to 25mg 2x a day then for the last 8 weeks was tapering except for the last 8 days when have been completely of them .......... has been hell of a ride ....... reassurance has helped me alot so thanku very much xx
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