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Zopiclone extreme warning

Posted , 24 users are following.

darren96296
darren96296

Hi folks.

I realise others have posted about this terrible drug, well I wanted to share my own experience with you.

I got a box of these as I were led to believe they were non-addicting compared to valium. My doctor had given me a small supply, but I bought another box online (very stupid, I know).

I was taking them every other day for about a month, maybe 6 weeks.

Sleep was great, my insomnia seemed cured. I developed a brutal headache though toward the end, which no painkiller could help - not even Codeine. Doctors were baffled.

I started crying inexplicably one afternoon.. what was going on? I made the connection around then. I had become horribly addicted to this stuff and the next day headache were withdrawal symptoms.

Well I stopped taking them immediately, again BIG mistake. What followed was perhaps the darkest and lowest point in my life.

For the next few weeks I had the sweats, irritability was through the roof, I was very sensitive to loud or sharp noises. I was getting about 4 hours sleep a night. I was stressed beyond belief. I was crying all the time (totally un-like me). 

Out of desperation I took another half two weeks later and the symptoms almost lifted completely. Such a relief, I really had no idea how far down the rabbit hole I had gone. I had my life back, I could sleep and laugh again! A short lived relief, however as about 36 hours later BOOM back to the shivers of a dreaded cold sweat withdrawal.

It's been very, very slow progress since (about 10 weeks since the last dose). I am getting more sleep, but nothing like the sleep I was getting before this horrible experience began. My appetite has returned, but the depression lingers (although it is not nearly as severe).

Some evidence online suggests I could be experiences this awful feelings for another year or two. Oh Joy!

For the love of god, do not take this poison. How the hell it is approved for medicinal use is beyond me. Be very careful out there

Keywords: Zopiclone, Imovane, depression, anxiety, sleep, suicide, stress zopiclone headache

2 likes, 40 replies

40 Replies

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  • william03020
    william03020 darren96296

    Posted

    If you were only taking them every other day, for such a short period, I am baffled that you had such serious side efffects.   Never heard of this before.

     

    • darren96296
      darren96296 william03020

      Posted

      There are plenty of similar anecdotal stories online, even on this site.

      It also says everywhere you shouldn't be taking them for more than 10 days

  • jackied68
    jackied68 darren96296

    Posted

    Yes, i have read all the horror stories surrounding this drug. However, I have weighed up the fact that insomnia carries much more detrimental effects on health than taking zoplicone. I accept that in a perfect world I would not be taking it at all, but I have to hold down a job and look after my family. Without zoplicone I would have neither. 
    • darren96296
      darren96296 jackied68

      Posted

      That's your personal choice and I would defend it till the end.

      My warning is really aimed at people thinking of trying it. There are better medications out there. Zolpidem for one.

      Even Diazepam withdrawals were far more tolerable than Zopiclone withdrawals for me.

    • daniel19975
      daniel19975 darren96296

      Posted

      Zopiclone does not create physical withdrawals, it's impossible due to the way it affects the GABA sub sites. Diazepam however affects the physical withdrawal sites in the brain. So that's not true at all. Whether you want to believe that is up to YOU. But zopiclone does not create physical symptoms of addiction. The only issues a zopiclone user should have when stopping is insomnia, low mood and possibly anxiety - the drug is a hypnotic, it does not supress the CV or CNS systems. IT CANNOT affect them!!! (central nevous system) if it did affect the CNS it would create physical withdrawal. Thats why the drug was invented
    • daniel19975
      daniel19975 william03020

      Posted

      It is very slightly chemically different, an active stereoisomer of zopiclone known medically as eszopiclone
  • bernie77778
    bernie77778 darren96296

    Posted

    Hi Darren,

                   After taking them for close to 8 years now im fully addicted, i no they are meant to be short term use, but the doctor, and not just one reckon i will need them for life, funny thing is i slept like a baby until given prozac to take, which by the way i only took for 6 weeks, my sleep was effected big time from prozac and ever since then my sleep or lack of it is sh*t.

  • brenda88179
    brenda88179 darren96296

    Posted

    I am trying to get off them also  was on 7 (7.5) a night but now down to 2.  last few nights have been taking 1.  I must be lucky because have had no experiences as others have had and been on them for years.  I do know of the addiction and was afraid of coming down but have been weaning down to as I said one and no withdrawal symptoms at all exccept not a full nights sleep but can put up with that.  Good luck.
  • SeaWhisper1
    SeaWhisper1 darren96296

    Posted

    Zopiclone is a wicked drug.

    I have read a few comments about people not having difficulty with it and feeling it is not addictive.

