EmilyStrange Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I won't get into depth with this topic unless there are others that post in this thread who take them too. I need to compare side effects... or past experiences. I am *considering* coming off Zopiclone. I halved my dosage the other night, and it was fucking brutal. I couldn't repeat that last night. Spanx in advance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleCrumble Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Have you been on them a long time? I've had them for odd occasions, no more than a week or two at a time... I have a prescription again for short term at present. Heard that if you stay awake/force yourself to stay awake and not sleep, then they cause hallucinations - so if it's something like that, then maybe cutting the dose isn't enough to cause you to sleep, but is still enough to cause side effects of hallucinations... in which case, would going cold turkey be better? xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyStrange Posted January 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I've been on Zopiclone for 2.5 months... or a bit longer. My psychiatrist put me on them shortly before I went onto Wellbutrin. Then I had no choice but to take them as the Wellbutrin (that I stopped) turned me into a strung out robot. I have found with Zopiclone. that if you stay awake later than 1:30pm you go a little nuts... yes, you do start to hear voices. I take 2-3 7.5mgs to sleep. They say that this is a high dose for my height/weight, and the pharmacist gave me shit for going through them too fast. I took just one pill, and it took forever to get to sleep a couple of nights ago. When I did sleep I had nightmares. They weren't about nightmares.... but about emotional traumas and someone I am trying desperately to get over. And it put me in a depression for the whole of the next day. I've heard that they can be hard on the liver long term.. which is one of the reasons why I want to stop them, and it's sad to think that I have to be such a cliche... and take pills to sleep. The thought of not taking them gives me dread however. I know that no matter how bad my day is, and I can cry myself to sleep.... I can look forward to a weird and strong pass out where I won't remember anything the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaBee Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I take 15mg of zopiclone my psychiatrist has warned about the liver having a hard time processing it but they keep me on it. It is about 10 months now I think. I can't always sleep, I do have alot of dreams. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyP Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 i think after a while your body gets used to zopiclone and the effects become psychological. they aren't meant for long term use really. maybe you can't sleep on them because your body is used to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleCrumble Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Ah, you're not supposed to take it every day (it says in articles and general advice)... as your body gets dependent, and cant sleep without it... and it doesn't take long for your body to get used to them and to become tolerant of them, and so they don't work any more... To keep them working, you take 2 days on, one off... and sort of vary it about I think. Eek BeaBee - that's a long time to be on them! Emily - I think you're supposed to take them when you're in bed and wanting to sleep within 30 mins... if you stay up past the time you took them then you can get a little funny. Eek that is a high dose!! Really high :-/ Would it be risky of you to stop them suddenly? If you cant sleep on them anyway, you probably might as well... maybe just ask that the GP/pharmacist don't give you them anymore, so that you have to stop? Yeah I understand the want for sleeping pills... the thought makes me smile too, about having something that can stop me thinking and knock me out... :-) so yeah I agree with Pandy that they may be psychologically addictive "but I wannnttt my sleeping pills" - even when they do no good anyway. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaBee Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 My doctor says my body is used to them but he doesn't want me to detox at the moment so I just carry on. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyStrange Posted January 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 My psychiatrist said to take them nightly and as needed.. (however he cautioned me not to take 3. Now that i'm off the Wellbutrin, unless I am in a very heightened state of anxiety I require 2 not 3). I asked him the other week about coming off of them, and he said something along the lines of why bother worrying about the future. *sigh*. It's true that the longer you take Zopiclone for, the more your body will adapt to it. It's not supposed to be used for long term use, but is supposed to be less addictive than Benzos... and I hate Benzos because they make me tired all day (unlike Zopiclone). Myself, I am very very sensitive to medications - so for the most part they still work (unless I am very very stressed and then I will wake up a bit earlier). I wanted to hear about experiences with getting off of it... as I have a feeling it's not going to be easy. I think I might be addicted now. I was going to try night #2 with just one pill, but I got into a long text argument at bedtime with my ex and felt I needed two. I've read that you get rebound insomnia for two nights. I hate the nightmares... because they are always realistic... and always about the ex.. and always emotional... and always bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieQ Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 Zopiclone (sigh)...had a long love/hate relationship with that drug. It is not meant to be taken long-term. Your body does get used to it, and it is hard to come off it. I came off it gradually, lowering the dose by half a pill at a time. Maybe you could try that, 1.5 pills instead of 2. Then 1 etc. Having the rest of your bedtime routine sorted is also good. If texting late at night screws with you, its worth having a curfew. I always have my phone off about half an hour befre I go to sleep. Doing all the other things, hot drink, bath etc