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Zopiclone - Side Effects

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NinaBallerina
NinaBallerina

I was prescribed Zopiclone about four years ago as a remedy for chronic insomnia - I have Fibromyalgia and the lack of sleep was absolutely killing me. At first I was just really, really happy to be getting 8 hours of solid sleep and woke up feeling like I could take on the world. However, one morning I woke up as usual and opened my bedside drawer to get my daily vitamins out and I discovered several chocolate wrappings! I couldn't remember eating any chocolate and so I asked Husband if he had put the wrappers in my drawer (even though I was pretty sure this wasn't something he would do). Husband then told me that about an hour after I had said goodnight and left him in the lounge watching telly, I'd come back into the lounge and asked if we had any chocolate. Seems that somewhere between getting into bed and actually falling asleep, a severe chocolate craving had overcome me! Even more odd was the fact that Husband told me this wasn't the first time it had happened and that I had regularly gotten up after going to bed and meandered around the house, eaten chocolates, drunk tea or coffee and had lucid conversations with him. Suffice to say I gave Husband strict instructions to hide the chocolates well and to send me back to bed should I ever get up after having said goodnight.

The second strange thing that occurred after starting with Zopiclone was that I could feel my teeth, and I mean really, FEEL. MY. TEETH. It was perhaps the most odd sensation I've ever had and together with the metallic taste (which I had been told to expect) it made eating, drinking, talking and smiling quite unbearable. I'm not sure why I never linked the feeling the teeth thing with Zopiclone and actually pursued other avenues like gum disease and receding gums in an attempt to 'cure' myself!

The third, and perhaps worst, side effect - also something I never linked to the use of Zopiclone until now, was recurrent urinary tract infections. We had just moved (in my defence) and I honestly thought there was just 'something in the water'! On average I would say I had a UTI every two to three weeks and they would vary in severity from mild irritation quickly remedied with Citrasoda to debilitating infections remedied only with a long course of anti-biotics.

Then about eight months ago now, I decided that I could no longer take Zopiclone, it had stopped working effectively and when my dosage was increased I was left feeling very foggy the next day and the metallic taste in my mouth was magnified and frankly, just unacceptable. If I had half an hour sleep a night for the first four weeks, I was lucky. To be honest I can't even tell you how I made it through but I was determined that I was not going backward and that this lack of sleep would have to kill me before I took another Zopiclone. The good news is that within weeks my teeth returned to normal, the metallic taste was almost non-existent and I hadn't had to see the doctor about a UTI in what seemed a lifetime.

I'm curious whether anyone else has had similar side effects (extra sensitive teeth and recurring urinary tract infections) - or is it just me?!

8 likes, 55 replies

55 Replies

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  • FearOfOneSelf
    FearOfOneSelf NinaBallerina

    Posted

    I also have a weird side effect.

    I took one Zip a few hours ago feel asleep and now I am awake with a tooth ache, but it's a weird pain, like as you said it's moreblike I can feel my teeth.

    God I just wanna sleep 

  • kevin31650
    kevin31650 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    I have been taking 15mg of zopiclones for around 5 years now.... I usually get around 5 hrs sleep a night then broken sleep after that.

    i too am a secret choc eater having woken up many times only to find the sweet box raided not only for chocs but any kind of sweets.

    if I am on a chat or texting I suffer from knsxubksjndciuhduihckisdhciushd  Which comes out as any combination of letters if I am texting my family they just ignore me and tell me to go to sleep , they know what's happening. I have had conversations during the night and not known about it until I was told.... :-( 

    • emma5000
      emma5000 kevin31650

      Posted

      Hi Kevin, I have similar problems as you. I've been on 7.5 of zops for over 5 years. I find the craving of sweets at unbearable! I find after taking one I feel happy and comfortable. I tend to text also and look at what I've written the next day and I can barely understand it. I usually say oh what the heck must've been a glitch! My concern is when I try to stay off I become irritable, can't sleep of course and chronic headaches. I think my family notices a change in me but don't bother to tell me. It's that or I'm becoming paranoid also sad

      I wish you the best! And anyone else who's feeling alone,, you are not alone ??

  • mary_70540
    mary_70540 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    Finally managed to quit .for two weeks I had nightmares off the scale ,sweats,and felt like sh*t but was so worth it I feel like a new woman ,I now look forward to bedtime .I now feel I've got my life back .I was taking 2x7.5 every night .good luck xx

  • michael09196
    michael09196 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    I have been taking these sporadically for 9 years (not every night) and when I first started I would get loud tinnitus would have to get to bed in 30 mins or else I'd fall over. Also I would sleep for well over 8 hours initally. But they no longer have that affect.  I have never experienced any sensations in my teeth - but the day after taking them I noticed the taste of everything has a dull chemical tang to it.

