Zopiclone withdrawal?

[Karen]

Hi Jim

I do still take them but I'm a bit naughty and don't 'officially' take them. They don't work in normal doses anymore and I'd advise anyone prescribed this medication to follow their doctor's advice and take the medication only when needed and a maximum of about 3 times a week or it seems the body becomes used to them and they stop working.

I didn't listen and now if I don't take excessive doses I don't sleep at all so I'm trapped in a vicious cycle.

Karen

[Jimbo]

I really think this is something you should think about coming off of.

I have a feeling that they are causing you more problems than they are solving.

As you say the viscous circle of taking sleeping tablets is hard to break once you are there. But it is possible. I would go and be honest to your doc and ask for help.

Jim

[margaret911]

Hi Karen I too was on zopiclone then my physchiatrist prescribed me an anti physchotic called olanzapine which helps me sleep. A side effect of olanzapine is increased appetite but that has not happened to me and i too have issues with food. I no longer need zopiclone.

love Mags xxx

[Karen]

Thanks Jim. Yes, I should have this discussion with my doctor. She wouldn't be surprised but I'm not sure where we have left to go with this discussion really. She doesn't want me taking any sleep medication and I can't cope with the insomnia.

Mags - Thanks for that suggestion. I've talked to my GP and when I was in hospital the psychiatrist suggested different medication that had increased appetite as side effects and I'm afraid I won't touch anything like that. When it comes down to it the eating disorder wins out and I won't touch anything that might mean I'll gain weight.

I do need to get off the Zopiclone. I know I do but I'm not quite sure how right now. I can't deal with insomnia on top of everything else.

Karen xx

[Stephanie]

Karen
I'm sure your GP will be supportive, do it gradually, are you taking any other medication or getting other treatment for your other issues?

I'm getting myself worked up about the zopiclone. Last nigt took two then two hours later two two again. I'm so frusrated because last week I'd weaned myself down to the tiniest crumb. (Practically off them) Then had another attack and reached straight for them. Had a rough couple of days. Doctor told me not to worry- that the anxiety will pass and I will be able to wean myself off again- Doctor said- you are ot addicted- someone addicted would not be able to go down to 1/8th, your anxiety just needs to settle. but I can't help but stress about it. I am taking antidepressants- just have to believe that they will start working.

[Jimbo]

I understand how you must feel Karen.

I smoke like a chimney and am totally and truly addicted to nicotine. I've smoked for 10 years. Giving up is a thought that I find very hard to think about. It must be similar for you.

Firstly, there are some massive benefits about speaking to your doc. Firstly, it will probably save you a fortune, getting this med isn't cheap without a prescription. Unless you are getting this from a UK pharmacy, god knows how they were made and what else is in the tablets and what damage they are doing to you. Internet pharmacies probably fund terrorism, crime, slavery and lots of god awful things.

Secondly, it can't hurt to give something else a try. I truly believe your 'sleep eating' and the memory loss of this is being caused by this med. Surely stopping those 2 things alone would be a massive benefit to you?

Just because a med has increased appetite as a side effect, that may not necessarily happen for you. Most of them also have decreased appetite as a side effect too. Even if it did increase your appetite, that does not mean you will gain weight. These are 2 different things.

I'm trying out Trazodone at the moment, it is sometimes used to help people when withdrawing from opiates like heroin and codeine. It could help you to at least reduce the zopiclone to a dose where it's not causing this memory loss and fluid retention that you are getting.

Jim

[lilibet]

Dear All

Over the years i have taken Zopicolone at various dosages. It was a wonderful feeling when I was first prescribed them as to sleep well was fantastic. But like things do, i soon had to take more and more to get a good nights sleep. The thing that helped me to try and stop them was the fact that I went along to a turning point meeting with a friend who needed support as her son was using heroin, and I was amazed to be introduced to a woman whos husband was hooked on zopicolone and the withdrawal was worse than heroin. I soon weened myself off them, but I would and have used them since on an occasional basis.

I am sleeping well at the moment with the help of quetapine which is prescribed to me for ocd, it does help me drift off, but hand on heart, i have to say that sleep deprivation is terrible. My poor husband only gets 4 hours a night!

I recently read an article about a lady who commited an armed robbery in her sleep so it just shows that there is a problem with sleep disorders and more research needs to go into it.

Thinking of you as always

Lilibet x

[John C]

I've been on Zopiclone for 3 years now and feel totally dependent on them. Over the last year I've been trying to reduce the dose rather than come of them - trying to manage without them seems a bit scary! I've managed to come down from an initial 15mg dose down to 7.5 and now down to 3.75 (except on occasional really bad days). Sleep isn't great, but at least it's tolerable.

I'm not sure I could have managed this on Zopiclone alone - I'm also taking Cipralex and Olanzapine for depression and anxiety. There are many times I've felt far too anxious to sleep and would have upped the dose again, but have been able to balance it by increasing the Olanzapine for the anxiety instead - it seemed the lesser of two evils. If your not taking anything else it might be worth discussing complementary medicines with your doc.

Half the problem with a combination of meds is that they all interact so it's not straightforward just reducing one. I've been reluctant to trust the doctors with this as I've had bad advice in the past (not that I would recommend not trusting them - I think it's just a personal problem - I get a little paranoid as well). At least there seems to be plenty of info on the web to help you try and work it out for yourself.

John

[Karen]

Sleep disorders are a big problem. I am so anxious about what I might do when asleep - ie sleepwalking and sleep eating.

I recently read an article about a lady who commited an armed robbery in her sleep so it just shows that there is a problem with sleep disorders and more research needs to go into it.

That's a terrifying thought

Jim - I won't take any medication that even mentions the possibility of causing increased appetite or weight gain. I can't even contemplate it due to my eating disorder. I'm already at the highest end of the weight scale for me and feel so fat that I am desperate to lose weight. I can't risk gaining more.

And there is also nothing worse then not being able to sleep too so I feel trapped.

Karen

[Jimbo]

I'm at my wits end with sleep at the moment. I find myself slowly turning back to zopiclone regularly.

I've just been reading up and apparently there is a new version of Zopiclone that came out about a year ago. There's virtually nothing about it on NMP and I've never heard it mentioned before.

Eszopiclone (Lunesta), apparently it's a slightly different version of Zopiclone that is licenced for long term use and has less negative side effects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunesta

There's only a couple of comments about it on NMP and I can't find much info on it.

Might be worth asking the doc about if it's considered safe in long term use also has no weight gain listed or fluid retention as a side effect. So might be worth thinking about Karen?

I'm going to start a thread on this and see if anyone replies.

Jim