are tedious BUT they are way better for your liver. I had quite a few relapses. And I started absuing it by using it as a comedown when I took other drugs. Thankfully I had the insight to eventually stop doing that. I only came off Zopiclone completely by going on Mirtazapine, which being an anti-d is better for long term use. I still get the odd 'bad night' where its not enough and crave the stronger stuff. Not been on Topamax so no comment there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benway Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 Hi, I've been on 15mg zop prescribed since 1998. And the rest... , I need to take 21-28 a week (3 to 4 a day) , the craving for the 1st pill starts between 9-11am, so before 12 midday i have taken at least 1 sleeping pill. (I get up at 7am every morning) Consider getting off them now before you end up needing them in the day, have to make dodgy friends or use 'online pharmacies' to procure them. My closest female friend is in the same predicament, now some would say we are feeding off each other- its more like we restrain each other and keep it to 2-4 pills a day, as before we met last year we were taking more, or benzos, or worse illegal drugs. So it is not that uncommon, and i know of a few more in my town 'strung out' on zops as bad or worse than me, doing chemist robberies for them etc. Selling their kids PS3 games for them.... While thank deity I am not that bad, right now i can't imagine life without them. Find it hard to cope if i 'only' have my 2 prescribed tablets to last a day. A z drug dependance is the same as a benzo dependance, believe me. They are cross tolerant though, so you could be put onto 10 mg valium nocte then wean from that - google "Ashton Taper". - Prof Heather Ashton. As for topamax - It made me very muddled and sleepy , its pretty strong stuff. Best wishes, bk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleCrumble Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 What do you get from the drug badkitten? I don't find any attraction to them... they don't seem to do much. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benway Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 I get an anxiety free day. And feel a little floaty, i'm not 'out of my head', by any means, they just help me get by. Its like a treat to look fwd too, 2 with a cup of tea for the afternoon butterflies. It's a weird addiction, hardly crack but just as perfidious. I haven't been hard core addicted since 1998, Only the past year. Before that i didn't care too much for them mostly because of the metal taste. Now I crave that metal taste... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyStrange Posted January 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Thanks for sharing your experiences badkitteh and antarcticleech. Dont know what Mirtazapine is... Will google. Baadkitteh, could you please sure your limited topamax experience in more detail? Im surprised theres no one else on it... Its used for binge eaters and can stabilze mood (not its main uses). Its a strong drug, and although its not as crazy as wellbutrin i need to compare notes. Its difficult to pinpoint things when the world is hailing dowm and im a bug in a hail storm. Yur story has given me soemthng to be careful of. As i type im getting stoned off it now and pass out on it. I could not imagne takign it to not pass out... As its always a Given... Guess tahhts when ur hard core addicted. Dont want to be there. I take it with tea too! Usually mint. How long did it take before yoy stopped falling asleep on them and got just got stoned on them? Decided i cant quit now. Its not the right now. Im going through too much hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benway Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hi Emily, I was on topamax a good few years ago. I googled and found 'weight loss', I was pretty overweight then, mostly due a zyprexa and epilim cocktail that made me eat like a horse- I could eat a whole chinese tskeaway and still be hungry. So I asked for topamax, which I found out it dubbed 'dopa-max' for good reason. It did make me loose a little weight, but I was sleepy a lot of the time, or couldn't recall words etc. (much like lyrica i'm currently on) It was so long ago i can't even remember the dosage I was on, they were blue thats all i know. It's not normally prescribed in my country by the 'free' MH services, that i do know, I had a job persuading them to put me on it. Emily I am wired for addction, I always have been. I read your other thread and see you are going thru a bit of a hard time, it's up to you but if you want to quit them i'd eave it till you are a bit more stable. It's when one starts abusing them - taking them in the day to 'numb' oneself that i'd be worried. I was prescribed them after my 1st od in 1998 upon leaving hospital. I was in a rel then of 12 yrs and when the kids had gone to bed and he was playing his decks i would take one or 2 with west coast cooler , it gave me such a floaty buzz , i looked forward to the end of the day for it. But i stopped taking them altogether for a few years, lets say they are currency around here. Began taking them properly again 18 mths ago whilst doing a methadone detox. Thought they'd help but i was taking them in the day to help with the terrible anxiety. So i don't know if that answers your question. I am going to reduce back to my prescribed 2, as its just getting silly now and i need a cear head. Take care xx am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyStrange Posted January 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Wow I re-read my post from last night and it was a bit garbled and not all of it made sense! haha That was me on Zopiclone before I passed out. Funny this is I didn't remember even writing that post until I saw it today! eek. That's how I came across Topamax too... by googling drugs that make you lose weight. Dopa-max is an appropriate term! It's supposed to make you drowsy, but for some reason it doesn't make me drowsy. I get a little stoned, then a little stimulated.. and then a bit emotional. I'm a mixture all day, but far more sane than on Wellbutrin. Over here, one has to pay for prescribed drugs - and we have a monthly health care plan we are supposed to pay into. No drugs are free. I can't remember what I