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Zopiclone, and the alternatives

Posted , 9 users are following.

zaphod
zaphod

I started this discussion as Egggbert or Zaphod (so many passwords to try and remember).

My personal opinion, Zopiclone is the best and most reliable drug there is for long term insomnia, that being said.

Recently it has been reclssified as a CD4 drug, that means that no UK GP will prscribe more than 7.5mg a day.

After nearly 20 years of taking 15mg a night I was terrified that the 50% reduction would be disaterous. Actually, it wasn`t. I sleep just as well (or poorly) on 7.5mg as I did on 15mg.

Throughout my life, especially since i started working 3 shifts at age 18, I have been taking one sleeping pill or another.

I am now 52, I have yet to find anything as reliable as Zopiclone.

Many people come here and suggest sleep diaries, lavender cushions, chanting Ohm, or whatever. All I can say is, if this works for you then good luck with it.

In the real world, most people with Insomnia need medication of some sort. I am not a fan of using a drugs side effects to treat insomnia, eg, antihistamines, serequel, mirtazapine and so on. Once again if that works for you then fine.

Personally I have found that Zopiclone (even at 7.5mg) is the most reliable and resilient sleeping tablets there is.

Unfortunatelty, like militant vegitarians and the like, some people are against any type of sleeping tablet.

The choice is yours, choose whichever method you like, the only one I can personally endorse is 7.5mg Zopiclone ON.

Paddy

 

0 likes, 53 replies

53 Replies

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  • kelly_10984
    kelly_10984 zaphod

    Posted

    Hello paddy

    I have been on mine for 18 years now taking 15 mg a night but they decided to cut me down to 7.5mg a night without any help and I have so far manage 3 days on only just one pill I do agree with you that it is the only thing that will help calm me down to sleep but how have you manage to convince the doctors to leave you on just the 7.5mg because my doctors don't even want to give me that and how long has it been since you cut down to just the 7.5mg ?

    • zaphod
      zaphod kelly_10984

      Posted

      Believe me, my GPs don`t like giving me even 7.5mg a night, the same goes for the 3x 5mg of Diazapam a dy I take.

      I think it is a case f " wel this patient also takes 240mg of Morphine a day for OA, I have never asked for an increase in anything.

      it is a matter of harm reduction, if they stopped Zopiclone, Diazepam etc., there is every opertunity I would revert to the poly drug abusing Alcoholic I was before. Plus the fact that I have made my opinion clear that I would go to the GMC as I think to stop this helpful medication would be cruel and against medical ethics.

      Being addicted to something is much much better than suicide.

      Paddyt

    • zaphod
      zaphod

      Posted

      Apologies for the typos, but Im not a very good typist.

      Paddy

       

    • kelly_10984
      kelly_10984 zaphod

      Posted

      Well I didn't think the doctors could just stop my pills without telling me first I am scared that it's going to affect my mental wellbeing because I need my sleep do you have any suggestions on what to say to my doctors ? I don't know how I am going to cope in the long run although I have been taking 7.5 mg for only 3 nights I'm not sleeping as well and it's taking me longer to go to sleep
    • vivien58797
      vivien58797 kelly_10984

      Posted

      Hi Kelly. Docs won't stop tabs, but will cut dosage down and eventually you have to come of them.  Happened to me two years ago. Gp put me on mirtazapine but that didn't work for me. In the end I felt so ill and suicidal, so I changed surgeries. New gp was more sympathetic and let me stay on 7.5mg dose. I have been on that now for last two years, but every now and then they have to review it as they are a classified drug.  Every month when I put in a repeat I always think I won't get it.  If I were you I would say you feel ill without them, which is probably true.  If they insist you come of them, then ask to go on the Ashton plan. It's a gradual diazepam withdrawal method, but must be done via a gp.  Ask them to google it.
    • zaphod
      zaphod kelly_10984

      Posted

      The thing to try and get your GP to understand, is that taking Zopiclone is much less harmfull to you personally than not taking it. Emphasise that lack of sleep will lead to more harmful behaviour, I don`t know how you react to Insomnia, but in my case, I view a good nights sleep as solving lifes problems by 33%.

      Everyone needs sleep, how they manage it is their personal choice.

       

    • zaphod
      zaphod

      Posted

      As a very personal example, if I don`t sleep for 3 nights in a row, then I will revert to alcohol, which isn`t healthy in anyones books. After that I would be "kicking in the pharmacy door, not really", but I would be in such a state that actions like that are possible, but unlikely.

      Also, although alcohol wil put you to sleep, the hangover and depressed mood following its use make it a not useful alternative.

       

    • kelly_10984
      kelly_10984 zaphod

      Posted

      Yes zaphod I do need my sleep because I suffer from bad migraine headaches and if I don't get any sleep they get worse and I then have more migraines I went back to my doctors yesterday and he is sending me to see someone who can help me come of them but the thing I don't want to do is to replace them with another drug because I am really fine on zopiclone they are by far the only pill that helps me sleep but the doctors insist on giving me grief about them so I feel like I don't have a choice and I'm scared because I get bad migraines and now they are trying to say that it's the pills giving me the migraines
    • BS8
      BS8 zaphod

      Posted

      Zopiclone, diazepam and alcohol work in a similar way. I would ask if you can switch to one drug ie diazepam 7.5 of Zopiclone is roughly 5 mg diazepam. Once you have stabilised then if you want to withdraw ( at your own pace) convert 5mg of diazepam to the liquid 2 mg. in 5 mils liquid, you drop eg .25 or somfor a few weeks. Zopiclone has a shorter half life than diazepam. This is why I believe you are having problems. Alcohol is dangerous as it enhances the drugs you are taking so you don't really know what dose you're really on --please lay off!!
    • BS8
      BS8 kelly_10984

      Posted

      They can't please see my earlier postings!
    • kelly_10984
      kelly_10984 zaphod

      Posted

      What is the GMC because the doctor has left me on this zopiclone for 18 years and now decided I can't have them
  • zaphod
    zaphod

    Posted

    As a VERY personal example, and I am in no means advising anyone else does this,,, occasionally I do run out of Zopiclone, usually due to delayed scripts etc., in those occasions, I find I need to drink a bottle of Vodka to get to sleep. Again I AM NOT ADVISING THIS, but when I put this as the alteranative to Zopiclone to my GP, they can see which is less harmful, simples really!

     

    • zaphod
      zaphod

      Posted

      BTW I have been on 7.5mg since they changed it`s classificasion, maybe a year?

       

  • barry18480
    barry18480 zaphod

    Posted

    I am on 7.5mg per day and a second one if needed, as they only have a half life of 2 hours and only help you get to sleep, not stay asleep.

    I am at a point where they are not working too.

    Tried tamazapam and got horrible night mares.

    Tries Phernagan and they just make me drowsy the following day.

    Valium/diazapam is like chewing gum, I was on Xanax for 5 years and developed tolerance to benzos.

    It's getting really bad the Insomnia, Aldo the memory loss and food cravings for sweet things like chocolate that zopiclone gives you, it's worse than Xanax or clonazepam.

    Not sure where to go next

    • BS8
      BS8 barry18480

      Posted

      Barry sorry but I am really flat out on here. If you for now could you go to the following website and message me back in a couple of days. I've used 8G memory on this subject and I do respond when possible.

      Type in:

      Ashton manual - type in withdrawal symptoms.

      Will try to help

      Take care

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