Hi Amanda
Just seen your post. I sent Debbie a reply last night it might be worthwhile your reading it?
Hello Debbie
I think as regards using diazepam to come off zopiclone it depends on the doctor you see - i asked my psychiatrist about this today and he feels that it can be beneficial for people as long as it's taken for a short period of time just to stop/reduce the Zopiclone withdrawals. Diazepam is also very addictive, so you could potentially be exchanging one problem for another...
I would present to your doctor with how you feel and explore what your options are. Explain that you do not want to come off the Zopiclone suddenly - this should be done gradually with the support of your doctor
Emma xx
well for medont see the point of coming off zop and getting 2 replacement frugs even more addictive, as I say thats me, I would stay on Zop and I would explain this to my GP, I have as I said come from 7.5 too 3.75 and now most night a half pill so 1.97 , maybe im lucky, I still have bad nights, last it was 6 am but for the most im fine on the small dose.
Yeah I've read it , that's why im under arch I am on diazepam 30mg per night to get off the zops , I was titrating the dose before myself and suffering very bad attacks of panic and anxiety , so bad a cpn was called and took acute care for 4 days , I am a nurse myself it was shameful , but shows the grips this drug takes hold , I now attend cbt and group sessions and collect my diazepam daily up until this week very embarrassing I thought the pharmacist has been fantastic and says how much better im looking , im blessed xx
Amanda my two daughters are nurses, one is a nurse prescriber. Both now work alone holisticaly. They are horrified at some of the messages I've had. The problem is as you know nurses and doctors are taught to follow one specific pathway a bit like driving down the the M4 past say Windsor and not go see what's there, would you agree? 30 mg is a hefty dose, could I ask what part of the country you're in, how old you are, are you working also do you take it in one dose or over a specific period of time? We will try and help you but need info on how you got on such a high dose eg was it tolerance are there any other meds involved ie interactions? Oh and please don't go to any detox unit !
Hi , I've been qualified for neatly 20 years , I was in a very violent 1st marriage , found the courage to leave with my 2 children , last year both my mum and nan died suddenly 6 weeks after I had been raped , court case pending , I tried reducing my dose had a melt down and was referred by the team to a great team 30mg sounds a lot , I was on 10 zops clone 7.5 mg per night , I now am having cbt and meditation as well a key worker and at last people to help me , doesn't matter if you a nurse , Dr , banker your still human , my sister is also a nurse addiction is addiction , you build a tolarance to these drugs without realising it , I've cut my work load life's looking better and I never want to take a zopsclone ever again in my life 30 sounds a lot 100mg was a lot more x
I take 30mg at 10.15 per night to sleep only , I sleep 6 hours and am working 11 till 7 , im west London , being a nurse doesn't make you less human x
Are you saying you were on 100mg, if so,, what sort of time scale did you allow between what drops to end on 30mg?
If it were me I wouldn't take them in one dose! I would divide them around the clock.
BNF NICE Guidelines - I know both you and your sister will be aware it states half life UP to 200 hrs. In my.experience (over 40 years) the withdrawal symptoms seem to set in after 4 - 6 hrs..