paid for the Topamax, but don't think it cost much as my dosage is low. It's scary how easy it is here to get put on drugs. I just went to a walk in clinic and told the dr. i'm a binge eater with BPD. Then when I told my psychiatrist I started taking it, he was all for it. You're right... now is not the time to quit Zopiclone... I felt a bit stronger a few days ago - but not now. I am once again in crisis mode. Today I will drink.. According to the pharmacist I called this morning, it won't take me long to get fucked up with everything I have in my system - tolerances, height and weight considered. Do you think you will seek help for your Zopiclone addiction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle59 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 (((EmilyStrange))) That is one hell of a dose of zopiclone you are on. Way too much. I consider myself to be an expert in the taking of zopiclone because I was on them and yes addicted to them over a seven year period because of my ongoing insomnia. They are buggers to come off, just as bad as benzos and there is now more information out there about their long term effects and coma. My doctor talked to me about this eventually as over here in UK there was a massive health warning about a year ago. Anyway, how I ended up coming off, however awful it was, was because I started to take them willy nilly and take many more than prescribed and I KNEW deep down I started to use them not for their purpose, to aid to get to sleep, but to space out. It was that honesty eventually with myself and why I was taking them, my doctors warnings, and the fact I considered overdosing on them that kicked me into touch. I gave what ones I had left away to a friend and said please do not give them back to me even if I ask. That was about 9 months ago now. I also learn t, that they only aid you into sleep, they don't keep you asleep,and they are very addictive. I am an addict, in that I like to take things that make me feel different. I'm a recovering alcoholic by the way of 11 years, so it is in my personality and these tablets were really no good for me at all, yet I was drawn to them hugely. They are very dangerous taken long term. There is a new drug on the market, here, called Circadin for Insomnia. It is based on melatonin and is used for sleep. It has never been prescribed here in UK till recently, though Melatonin has been available in the States. Maybe you could try and give that a go and wean yourself off of the Zopiclone. Cold Turkey is a rough ride, which is what I did and not advisable but coming off is. i have no knowledge of Topamax, but I have found a healthier option over the last months, since coming off Z, and that is ''Higher Nature True Food Magnesium''. Two bullet sized pills about an hour before bedtime, with or after a snack. My sleep seems to have been much better, which for an insomniac is saying something.xx Please take care with the doses you are on and please look into coming off.xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benway Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 One thing about coming off benzos- and as z drugs are quite similar the same would stand is,its best to be tapered than a 'jump' as it lessens the chances of a person getting PAWS- post acute withdrawl syndrome - meaning literally months-even years of discomfort and symptoms. There's also a newish melatonin based anti-dep/ seep aid called valdoxan, sounds like the same thing, based on circadian rythyms... wonder if it is the same drug, or an analog? xx am P.s - for anyone with depression/anx a good multi-vit and omega oils are helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsune Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 I asked him the other week about coming off of them, and he said something along the lines of why bother worrying about the future. I think that's one of the top most redunkulous things I have come across a psychiatrist having said. Your health is at stake for heaven's sake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle59 Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 (((badkitteh))) Valdoxan is a different drug completely but on similar principles regarding sleep and circadian rhythms and also, as you say more specifically an anti depressant. Just found out too that Circadin at the moment is for over 55's only, so even I don't qualify. (((Emilystange))) Not meaning to hijack your post, was just responding to (((badkitteh))) here from her reply to your postings.xx How are you today (((ES)))?.xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanta Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hi Emily, I am on Topamax and have been for 3 years I take them for migraines and find them useful, Zopiclone though I took for 2-3 weeks to help with my sleep and I found that they wore off after a week or so.xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyStrange Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Ive spent the last 5 nights in hospital (booze, temazepam, zopiclone, and topamax) and got home yest. My zopiclone hasnt worked for the last 3-4 nights. The last psychiatrist i saw said that if i was at home the pills would work. But they are not. Im waking too early. He obviously doesnt want me taking three because they are hard on the liver, but he is reluctant to let e switch to something else just yet. He is worried because im so hypersensitive to drugs. I would like to try Ambify or whatever its called. Topamax acts as a stimulant to me... When to most it makes them sleepy. They doubled my dose in hosptial. this could be a reason why the Zopiclone is less effective right now. The Dr. Says its all in how certain people metabolize their meds. Topamax has done wonders for my binge eating issue though! I don't see it stabilizing my moods though, so far. I dont see how any drug can during such a difficult time. Thank you for your posts kitsune.... I agree... The shit that psychiatrist says are stuippid and hes dangerously dismissive. I was almost able to convince another psychiatrist who works at the same hospital of this. I took melatonin before i ever started an drugs at all, and it was helpful at first. However, the stimulant effects of the Topamax are such that I am now forced to take something stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.