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[elainewin]

HI
I am 55 and on 8wks 3days of climagest 1mg , Iam having rel trouble slepping in the last 7 days ,go to bed tired close my eyes and im buzzing lay ther for hrs ,trouble is i was prescribed zopiclone at the beginning of hrt ,but only use in an emergency ,i have taken it now for last 7 days because at 3am in morning still wide awake, I guess i have caused my self rebound insomnia forcing me to take another one , tonight im determined not to take any more zopiclone,I have just finished 12 days of Norethisterone, and am not dealing with it to well ,,mood swings depression,so im not sure if my sleep prob is norethisterone or because one to many zopiclone.
Any advice welcome.  p.s my mood good today as not taking norethisterone.

[ellie66]

I take zopiclone for nerve pain  my arm goes when I lay on it. I had major surgery and my shoulder reconstructed. Zopiclone can make you feel rubbish and give a hang over type effect. It makes me ratty. It could well be the zopiclone.

[Dana]

Zopiclone is also highly addictive and withdrawal can be very hard. They say z-drugs are better than benzos, but they're really not. The affects are all the same.

[elainewin]

Thanks for the replies ladies ,ive taken on board what you have said last night was the first night for ages without a zopiclone ,and i feel better this morning . I used 5-htp and serotonin..  took me a while but i perservered .

[ellie66]

I have never found it addictive. If I run out of my prescription and I have not any it makes no difference to me. I have sore/numb shoulder in the night but that is all.

[Dana]

Then you are extremely lucky. Addiction with these things can happen as quickly as 1-2 weeks continuous use. After having to do a very slow withdrawal from a fairly short term low dose of diazepam, and knowing how awful that was (18 months after finishing my taper I still get some side effects), I personally wouldn't be taking the risk with any of these kinds of drugs.

http://www.benzosupport.org/the_z_drugs.htm

[countrybumpkin]

I take zopiclone for nerve pain  my arm goes when I lay on it. I had major surgery and my shoulder reconstructed. Zopiclone can make you feel rubbish and give a hang over type effect. It makes me ratty. It could well be the zopiclone.

I am absolutely amazed that you have been given a sleeping tablet for nerve pain - usually a low dose anti depressant like amiltyptaline is given or the anti epilepsy drugs like gabapentin.

[dazned]

Ive had zopiclone on and off for a couple of years,sleep like a baby and wake up fine. Never been a problem to me stopping and starting them either.

[Dana]

It's not so much of a problem if you just take one occasionally. The OP however has been taking them 7 days straight, and that's really getting into a dangerous area.

[dazned]

I guess people are different in their make up ,last time I took them at beginning of the year I was on them for approximately 2/3months.

[Dana]

It's estimated that 30% of the population has a sensitivity to benzos and z-drugs, and basically you don't know if you are in that 30% until you take them continuously. There is also a thing called "kindling" which is what I think affected me. I initially took temazapam for a month or so and had no problems coming off it at all. However, when I later used diazepam for a few months it became an absolutely horror story. That's what kindling is. The more times you take and taper off a benzo (or z-drug) the harder it may become each time. Once again, you have absolutely no idea if kindling will affect you until it happens to you.

So the best course of action is to just not take these kinds of drugs any longer than just a week or two. Even that can be dangerous because I know of a lot of people who had to do very long tapers after using them for just 2 weeks. They are a completely unnecessary drug for long term use anyway, because they do nothing to help the problem. They only mask symptoms. 

I'm just trying to give people this warning because it is a very real thing. So many people dismiss what I tell them, because they think it won't happen to them, or they think they know better, but it can and does happen to a whole lot of people, and it may not happen the first time you use them. Just have a look at all the people who are on http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php to see just how real this benzo and z-drug problem is.

These drugs affect the GABA receptors in the brain, and frankly I will never touch another benzo or z-drug as long as I live, not even one dose. Even doctors, a lot of whom have always been a bit clueless about benzos and totally over-prescribe them, are now starting to see and understand the dangers of these drugs, but few of them actually know how to properly taper someone off them. That's where the above site has been a lifesaver to so many people, including me. Had I not found out how to taper off I would have either been on a much higher dose by now, or I would be dead because I would have topped myself. It's that horrible and that simple.

In some countries some benzos are now being put on restricted lists and can only be prescribed by specialists in certain circumstances. There are more and more stories appearing in the media about how insidious these drugs are. This is a step in the right direction IMO.

However, I can only offer this warning. People need to make up their own minds.

[elainewin]

Thank you Dana what you say makes lots of sense luckily i hav,nt touched a zopiclone in 4 nights now, I was warned not to take more than 2 in a 1 weeks cycle but when they are there its easy to say just one more night and thats how it starts, good on you trying to help people realise how it can grab you especially the fact it get you at your lowest ebb ( thats why you would even consider them in the first place ) ..I m looking into alternative now like 5-htp and serotonin .

[Pollie]

Dana thanks for the link - I found it very, interesting reading

Pollie

[Dana]

Hi Elaine

You are right. People start off taking them on and off for a minor issue and have no problems, but then it becomes too easy to just reach out for another one, thinking it won't cause any harm. Suddenly they find they are taking them more often, until one day they realise they've been taking them continuously for months.

Doctors are definitely at fault here because they are not supposed to prescribe them for more than the recommended time of a just a few weeks, but very few doctors adhere to this. I know of people who started off taking them every so often, and then 20 years later they are suddenly on 80mg of valium (or equivalent). This is far more common than most people realise.

Of course some people doctor shop, so they become their own worst enemy, but their problem started simply because some doctor over-prescribed in the first place. In most cases though we are talking about average people from all walks of life, who were given no warning about how addictive these drugs are, and who often end up losing families, jobs, homes etc. It's criminal. There is an often quoted phrase that "benzos are harder to kick than heroin", and for a lot of people it is very true. I've seen it.

I would be willing to bet there are women on this very site who may not be speaking up, but they will be having problems with a benzo or z-drug, because menopause and benzo prescriptions go hand in hand with some doctors. Some may be experiencing a lot of unexplained "menopause" symptoms, and can't find anything to help. That's what happened to me, but my problem wasn't actually menopause because HRT had sorted that out. It was benzo withdrawal. The side effects and symptoms can be identical. To those ladies I say, there is nothing to be ashamed of. If you need help go to the Benzo Buddies site. I know you will get help there.  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php

I'm sorry, I get really passionate about this subject because I know from first hand experience how easily it can happen, and I speak to and mentor people everyday on the BB site, most of whom are terrified about what is happening to them.



Hi Pollie

I'm glad you found it interesting. I hope other people take the time to look. It's really eye-opening, and if it saves just one person from getting into a benzo mess like I was, I will be very happy.

[elainewin]

Thanks Dana ive also been reading your link and very interesting, there is so little help out there for insomnia and other menopause symptoms ,you end up desperate for some sort of normality to your life,you end up risking your sanity for some sort of relief,Doctors really just dont care and are happy to give you what ever to get you out of there office my Gp been prescribing me zopiclone off and on for 4 years now , however 1 pkt does last me about 5 mths ..but as you know lately i am using them more, I wont be putting in for a reapeat priscription and am going to search for something a bit more herbal ...thanks again interesting reading x