Zopiclone...anyone come off successfully?

[Chrism]

I was on zopiclone for six months and didn't think I would ever sleep without it, with my doctors support I gradually reduced to half a tablet a night then after two weeks I began to take half a tablet every other night. Two weeks later I was off them. You can expect some anxiety and bad dreams during this time but it's normal, I just kept telling myself that it was normal and that it would be ok, so of you believe you can do it and know what to expect it's not that difficult! I've been off them for six months now and sleep really well, the tablets kick started my sleep paterns.
Chrism

[stevie boy]

WOW iv just been reading the posts an most of you have only been on it months iv been on it ten years now its got to the point i have to buy them online cos i always start to panic when im getting low an think il have to go a day without them there are so many pros an cons to zopiclone yes its very addicting an i wish i could come off them but if not for them i would not be able to go anywhere there very good at stoping anxity an panic attacks i had to go to hosptal lastweek an it is very far away from wihere i live i was in such a panic i just didnt want to go i felt sick i couldnt stop going to the toilet an was about to ring them and cancel but after takeing two zopiclone in half an hour i was relaxed an didnt have any anxity at all once i got home i felt so good about myself for going all that way BUT on the other hand i do not want to be addicted to them for the rest of my life so i wish anyone who wants to come off them the best of luck an maybe when im ready you could give me some tips lol

[Jford41]

I was prescribed zopiclone and I was taking anything up to 100 in 2 weeks. I had to go rehab and am now on diazipam and methadone. I had to go to rehab cause they said in 6 months I'd have died. I was fast tracked into rehab within 2 days. Now I've got the stigma of a heroin addict where I never tried the stuff but methadone labels you. If you need help pls write me been there beat it inches from dying x

[Ladyjules59]

Hi there I have been taking zopiclone for 18 yrs now supposed to be 15mg a night but found it wasn't helping and was feeling so tired and couldn't cope so I upped it to 4 a night along with antidepressant still waking up every night I'm at my wits end ...I did try cutting down again but got sweats palpitations and even nightmares nauseous as well any suggestions for me please

Julie

[old trucker]

Hello Lisa. I was hooked as well and got to the point where I could not even take a nap without Zopiclone. I was on a 7.5mg dose.
This may not be recommended but I would take 1 Gravol tablet and 1 adult dose of NyQuil before bed. This worked for me and after appx. 2 weeks, I was able to quit taking those and still get to sleep! Good luck with whatever you try!

[SADnomore]

This worked for me. I have been meaning to start a thread about it, but here goes!

It had been 8 years that I was on zopiclone, and my doctor had started to plead with me to do more to come off taking them every night, because the docs are starting to get leaned upon to stop prescribing it. For obvious reasons. (Initially it had been thought that the "z drugs" (zolpidem is another) were not addictive, so they didn't know.)

Finally I read about Trazodone, which is a less known antidepressant that has proven itself to be valuable moreso as a sleep aid. I dusted off my slow full-body relaxation techniques, and picked up sleep hygiene habits like closing down screen time a couple of hours before bed. Then I cleared a week from any early morning appointments, just in case, and got and filled a prescription for Trazodone.

A couple of the most helpful things I did was to get into bed a bit earlier to massage a bit of lotion into my feet, stretch out completely to relax, and to read a few pages to distract and calm my mind from the day. And really importantly, to turn off the lamp within a minute or so of taking the tablet. This next part was key, worked straightaway and has never failed me. Beginning with the toes and balls of one foot, I would completely tense them to the slow count of inhale to 6, hold for count of 2-3 then slowly release the breath and relax the foot. Then I would breathe normally for several breaths, and then begin again with tensing the sole of the foot to a count of 6, etc., again finishing with up to 5 regular, relaxed breaths. The heel and ankle can be relaxed in this way, and by pointing the toes, even the tops of the feet.

What the trazodone did, I found, was to gently calm my mind and remove distractions. Stopped the chatter and worry about sleeping. I began to enjoy the feeling of peaceful relaxation so much that I ceased to care just how soon I would get to sleep, lol! I noticed the visuals that cued the approach of sleep appear. And sleep I did, often before getting past the knees of both legs. This phenomena actually gets easier and faster with practice, and after about 2 or 3 weeks I was able to get to sleep with these practices alone. No drugs at all!

I still keep a bottle of Trazodone in the drawer for any night that I might be overly anxious for some reason, or when outside disturbances interfere. In the past several months I have only needed to resort to them once for a couple of weeks again, during the worst of a family crisis. No need to wean, I simply stopped taking them altogether, when the crisis past. I don't wake more than once or twice in the night and am able to get back to sleep quickly. Very happy.

I didn't mean to write a book, sorry! But I think the supporting techniques are critical to making Trazodone an effective weaning tool from a drug like zoplicone. It works, but not with a "bat to the head" effect like zopiclone. Those of us used to that will need to work a little harder to meet trazodone half-way to achieve sleep.

If you want freedom from addictive drugs to get to sleep, give it a try like I did!
Good luck,
Marie