    ​I have extreme fragmented sleep and my daytime brainwaves are active at night.  My sleep specialist prescribed Zop 19 years ago and it worked well (7.5 mg/night) for 15 years.  They said it was not addictive....

    Then, I encountered many stresses in my life which further impacted my sleep.  My GP added low dose antidepressants to augment the Zop.  This 'sort of' worked.  Then, I fell and cracked my tailbone.(this is around the same time Zop was declared a Class IV controlled substance).  I could not sleep so I increased my Zop.  Then the daytime anxiety started.  I tried to decrease the Zop and started to go thru the same withdrawal that Darren describes.  It was at that point that I realized how addictive this drug was and I MUST STOP TAKING IT. 

    ​With the help of my sleep specialist I tried substituting Zop with Diazepam.  I was still experiencing withdrawal and concerned about Diaz. addiction....so, I stopped Diaz. and ate raw marijuana.  This worked great.  My withdrawal subsided and I was able to sleep better.

    ​I have been clean from Zop (known as Imovane in Canada) for 10 months.  I use low dose trazadone for sleep.  I have also changed my lifestyle and live on a sailboat and we are heading to the Caribbean and Central America for 2 years...a more relaxed lifestyle.

    ​I am concerned because Zop (imovane) is the most widely prescribed sleep medication in Canada.  My GP was not aware of the addiction aspect of this drug and the impact it has on people when prescribed for more than the revised recommended dosage duration of 7-10 days.

    ​Yes.....I was on this horrible drug for 19 years, under medical supervision...a doctor who I trusted (I now have another doctor).

    ​For those who claim they are using it and do not believe it is addictive.....caution, it is addictive and Big Pharma is dishing out these pills like candy in North America.

    ​Dave, this drug is poison.

    ​After I got off of Zop I was not sleeping, became sleep deprived and checked myself into the medical health ward at the Orillia hospital.  They stabilized me and put me on low dose traz.  I spent a week in the hospital.

    ​I was very concerned because there were people in the ward with varying conditions...depression, anxiety, suicide, drug abuse and the vast majority of them were prescribed zopiclone (without their knowledge....just to make sure they were sleeping well).  These patients had no knowledge of this medication they were given.  I spoke of my imovane addiction and the little blue pill that they were all taking for a multitude of conditions.  I can only hope that their GP's will not continue imovane after they are released from hospital.

    ​So, this is my story after 19 years of Zop.  I am so happy to be clean and will never go back.

    ​I hope the best for you Darren, and others who are getting off of this drug and experiencing the ravages of Zopiclone (Imovane)

    Cathie

    • darren96296
      darren96296 SeaWhisper1

      Posted

      Funny you mentioned eating raw marijuana, this helped me a great deal, too (although I didn't eat it!).

      Thank you for your kind words. I agree with you there is something deeply insidious about this drug which although is not noticeable at first, estblashies itself after repeated exposure to the drug.

      I wasn't even getting high, just sleeping good and this stuff took a terrible hold on me in a few short weeks.

    • SeaWhisper1
      SeaWhisper1 darren96296

      Posted

      Eating marijuana doesn't or should not get you high....just sleep, especially with a glass or 2 of wine.  Unfortunately, unlike smoking it, injesting takes about 2 hours to make you sleepy.  Injesting makes the effects last longer in your system than smoking it.  So, if anyone else reading this, injesting is the key.  It helps so well with minimizing/eliminating withdrawal symptons.  I am not a MJ user and didn't want to stay on it very long and then face the problems with discontinuing it.

      ​A few months ago someone from this forum tried to sell me Zop. He said this was all legal as the drug was coming from his doctor.  I should have reported this to the Zop, no matter how tired I was.  Marijuana is just as good and far less addictive than Zop....just my opinion.

      Great to hear from you again Darren.

    • ruth93165
      ruth93165 SeaWhisper1

      Posted

      Hi Cathie,

      Nice to see another Canadian on this site. I was prescribed 3*7.5 mgs for 15 years. I started abusing them, taking them in the day time after work to self medicate generalized anxiety disorder. Of course my anxiety gradually got worse with the withdrawal. At the end I was doctor shopping, buying them online. I weaned off of them in the psych ward and withdrawal was terrible with diarhea, sweats and horrible anxiety.

      While in the hospital I noticed that many were on the same high dose I had been on. It concerns me how many doctors give out this med freely and like candy..

      I am just glad I got free of it. I still crave it but don't ever want to go through that horrible withdrawal again

  • darren96296
    darren96296

    Posted

    Been off the zopiclone for about 10 weeks now.

    It's been a long hard road but I am definitely slowly getting better. Hang in there folks, light is at the end of the tunnel!

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