View Full Version : Zopiclone question
Hi ,
Just wondering if anyone can put my mind at rest.
I have been suffering with depression for 2 years and part of that is waking in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep. This has really impacted my life and so my doctor prescribed me Zopiclone 3.5mg to take when needed. (I am also taking Escitalopram for my depression)
The Anti D has really helped with my depression but I still find I wake in the night. So for the past few months I have been taking half a zopiclone when I wake in the night to go back to sleep. It's only a very small dose but it seems to work. I sometimes wonder if its more the mental thing where I think I have taken something so I relax and go back to sleep.
I have tried to not take it every night but find on the nights I don't I cant get back to sleep very well. The pack contains 28 tablets and because I only take half a tablet they last me 2/3 months. I have just heard a lot of things about Benzo's and how addictive they can become. Is taking such a small dose at night regularly an issue?
I would appreciate anyone's advice ?
Hi, there!
Well, technically zopiclone is not a benzodiazapene, so you shouldn't build a tolerance, which is one of the two criteria for addiction. I found the same thing with the rebound insomnia, so I too am taking it every night because otherwise I have a terrible sleep, waking repeatedly and not resting properly at all. On the other hand, I have been taking it this way for years, with occasional one or two-day "breaks" using melatonin if I am going to bed early enough (it resets your sleep clock, so best to take it early). And in all this time, I have never upped my dosage. That said, it does say in the leaflet and elsewhere that it can cause depression, so I do hope to eventually get better to the point that I can sleep on my own or with the help of an added antidepressant or something. So I'm not holding myself back from wellness.
Take care,
Marie
Hi, there!
Well, technically zopiclone is not a benzodiazapene, so you shouldn't build a tolerance, which is one of the two criteria for addiction. I found the same thing with the rebound insomnia, so I too am taking it every night because otherwise I have a terrible sleep, waking repeatedly and not resting properly at all. On the other hand, I have been taking it this way for years, with occasional one or two-day "breaks" using melatonin if I am going to bed early enough (it resets your sleep clock, so best to take it early). And in all this time, I have never upped my dosage. That said, it does say in the leaflet and elsewhere that it can cause depression, so I do hope to eventually get better to the point that I can sleep on my own or with the help of an added antidepressant or something. So I'm not holding myself back from wellness.
Take care,
Marie
Thanks for your reply Marie - Interesting you talk about Melatonin. I did try that but didnt find it helped. Does it improve your sleep and what dose do you take?
My doctor is always telling me to go easy on the zopiclone to not build a dependency on it which is why I thought it was addictive. As I said my depression is so much better just this final hurdle to overcome. If I could sleep a whole night unaided everything would be ok.
Well, your doctor is like mine. They are right, we can and do become dependent on it to sleep. Which is the other criteria for addiction. But if you do NOT under any circumstances take more than prescribed, even if it means waking up and going back to sleep several times in a night, then you don't have the second criteria, which is tolerance (taking more and more of the drug). It's a fine line though. Dependency is still dependency. Not a good thing, obviously. I will take a fairly strong type of melatonin, either a five or ten mg sublingual (under the tongue). This is better because it goes right into your bloodstream. I can get to sleep okay, but yes, sleep is fitful and it makes for a tough night. But my doc and I get into these Mexican standoffs where he doesn't want to renew unless he can see that I do at least try. Next time, I'm going to speak to him about something else like Remeron, which is actually an antidepressant.
Good luck! I am hoping to be where you are at soon, and hopefully also able to get sleep without "dependency' or my doctor worrying about me. :)
Marie
Hi Geoff
I've had zopiclone in the past,but have only used it very frugally, just the odd night.
If this is really becoming a problem,you may either need your med adjusting,or consider another anti that will help you more with length of sleep.
I'm taking Mirtazapine at night,and from when I get in bed,the next thing I know,its morning.
It really is that good for sleep.
Perhaps have a chat with your doc? Breaking this waking cycle would be a good thing,and you wouldn't have to resort to Zopiclone.
Good luck
Hi Geoff
I've had zopiclone in the past,but have only used it very frugally, just the odd night.
If this is really becoming a problem,you may either need your med adjusting,or consider another anti that will help you more with length of sleep.
I'm taking Mirtazapine at night,and from when I get in bed,the next thing I know,its morning.
It really is that good for sleep.
Perhaps have a chat with your doc? Breaking this waking cycle would be a good thing,and you wouldn't have to resort to Zopiclone.