Yes we are all human but there is also human error I've just posted how much of my day and night was taken up. Two different people different doctors involved, one on this forum was told to reinstate 4mg. The other had put someone very close to me in abrupt wihhdrawal and would not reinstate? Please see royal college of psychiatrists own website under benzodiazepines. A long day and night but eventually another doctor did reinstate. Long day and night so hope this makes sense! Take care
I was on 100 tablets a week a mixture of stilnoct and zops as they had stopped working I have not had any for 6 weeks since been in refered via an emergency cpn call to my home through anxiety and panic I now take 30mg 3 tablets of diazepam same time every night and I have already in 6 weeks come down from 35mg , so I am pretty happy that this is my journey and I will be on none shortly , I still get little waves of anxiety 1st thing but have gone from 3 hours sleep to 6/7 hours I don't lay in bed worrying I get up make tea and put the news on , and feel blessed 2 weeks ago I hadn't driven my car let alone left the house only to get meds every day, I went to meditation yesterday and played x box with the guys at the centre and went for a sauna so I am truly blessed x don't believe all the research you read we are all individuals so no 2 rules apply
Becareful you will build up a tolarance and 1 tablet won't work that's how I started , I swore I could get by and never come off as long as I could sleep , it's taken all these years and I ended up on 10 per night , don't be fooled it's dangerous psychological drug x I mean this with kindness xx
slow withdrawl is need Debbie.....my EX!! GP stopped prescribing me them in an instant,said i'd been on them too long(5 years) and sent me home with nothing...i was climbing the walls,no sleep for two weeks,all the while trying to work as i am self employed..I went back to see him and they started me on amitryptlene,it took 150mg to get me to sleep,only trouble was i could function properly the next day..eventually i changed gp's,the new one ok'd me to have zopiclone but after a while he left the practice and the endless steam of locums ever since made me go to see them every week to be prescribed the zop..until one of them suggested mirtazapine..we gradually tapered the zopiclone and introduced the mirtazapine...its the best thing i ever did..it took the maximum dose of 45mg to get me going but after a year we reduced that to 30mg and thats where i am right now...i feel a lot better,much calmer and more often than not i get a decent nights sleep..Maybe try this route to getting rid of zopiclone?
i honestly felt like i was stuck with zopiclone for the rest of my days,,i even have 200 of them in a cupboasrd which i bought in india,,i leave them there to prove i can get by without them.
Well done dean , I was on 100 zops a week have now been off nearly 7 weeks like you had a melt down self employed , was so embarrassed I had got myself taking so many , I am under a drug and alcohol unit was mortified as I am a nurse and couldn't believe how I had got in this mess , im not on 30mg at bedtime of diazepam sleep has started to return , I know there's a way to go , but there is light at the end of the tunnel x
Hello Daniel
What did you say to your shrink so he kept you on zopiclone because my one has put me on a drug called pregabalin I haven't started it yet
Pregabalin isnt for sleeping,i'm on those for a prolapsed disc in my neck,they are also to help with anxiety in some people..however they've made no difference to it,maybe they will make you feel drowsy but i'm on the full dose daily and they wouldnt help me get to sleep.Zopiclone is a strong hypnotic drug so i really do doubt pregabalin will put you to sleep.
try the mirtazapine,i honestly believe if they work for me then they'll work for anybody..i thought i was the only one with bad sleep problems lol.
Hello dean
Did you get any side affects with the pregabalin
The shrink has give me these for aniexty but 50 mg a day and to cut down on my zopiclone every 4 weeks until I come of them do the pregabalin help you with aniexty ?
pregabalin hasnt helped with the anxiety at all for me but this doesnt mean it wont for you..I'm on the maximum too which is 600mg per day.i've always argued with the gp that i'm not sure if it is anxiety i have anyway,its more that i'm unable to relax,i'm not worrying about anything in particular,I just cant seem to be able to settle and chill out..The main reason that i take pregabalin is for nerve pain due to a pro lapsed disc in my neck.
Hello dean
I agree with much of what you've said, also very familiar with pregabalin. It's prescribed for neuropathy. It Interacts with benzos and z drugs can also be a drug of abuse. It's a derivative of gabapentin which is used for epilepsy/ seizures. Please be careful you don't leave it off abruptly. It's very similar to benzodiazipines or any of the Z drugs and must be tapered withdrawal due to the risk of seizures. I can see us all having a discussion about this drug in time when they decide to withdraw it as it is also expensive?
Take care
I asked my doctor if I can become addicted to it and he just shrug his shoulders and didn't really give me a answer he said I might need it all of my life but I haven't started it yet they just don't want to listen to reason
i'm already having problems trying to come off it..i stopped taking one tablet in the morning(150mg) and i knew about it,so i'm going to go see the gp and tell him i need to get off it,but only in the smallest steps possible and i dont care if it take 12 months,
i've had the prolapsed disc repaired so need to get off the drug but i'm worried that my 'anxiety' will get worse