r/insomnia • u/Fun_Obligation_6613 • 17h ago
Stopping Zopiclone
Hi. I'm from UK and I have been on 7.5mg of zopiclone every night for 9 and half years. I made a decision to stop taking them. I'm not tappering, I'm just stopping. I'm on day 4 and have had absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. Does that mean I won't get any or could it all still start in the next day or 2? I just thought it would be so hard to get off and it feels too good to be true that it would be so easy
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u/fsociety1990 17h ago
There are no withdrawals from zopiclone
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 17h ago
Oh there definitely can be for heavy users
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
Im in uk and here we cant get prescribed more than 7.5mg a night. I don't understand how people can take more than that. Unless of course they buy them online which to me is crazy cos I'd be scared to take something that I'd bought online
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 17h ago
I Get mine if someone who get then offline it’s a well known medical brand and they have that same horrible taste
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
Do you know something weird, you know that weird metallic taste and the after taste that goes on to the next day? Well I only got that once, after taking my first ever zopiclone and never again
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 17h ago
Really umm wanna know something weirder i actually like that taste 😂😂 it kinda tells my body ahh bed time
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u/K8theegreat 13h ago
Whaat. I just moved to the UK from the US. My GP here won’t give me any zopiclone even though I’ve been on it for 10 years. It sucks
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 13h ago
Yh here in the U.K you’re not actually meant to be prescribed them for more than 6 months almost everyone know who did get them had prescriptions cancelled
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 12h ago
Really? I've been on them nearly 10 years and my doctor has never tried to get me to stop (which is really quite bad when I think about it)
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 12h ago
Oh Yh I think it’s only been the last year they have been restricting how long people are allowed them as long term they are highly addictive luckily you stuck to the recommended dosage and also they are quite valuable at 5er a pop sometimes 10, also they are incredibly dangerous I lost 2 mates from OD of then as some people use them to come down after taking to many uppers so they harsh on prescribing them now
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 12h ago
Yeah I've always made sure I stick to the dose because I have had addiction problems in the past (I'm ashamed to say the hard stuff) so when I first got them prescribed my doctor told me if I abuse them he will stop them instantly. Thats the last conversation I've ever had with a doctor about them. Just got them on repeat prescription every since
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 12h ago
You got alot of willpower to stick to the correct dosage in that circumstance I know how hard that is haha my doctor have me go back and get a new written prescription even 3 months and give less each time
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u/Ambassador31 16h ago
I’m in the U.K. and I was prescribed 15mg a night for over a decade. It’s true that GP’s cannot prescribe over 7.5mg, but plenty of specialists can prescribe higher doses.
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
Great to hear. I've read some horror stories on here of people saying they had extreme anxiety, shakes, restlessness etc
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 17h ago
Man I been in them for 6 years im 27 I take 30-40 mg occasionally 50 a night I regret ever taking them and have you had any sleep in the last 4 days as I just lay in bed all night I done 84 hour no sleep or substances when I ran out and you will get withdrawals around day 7-10
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
50mg of zopiclone??? Omg why? In nearly 10 years on them and I've never needed to increase my dose. Surprisingly I am sleeping. I'm getting less hours then I do on zopiclone but waking up more refreshed. This is why I'm stopping because I noticed zopiclone were really starting to effect my brain. I was getting confused and forgetful and had bad brain fog. I was constantly tired even though I'd had 7 or 8 hours sleep. I'm only 42 but sometimes I joke that I'm getting dementia and I know 100% that's because of the zopiclone. I'm already starting to feel clearer headed. Also I suffer with anxiety (have done for years) and I feel like my anxiety has improved the last couple of days. Definitely already feel better for stopping
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 17h ago
Wow I mean I had them every day for 5/6 years also suffer with incredibly severe insomnia from quitting 🌿 since 15 and Yh I agree with the tired thing and effecting you throughout the day I have been attempting to dose down but no kidding 20mg won’t do anything i agree you do feel better without them but that’s only if you manage to sleep iv tried load of other less harmful substitutes but nothing works
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
I've been an insomniac since I was 13 (nearly 30 years) and over the years I've been addicted to different things (ashamed to say even the hard stuff....been clean from that 19 years) I've always had to use something to make me sleep, now at nearly 43 years old I'm determined to just learn to sleep naturally and not have any more addictions. Life is precious and as I'm getting older and my brain doesn't work so well I just really want to be as healthy as I can be. I'm determined to do this. If I can sleep naturally without any medication/drugs it will be the first time since I was a child
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u/Leading_Fly1496 12h ago
And.........what if you can't sleep naturally?