Good luck
Hi Aprilmoon,
Thanks for your reply.
I was on Mirt prior to changing over to what I am on now. I didn't find Mert nearly as good as the current AD I'm on. I found it made me more anxious and although I did sleep slightly better it didn't have the knock out effect that I see so many other people talk about with this drug. I wish it did!!
Good luck with your search Geoff :)
I been on Zop for 14 years (yes you read it right)! I am dependent/addicted to it BUT I have a sleep disorder and if I don't sleep I become unwell again. However, If I were you I would think about taking it every other night so you don't become dependent.
sarah
Sigh. I hear ya, Sarah! I understand completely, and absolutely don't judge you. A sleep disorder is a sleep disorder. I sympathize and empathize. I have always had insomnia since I was a little kid. After having become addicted to benzos they gave me for sleep as a young adult (omg, first doc was so old-school he gave me Seconals!), and many years later having to go into detox to withdraw, I toughed it out and managed for about 13 years with nothing. It was 'okay', but then when my mom passed away, boom, that was it, no sleep at all, lay awake all night torturing myself with every rotten thing I'd ever said to her or inconsiderate thing I'd done. (Still would if I didn't take the zop.) Doesn't matter one bit that most other young people are inconsiderate and ignorant to their parents at times. That's what is at the root of my depression these days. Sorry for going on like this :wacko: ... Anyway, I finally told the new doctor at that time I needed something for sleep and that I had become 'dependent' on benzos, so no benzos, please. With the best of the knowledge he had at hand, he prescribed me zopiclone with the advice to take it only when I needed to. Well, of course, if I didn't take it, I didn't sleep! So "needed to" became every night, and yes, I am dependent on them. They now say that they are every bit as habit-forming as benzos, as more and more of us keep turning up for constant refills. Technically not addictive, they say, as it doesn't automatically create tolerance, which is when you need more and more of the drug to have the same effect/the drug at anything like prescribed doses no longer works. I stubbornly stick to the same 7.5 mg tablet, and it normally works to lull me off to sleep so long as I am in bed when I take it and don't try to stay up for any reason past about an hour. It's a "lulling" effect that will wear off if you push it. ... But yeah, it's like splitting hairs. At least for some of us, we become dependent on it to sleep. I still recommend it to people who are going crazy from no sleep. You want to try just taking it short term, works for some, like aprilmoon, but you may find yourself needing it long term. Just so you know, right. It is definitely possible (and hugely advisable) to stick with one tablet of the lowest available dose that works and never double dose or take more in the night. That's how to get truly addicted. (Good luck getting more from your doctor then, unless he's a sham artist.) ... Meanwhile, I mean, it works, and thankfully doesn't have a hangover that a good cup of coffee first thing won't dispel! No effects on thinking, and I don't get the amnesia I used to get from the benzos. All in all, if you have a sleep disorder and don't abuse it, or if you are able to just take it to re-establish sleep patterns and then stop taking it, it's not a bad drug!
Again, we're all different, but mirt does help some folks with not only their depression/anxiety, but also quality sleep. And not just for lulling, but for helping you to stay asleep all night. Boy, I still need that! Next time my doctor gives me "the look" and sighs and says he wants me to come off the zopiclone, I am going to give it a whirl! One more refill on the current prescription, I think it's for 90 days, and then with some trepidation, and fingers crossed, I'm going to ask to switch over.
Good luck Geoff, and to us all! xx
Marie
Worriedwellornot
23-05-14, 19:36
Hi unfortunately I am addicted to zopiclone and have to take it every night or I don't sleep. I wake up at night and take half a tablet and can usually get back to sleep. One night I took what I thought was the sleeping tablet turned out I had half of my thyroxine but it still worked and showed me that it's all psychological !
Hi unfortunately I am addicted to zopiclone and have to take it every night or I don't sleep. I wake up at night and take half a tablet and can usually get back to sleep. One night I took what I thought was the sleeping tablet turned out I had half of my thyroxine but it still worked and showed me that it's all psychological !
Just be careful what you keep at the side of the bed! :D
My mom always said she believes that's what happened to Marilyn Monroe. Sometimes people become accustomed to taking another dose and think nothing of it when they wake in the night to take more, unaware how many times it has happened, and sometimes with some meds, it is very easy to forget or lose track ...
What time of day do you take escitalopram? I found it kept me awake at night so I switched to taking it in the morning.
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