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Zopiclone Withdrawal - Help please

Posted , 6 users are following.

Mike-NZL
Mike-NZL

Hey guys,

So I've had anxiety and panic for roughly 6 months now, I have been on Zopiclone 7.5mg for all that time and recently my doctor has stated to come off of it and I agree, the sleep is not restful and feeling fatigued all day. 

But I am experiencing nasty side effects - Really bad headaches, nausea, feeling faint. Fast heart rate, dizziness can anyone relate? How long will the withdrawals last on this drug before I start getting my sleep back?

Any stories or advice would be appreciated.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • lucy1969
    lucy1969 Mike-NZL

    Posted

    Hi Mike

    Has your doctor reduced your dose or are you stopping straight from the 7.5mg dose?

    My advice would be to drop down to the 3.75mg tablet for a couple of weeks before stopping. You could even cut the 3.75mg tablet in half with a pill cutter and take half a tablet for a couple of weeks too. Withdrawal is best done as slowly as possible to help to avoid side effects.

    Good luck smile

    • vicky36475
      vicky36475 lucy1969

      Posted

      I have been where you are. Cutting back zoplicone did not work for me. I got terrible anxiety. Through research on the internet I found Mirtazaoine 15mg the stuff that dissolves on your tongue and got my doctor to prescribe it for me. It worked right away. I basically replaced the zoplicone with Mirtazaoine. It's a mild anti depressant with sedating effect. I was able to cut it back the 2nd week and then off totally in a month. It's great! I am myself again. Good luck hope it works for you. If you can take a yoga yin class

    • pauline05267
      pauline05267 vicky36475

      Posted

      Mirtzapine is another very nasty drug and it will take a year to taper off. It is not true to say it is a mild anti depressant and it is unsafe to suggest medication. Cymbalta Hurts worse is dedicated to warning people about the dangers of these ad/s.
  • CazFrances
    CazFrances Mike-NZL

    Posted

    Hi Mike, I have been addicted to Z for 6 months and finally come off them which i am so happy about because they are awful long term-I was having nightmares and severe anxiety in the day. The way I have done it is by coming off slowly- one pill (3.75mg) for a week, then half pill for another week - if I couldn't get more than a few hours sleep on it I wouldn't take more, just power on through on 3/4 hours sleep. I also took Clonzepam to taper off which meant I got down to quarter pill of Z and then finally didn't need it. Now I am proud to say I am not taking any sleeping pills at all which is amazing because I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep without them. Good luck!

  • vicky36475
    vicky36475 Mike-NZL

    Posted

    Get your doctor to prescribe Mirtazapine 15mg. I went through hell trying to get off zoplicone and searched on the internet for advice. Someone had good results with Mirtazapine so I gave it a try. It worked the first night and I felt like myself again. It leaves you a bit groggy in the a.m. but within two weeks you can wean off mirtazapine and sleep normally. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea so my body was afraid to go to sleep which caused my sleep problem and now I have a cpap machine. MIRTAZIPINE is a mild antidepressant with a sedation effect. I hope this works for you too! I am so glad to be off zoplicone and believe it increased my anxiety especially when I was cutting zoplicone back to get off it. But I could not get off it. Replac8ng it with Mirtazaoine worked. Good luck
  • vicky36475
    vicky36475 Mike-NZL

    Posted

    Zoplicone is poison and he'll getting off it. Replace it with Mirtazapine 15 mg, the kind you dissolve on your tongue and within a half hour you will sleep. Take it for a week and start cutting it back. It's easy to cut in half then in quarters. It's a mild antidepressant with sedation effect. Great drug and safe.

    Good luck

    • Mike-NZL
      Mike-NZL vicky36475

      Posted

      Hey Vicky,

      Thanks for the reply. I have been off Zopiclone for roughly 1 and a bit weeks now and see to be doing okay. Sleep is still a problem for me though. Waking through the night every 1-2 hours with terrible head pressure and aches. Not sure if this is still Zopiclone withdrawal? I am currently on Fluoxetine 20mg daily so doctors may not be happy for me to be taking another anti-d. Got a prescription filled for promethazine so hopefully that will help me get some shut eye. Thanks smile

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