Zopiclone

[Pat1969]

Hello,
Has anyone had success with zopiclone?
I was prescribed it, I took it for 2 days and got to sleep, but on the 3rd day I didn't sleep at all.
The dosage is 3.75mg.

[WiseMonkey]

Hello,
Has anyone had success with zopiclone?
I was prescribed it, I took it for 2 days and got to sleep, but on the 3rd day I didn't sleep at all.
The dosage is 3.75mg.

Zopiclone is a sleeping pill for insomnia (not anxiety) and should be used intermittently and not for long periods of time. A full pill is 7.5 mgs so you are only taking a half dose. Sometimes if you've had a long sleep the night before and haven't done much activity, then your sleep could be poor. Also you may have slept and not realised it!

If you have anxiety then antidepressants are are more suitable, although they can take a few weeks to fully work.

[Pat1969]

I also take 40mg citalopram, have been on citalopram for years, was upped last week.
I've always slept well, but been going through poor sleep for 4.5 months.

[WiseMonkey]

I also take 40mg citalopram, have been on citalopram for years, was upped last week.
I've always slept well, but been going through poor sleep for 4.5 months.

Has your Dr looked into why your sleep pattern has changed? I don't know your age but could it be something hormonal? Are you on any new medications?

My sleep has been poor for many years plus I have CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) which is an autoimmune condition. I take 10 mgs Doxepin at night which I've also been on for ages. I'm also post-menopausal.

On occasions I take Zopiclone (half tablet), for a couple of days if I haven't slept well for a week or so. I only do this if I'm working otherwise I don't worry about it. Walking for an hour every day (when it's fine) helps.

[Pat1969]

All the Dr says is it's anxiety. I'm now being referred to a sleep specialist. Even when I go for long walks I can't sleep. I did a 6 mile walk last Sunday and didn't sleep a wink. My work is suffering as I do a driving job so was signed off work.

---------- Post added at 10:44 ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 ----------

I also take 15mg mitazapine, was put on that 2 months ago, but not really helping. I'm 49.

[wcs2222]

Hello.
I have taking Zopiclone sparingly for the last 7 weeks, due to anxiety and the insomnia side-effect of taking Citalopram. The first 2 1/2 weeks, I took either 3.75mg (1/2 tablet) which gave me sleep periods of 2-3 hours, or 7.5mg (1 tablet) which gave me sleep periods of 4-5 hours. The next 2 1/2 weeks, I only took 3.75mg (1/2 tablet) which gave me sleep periods 3-4 hours as I was getting used to Cit. The last 2 weeks, I have been taking only 1/4 tablet just to be able to fall asleep.

To this day on Cit, I have not been able to sleep through the night, but I just put up with it and hope the insomnia eventually goes away ... some nights are better or worse than some other nights. Zoplicone is addictive and you can build up dependence and tolerance to it, which is what I want to avoid. I also do not take it every night and skip 1 night out of every 2-3 nights for the same reason. Over 7 weeks, I have only taken the equivalent of 19 full tablets (7.5mg each).

You can ask your doctor whether it would be okay to take 7.5mg sometimes over the short term. I think anxiety does have a big impact on sleep when your mind is active and keeps going at night, especially if Cit and Mirtazapine is not working for you to relieve the anxiety.

As a complement to help me sleep, I also listen to Mindfulness guided meditation for sleep that you can find from various authors on YouTube ... some nights, I even doze off before the meditation ends.