Zopliclone- I have been addicted to these for 6 years, Can anyone Help

I am sorry to say this, but you are abusing this drug by taking 9 per day.  How on earth do you manage to function during the day.    This is the reason why gps have stopped prescribing them, because of people overusing and abusing them.  There are a lot of people like myself who take them responsibly just to get a reasonable nights sleep and now we find ourselves cut off, also and struggling to obtain them legally from a gp who understands our needs.  If i were you i would cut right down on your dosage. Its way too much.

I agree with Vivien...I had been happily taking 2 a night or over 20yrs,  Then  the GP  told me that I didn,t need them and stopped prescribing them last year.  Life has been  a bit of struggle ever since, but he doesn,t care. 

 

Hi Thomas,

i really feel for you, I also was prescribed zopiclone for insomnia, which I used purely for sleep initially. I was also taking other meds and I like you started to take zopiclone to reduce my anxiety and my gp didn't agree that they would do this.he prescribed lorazepam for anxiety attacks. Then I went into a downward spiral. The lorazepam didn't work for anxiety. However they made me sleepy. So I continued taking nibbles of zopiclone for anxiety in the day and lorazepam at night to sleep!

are you taking any other medication?

the reason I ask is because I realised my other meds were increasing my anxiety and I totally understand the calming and relaxed feeling a zopiclone can give you but it's not good 😒

i was struggling getting through a day without full blown anxiety attacks, which was rebound and withdrawal anxiety. Mainly caused by other meds and a feeling of hopelessness. 

For the last 4 weeks I've been on 2 1/2s of zopiclone, one midday and another early evening. I don't need them for sleep anymore. I manage to sleep but it's sporadic how much sleep I get.

i feel clearer and less anxious than I have in months. I know it's hard but maybe just try to reduce your intake slowly, set out a goal plan. I kept a diary and it really helped.

much love to you, I hope you get through this, stay strong and use your willpower, tell yourself you're not going to let meds take over, you are better than that and deserve to be free.

xxx

 

Hiya Thomas! I can completely relate, I was on this drug for three years and ended up taking the same amount as you for the past year. I know this seems really daunting but you need to visit your gp and get help. They'll either sort it to you or refer you to specialists (drugs counselling.) id strongly recommend the Aston plan. I started being zopiclone free the back end of oct. It's so hard at first but then your body adjusts. If you want to get off them I'd strongly recommend doing this. I can understand your money worries. I honestly wonder how I used to function doing 16 hour days with the addiction! But I'd really recommend getting help, you'll feel better f

Hi thomas

where have you been getting your tablets from?

lisa

I am the same as you but it is to expensive 

 i am sorry but i agree with vivian on this one you don't deserve any help when ppl like us that do genuinely need them. 

how could you possibly have manage to fit that many in a day its a wonder you didn't start allucinating i only take 1 a day and if i tryed to fight it that caused me to start allucinating ive been on 2 a night 7.6 for over 40 yrs but dropped down to one over the last 4 yrs but it still as the same effect if you try and fight 1 you are really abuseing these tablets they are a dangerous tablet to take im very supprised you haven't been admitted to hospital through taking 9 never mind 14 to 20.

if you have gone without for ten days why did you start taking them again if this is true then you would have had the most serious side effects you could possibly imagine and got through the ten days without any help either you are not been honest  or just want something to write about to see what ppl as to say.

 you obviously must no what danger you would put yerself through if you have took that amount then down to 9 what you are asking for mostly is damage to your organs and you must no you shouldn't take them anyway through the day these are for night time only have you read the instruction's??? if you are genuine the damage it cause's if you take more than 2 a night or the dose stated by your GP and they only allow you 2 per night anyway.

for your own sake i hope you can't afford to get them of the net...you have supposed to have helped yourself once then try it again. 

   

Gosh that's a lot. I thought I was bad on 4-6.

Fortunately after they were banned in the UK last June I went to see my doc who was horrified at first and tried to get me to attend a drugs&alcohol unit, as it was all he could think of. Problem was they had no idea on benzo addiction which is completely unlike alcohol or heroin. Those you can stop in a few days, the effects may (I don't have experience, but this is what I'm told) last a few days, but with the benzo drugs the effects last ages, and you just can't stop as the withdrawal starts withing a few hours.

Zopiclone is particularly hard to get off as it has a relatively short 'half life' i.e. the efftcts start soon wear off in my experience in 4-6 hours. So you have to keep taking them else you get all sorts of really nasty side effects.

After 6 months my doc agreed a crossover to the Ashton Plan which substitutes Valium for Zopiclone. Valium has a much lonfer half life so at the moment, I am on just 1 7.5mg Zop in the evening and 2 x5mg Diazepam in the evening and one in the morning. I don't get all the nasty symptoms (agitation, nervouseness, you name it). In 2 weeks I will drop the Zops completely and  throw the rest in the bin, and start the valium withdrawal process which is slow (like 6 months) but should be easier. I do feel a bit sleepy sometimes with the valium in the morning, but that's infinitely better than the anxious/agitation of zopiclone.

Go see your doctor and explain how many you are taking, and take along the details of CITA who will help advide docs that have no experience in this area. Make it clear that you bought them on the internet and can no longer get them - and they should know that stoppomg them suddenly can give rise to seizures etc. That's how I persuaded mine. It is a difficult hard road to take but there is really no alternative...