As the title says anyone managed to come off zopiclone by themselves. I only take a small amount but am addicted to it. I don't really want to go over to another drug in order to cut them out., but would be interested in anyones experiences whatever they are.
Zopiclone anyone successfully come off it?
- Thread starter maryb
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Hi Mary
I've been on occasional zopiclone for about 2 years. I seem to have periods of bad sleep then it gets a bit better, so I just take it when sleep is bad. I've had one of those periods over the last couple of months so been taking it again, but I'm lucky in that I don't need it every night. I've found that even a quarter of the lowest dose tablet (3.5?) works.
I've had no trouble coming off it when sleep improves, but it would be hard if sleep was always difficult I should imagine.
Thanks Jenny I think not taking every night is okay, but I've taken it consistently for 4/5yrs, how I know its bad is I forgot to take it one night, what a terrible night it was, I wondered what was wrong with me, thought I was going mad, and then I saw the tablet on the table in the morning, haven't forgotten it since, but now realise how addictive they are if you take them every night. Be careful.
Yocheved
Spoonless In Seattle
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I've been taking 1.5mg every night for over 6 years now, with my doctor's blessing. There have been times when I've forgotten to take it, and slept just fine. The only difference is that I've noticed that my fibro type pains were worse in the morning. For me, it works like a muscle relaxant, so that I can stop cramping up. I've never developed any tolerance to it at all, same dose for ages and it still works great.
Why do you feel like you need to stop taking it?
Why do you feel like you need to stop taking it?
heapsreal
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i dont think thats really addiction but rebound insomnia which is common with most sleep meds.
Im not sure that in many of us if its addiction but our sleep could be permanently dysfunctional even if we never took sleep meds. I just say this as there are many cfs/me people who have constant sleep issues and never take sleep meds. I suppose the only way to know is to slowly come off sleep meds, many change over to valium and slowly taper off it as its suppose to be easier to taper off. Another option to try is to use a non benzo type sleep aid like an antihistamine every second or third night and slowly reduce the number of nights u use zopiclone.
It doesnt sound like your abusing zopiclone and your doses have been kept low, it sounds like u have used them as prescribed.
good luck.
Im not sure that in many of us if its addiction but our sleep could be permanently dysfunctional even if we never took sleep meds. I just say this as there are many cfs/me people who have constant sleep issues and never take sleep meds. I suppose the only way to know is to slowly come off sleep meds, many change over to valium and slowly taper off it as its suppose to be easier to taper off. Another option to try is to use a non benzo type sleep aid like an antihistamine every second or third night and slowly reduce the number of nights u use zopiclone.
It doesnt sound like your abusing zopiclone and your doses have been kept low, it sounds like u have used them as prescribed.
good luck.
I've started with memory problems and reading about the side effects these match mine precisely
So I'd rather err on the side of caution. If I wasn't experiencing these I wouldn't be bothered but I'd rather try something else now. Be interested if anyone has swopped Z for something else.Thanks Heaps - I don't think the night I had was about rebound insomnia - I had major brain agitation, nothing like I've ever experienced before. And no I'm not abusing it, just the same amount as I started on prescribed by GP.
I have bought some Benadryl but think I need to taper off the Z first. Hard.
I can't remember - are you in the UK? If so, I'm wondering why you are going to take Benadryl to help with getting off Z. In the UK the formula is very unlikely to cause drowsiness, as it doesn't contain diphenhydramine. Nytol does, but it never helped me.
Okay so I'm going for it by myself. I've ordered some digital scales down to 0.01 and going to aim for 18month wean off.My maths minded hubby is going to make sure I do it right. Have a filler and capsules so I will make up as much as I need at a time. I'll let you know how it goes for anyone wanting to try it.
I suppose its easier to go onto diazepam as most advise and then taper off that but I really don't want to do that.
I will be open to it if this fails but we'll see.
I suppose its easier to go onto diazepam as most advise and then taper off that but I really don't want to do that.
I will be open to it if this fails but we'll see.
Yocheved
Spoonless In Seattle
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Best of luck to you, I hope this helps clear up your issues. If it doesn't, than at least you know the Z wasn't to blame. Sometimes elimination is the only way we can know what's causing problems. I did an elimination diet and found out that walnuts were a huge migraine trigger for me. Walnuts? They're healthy! I put them in everything!
Everybody reacts differently to meds, so you never know. I had a horrible time with Nytol and Nyquil PM formulas. I'd sleep for 15 hours the first night, 10 the next, 6 the next, and after that it would quit working so I'd stop taking it. By then I was completely addicted, and had horrible insomnia for days afterward! Just like that, 3 days was all it would take for me to build up a tolerance. Not fun at all.
If you want to try some herbal remedies, I suggest passiflora, hops, skullcap and valerian. Vervain is good for tension and irritated nerves. Maybe try one of two of those to help you get through your transition period while you wean off.