    But one thing that has caused me problems is the eating chocolate and sweet foods and basically binging on them in semi-conscious trance state - and I have put on excessive weight because of this.

    Now concerning the urinary infections I never put this together, but about 1 1/2 year after starting on them I did start getting pains in that region and I went to Doctors and had acute pains and they couldn't work out what it was.  I went to specalist and he diagnosed it as prostate, and would get worse but after about 2 years on and off, it seems to have calmed down - so now I read your post I am thinking that perhaps my problems where caused by Zopiclone?

  • margaret26057
    margaret26057 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    Thankyou for writing this as my mum is ederly and has all the symptons u av described .thr urine infections been the worst ending up in hospital 5 times with severe confusion linked to urine infractions .we stopped the sleeping tablets 5 weeks ago and she is so much better ,
  • jeff46759
    jeff46759 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    I've practiced Dentistry for twenty years and have had my own tooth aches.

    I had been having sleep issues and thought I would give Zopliclone a try.

    It really worked well! One 7.5 mg tablet would put me to sleep and keep me asleep for seven hours and I would wake up feeling fantastic. After a few weeks however it required an increased dose and the results became less reliable. 

    Then last week I started experiencing a persistent throbbing pain in a tooth that had had root canal therapy. This tooth was exquistely painful and felt like it was elevated(first to touch when closing mouth).

    On x-ray examination the tooth looked good - there were no root fractures or other problems that would account for the pain.

    The only new thing in my life was the Zopliclone and so I searched the internet for any possible connections between it and tooth pain and I came upon this article.

    I stopped the Zopliclone and I presently have no more pain in the tooth.

    Perhaps Zoplclone although generally sedating might cause a person to grind their teeth while asleep and in this way cause tooth pain as well as the other tooth symptoms previously mentioned by others?

    Also, from Wikipedia:

    Zopiclone is recommended to be taken on a short-term basis, usually a week or less. Daily or continuous use of the drug is not usually advised.

  • mark14669
    mark14669 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    hello nina my name is mark holden i have been taking 3 x 7.5 mg zopliclone  five years the side efects are very bad sleepwalking eating one time my wife told me i got up 3 am in morning went and sat on couch with bag of chips my eyes were closed eating half a bag throwing it on floor and went back to bed my wife could not believe it .5 years later zoplinclone has cost me my job of 12 years as manager my family life i am now going dad by day try to get off this medication before its to late life is short i have one son who is now 14 years old and i am not the heathy father i was i used to ride mountain bikes for hrs with my son jog this zopliclone has taken everything from my life i am siting here on my laptop becuse i was looking for help to get off this zoploclone medication .
  • wayne10001
    wayne10001 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    i have been taking between 3.5 and 7 mg for years now. all of a sudden i find The next day i am either groggy all day. As bad as i could sleep the day away with out a problem. or what is worse if i push and get out of the house every so often if im driving for any lenght of time i will get 2 sec to 10 second black outs. eyes open but totally confused. has any one else  had this????
    • daniel19975
      daniel19975 wayne10001

      Posted

      been on them ten years now at 7.5mg and get the same thing mate... I don't do long journeys because of it
  • mimi88
    mimi88 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    Hi Nina

    Your experience is identical to what I have endured the past year. I work and have three kids so finding it very hard to wean myself off Zoplicone because I just cannot function without sleep. But UTIs are killing me.

    Did you take any thing to help the transition? Any other tips from others out there?

    Currently taking 1 tablet per night.

    Thanks

  • shaun33717
    shaun33717 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    hi i have also experienced quite weird sensations with the use of Zopiclone, the metallic taste in the mouth being the main issue however the cravings just after taking the medication was also weird
  • craig25296
    craig25296 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    Just thought I'd share my experience with Zopiclone.

    Have been taking 1 or 2 (7.5mg) tablets per week for around 1 year now.

    For the first 6 months these were prescribed by my GP but now I buy them online because my DR said I would get addicted and she stopped the prescription.

    I don't want to have to buy them online for obvious reasons but these tables are all that will work for me, have tried everything.

    My side effects are fairly minimal compared to some on here and they are the same for both the prescribed and Ines purchaced online:

    Metalic taste the next day.

    Can't text very well.

    A bit hazy the next day.

    Craig

  • ellen58698
    ellen58698 NinaBallerina

    Posted

    Oh my gosh reading this was scary I have all of the above

    but thank god the chocolate craving has been explained I’m Not a chocolate eater but lately I’m rummaging through the house looking for chocolate and my teeth have been sensitive and I'm using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth I'm laughing reading this thank you  NinaBallerina I thought I was going mad xx

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