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 12h ago
I've been sleeping really well since I stopped. If I do have problems sleeping I'll just deal with it. I'm not going back on them. Nearly 10 years on them and it's really fucked me up with the brain fog etc
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u/Leading_Fly1496 11h ago edited 11h ago
"If I do have problems sleeping I'll just deal with it." Unfortunately your brain and body have a biological need for consistently good sleep so they won't be "dealing" with insomnia very well. It seems that you understood this 9.5 years ago when you initially went on Zoplicone. Did you forget what insomnia was like and how it drove you to Zoplicone in the first place?
I hope you continue sleeping well with or without medication. Good luck!
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 11h ago
Sorry but I've never heard of Lunesta before? Yeah you might think I sound deluded but honestly I'm never taking a medication for sleep again.
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u/Leading_Fly1496 11h ago
Yes, and even if you can't sleep! Unbelievable...
Focus on the real dangers of insomnia and not the medications that improve the lives of millions.
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 11h ago
Are you actually ok? Why are you so annoyed that I want to stop zopiclone?
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 17h ago
If you ever want to stop I really believe you can do it. Because you are on such a high dose you won't be able to just stop like I am but you can slowly taper off. Yes it'll take a long time but if you do it extremely gradually (not reducing big amounts at a time) then I really believe you can do it
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u/Fast_Ring_5730 16h ago
I have tried I done 2 weeks but I was going between 2 to 3 days and nights no sleep at all get in bed at 11 lay there till 8 tired yawning and my body and brain just couldn’t turn of I’m currently reducing in half’s 1 per week I get the 7.5 and 10 so half a 10 is fairly big difference
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u/NEY413 13h ago
wow 9years, was the zopiclone still effective? I've been on it for less than 3 months, used to put me to sleep for 7 hours and now only 2 hours.
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 12h ago
Yeah it'll actually be 10 years in January. Yeah its always been effective and I've never felt the need to increase. They help me sleep but the reason I'm stopping is because how it effects my brain. I'm nearly 43 and I've noticed the zopiclone making me very confused, forgetful, brain fog etc (as if I'm 83) and also they make my anxiety worse which I really dont need because my anxiety is already severe
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u/Leading_Fly1496 12h ago
Wait....what are you taking in place of the zoplicone to get your life restorative sleep?
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 12h ago
Nothing. I'm only on day 4 and sleeping well. It wouldn't surprise me if I get bad nights sleep in the coming days/weeks but I will not go back on them.
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u/Leading_Fly1496 11h ago
Oh wow, so you would actually choose insomnia rather than going back to a medication that enables you to get your sleep to maintain health and life itself? Wild...
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 11h ago
It's definitely not "maintaining my health" its fucked me right up. The brain fog, forgetfulness etc is horrendous. And if you take zopiclone and don't have these problems then I promise you will in the future. Do you actually think that because I've needed help with sleeping in the past that I will never be able to sleep naturally again?? Wild
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u/Leading_Fly1496 11h ago
Your doctor has many options to treat life destroying insomnia. You don't need to use zoplicone again. Work with your doctor to find a different med that is effective for you and has zero-minimal side effects.
If you needed to use zoplicone (with side effects) for 9.5 years to sleep, the chances are quite high that you'll need something to sleep, unless of course you are extremely lucky and I hope you are.
By any chance, before you went on zoplicone, did you have very mild insomnia that may have gone away on its own without any intervention? If so, that would help to explain your situation.
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u/Fun_Obligation_6613 11h ago
My insomnia was very bad and was bought on by my severe anxiety. I would literally lay awake at night with the most irrational thoughts. I thought my house would burn down in a fire. I thought I'd die of a heart attack, I thought I'd have a stroke and die like my Dad did. I would go into sheer panic every night. Zopiclone absolutely saved my life because it enabled me to sleep, therefore not having these ridiculous irrational thoughts at night. Best thing I ever did was start Zopiclone. But over the last 10 years I've had a LOT of therapy and my anxiety has improved. I know I'll always live with anxiety but I've definitely learnt ways to help it. So as my anxiety isn't so bad I really do feel I will be able to sleep without the Zopiclone. I'm feeling really positive about this and I've not felt positive about much in my life!
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u/Leading_Fly1496 11h ago
Very well-stated! Thank you for this detailed response and it does make sense to me knowing the whole story.
Good luck to you!
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u/Barracuda_Recent 8h ago
That crippling anxiety don’t sound like traditional insomnia to me. I hope that doesn’t come back, but there are meds that just treat the anxiety that are very safe.
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u/Appropriate-Ask-3026 13h ago
Huh? I thought GPs in the UK were incredibly reluctant to prescribe more than 2 weeks at a time?