Zopiclone, anxiety and more Zopiclone!

[Sleepyjay]

Hi there, i'm new and feel a bit unsure of things right now, even writing on here. I'm 36, have a long history of Depression and anxiety issues.

The last couple of weeks things have started to spiral, some self harm a few days ago and my depression is getting worse each day. Right now I am going through hell with my sleep and although I have lots of underlying issues it's the sleep problems that feel tortourous and are pushing me over the edge. From time to time I have fear based insomnia, literally I can get to sleep fine for months and months and wam! I fear falling to sleep, resist it, get more tired and anxious and resist it some more and on and on...this started again about two weeks ago.

In the past once I felt rested and got a decent night and a decent day feeling refreshed my anxiety would drop and I could get some confidence back. Just one or two days to get back on track. Right now this isn't happening and I don't know what to do. It's all such a mess.

The situation now is that My GP prescribed Zopiclone, I've been taking it and sleeping 6 hours or so, sounds good and it doesn't let my anxiety fight sleeping. But everyday I feel terrible, I don't just mean a little tired or groggy..I'm literally going thru the day like I have had a couple of hours. So by 2pm I still need more sleep to function atall, but still need meds right now to take the edge of the fear if I am going to sleep/nap in the day aswell. My GP told me not to take it in the daytime so I have resisted so far but then I just seem to be fighting all day and carrying all this tiredness over to the next day and it never ends. I have now been taking it for 9 days.

Anyway last night I tried something different, maybe something stupid because I feel like I have nothing to lose right now. I took the Zopiclone at bedtime, got the 6 hours and woke up and couldn't face another day feeling like yesterday so took another one, put me back to sleep for another 3 hours. Three hours later and I feel like I'm back at 11pm again, dog tired, drowsy, the fear and anxiety are back and I'm now contemplating taking another so that's about 22mg in a 16 hour window. _-+

Is this what all sleeping tablets do, switch you off but when you wake up you feel severe sleep deprivation and desperate all day? Or am I carrying a sleep debt and I just need to take more until I feel more rested during the daytimes.

I told my GP about the medication but she refuses to review it and implied all tablets will do this. So maybe I should bin them and go it alone.

Sorry so long and confusing.

[Leo]

Hi,

I've been on Zopiclone but I was barely sleeping on it so was changed to Zolpidem.

Sleeping tablets will make you feel drowsy during the day. It's just the nature of the tablets. I'm off work just now so if I'm tired I go back to sleep.

I would advise against taking any more than your prescribed dose. I took two zolpidem one night. I slept for two days, barely getting up in between. I was dazed, disorientated and confused.

I am also on Venlafaxine 225mg and found it made me drowsy during the day so I now take it at night.
Are you on any other medication to deal with your anxiety?

[Sleepyjay]

Thanks Leo, it's good to find someone who is taking one of the z drugs right now. I did expect to feel a bit drowsy on and off but this feels a bit much even when i get 7 hours sleep. Daytime I can't drive..i mean atall, I wouldn't even get it out the drive and that's 30 mins after getting up, can't follow a convo for more than a a few seconds, feel sick all the time, burning on the back of my head, slurring some speech.. that kind of thing and it starts when I wake up and feels worse through the day....sorta like having 2 hours for 2 nights, similar feelings.

I know you said your off work right now, but say you were going in and you could't take a nap would you feel as bad as that all day and everyday you had slept with the Zolpiderm the night before?

Really appreciate your info because Your experience can prob help me work out if what i'm having are normal side effects or i've got sleep deprivation symptoms...thanks again.

[Leo]

I'm never bad enough I couldn't drive. I was on Zopiclone 3.75mg and now on Zolpidem 10mg.
The main side effect I get is memory loss.

I'm wondering if this tablet is triggering these side effects. Or are exacerbated by your anxiety. Not all tablets suit everyone. If you are actually getting some sleep on it I wouldn't say the problem is sleep deprivation.

It might be worth trying a night without them to see if your symptoms lessen, but might be just as bad if you don't sleep. Catch 22 I'm afraid.

I would go back to your GP, if they aren't prepared to review the medication would they refer you to someone to help with your anxiety? Perhaps getting to the route of the issue would alleviate the need for,medication? If your GP won't listen I'd ask for a 2nd opinion.

Anxiety and depression itself can cause lethargy, nausea, physical symptoms.
I had a bad few days last week, all I can do is sleep when I feel like that and I couldn't string a sentence together when speaking to my occupational health therapist. My nurse says its my body shutting down as I can't cope. The last time I had bad anxiety it gave me the jitters.

I'm now waiting on psychiatric assessment. I wonder if someone with a thorough knowledge of medications amd depression/anxiety would be able to help you more than your GP?

[Catbrian]

Leo's spot on about the depression making us feel ill.  After my very first "breakdown", I was exhausted for months, maybe even a couple of years.  The GP kept saying, "It's your depression", but I didn't believe him, but it was right.  Depression can make you feel near deaths door.

I'm also on Zolpidem 10mg, although have taken two on a few occasions when on a 'manic high'.  The only side effect is memory loss, from roughly the time I take it until I actually go to bed, I often can't recall very much.  I haven't taken any for the past 5 days because I usually sleep well if my mood is reasonably good, plus it's wise not to get too used to them.

In your case, I was going to suggest, perhaps the lack of sleep over such a long period of time has built up and maybe you're needing to catch up.  I'm an 8hrs-a-night-person.  If I miss out and only have 6hrs for a few nights, I'd need to catch up on ALL of those hours missed.  What can't help anyone dealing with insomnia, is the worrying about it.  If you approach bed time stressing in case you don't sleep, then of course a sleeping tab would only work for a little while before your sub-conscious kicks in, telling you it's time to get stressing again, it's a viscous circle.

[Sleepyjay]

Thanks all. I took the Z again last night, slept bout 6 hours (that's 'bout normal for me Cat) and then took another this morning because I felt overtired. Pomptly felt a bit yuk and it only gave me an hour so wont be doing that again.

Something I noticed since I started taking one in the morning and doubling my dosage, the symptoms I described haven't got any worse in the daytime so that alongside what you have told me about your experiences makes me doubt it's the side effects.

The last 36 or so hours I've not had any strong suicidal urges so maybe that's a positive. I don't feel much different, don't feel myself, but maybe something is improving that I can't detect.

So anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation could all be part of it and will just have to take what I get each day for now...being patient is hard.

[Leo]

That's a good thing if it doesn't seem like side effects.

I'm just thinking when I was on Zopiclone it was one or two tablets a night. Are you taking two in the first instance and then another in the morning?

Cat does make a good point about everyone needing different amounts of sleep.

That's really good the suicidal urges are lessening. Perhaps getting a little more sleep is helping?
I certainly know my mood goes from the world ending to happy go lucky at the moment.

[Sleepyjay]

Hi Leo, Yes one 7.5mg at night and same again after I wake up in the morning. I found it took the edge off the tiredness in the day a little bit but unsurprisingly felt sick in the morning. I'm now lying on the couch at 8:20pm but it feels more like 4 am to me.

Whatever's going on my internal clock is way off so best I can do is go to bed early tonight, shorten the day and see if that helps.

Take care.

[Got]

Taking zopiclone isn't really a sustainable solution to sleep problems.The NHS doesn't recommened that it is used for more than two week periods.

7.5 mg of zopiclone, according to the studies conducted, has the same level of effect as 20 mg of diazapam on benzodiazapine accustomed individuals. 20 mg is a lot. Zopiclone isnt a benzodiazapine but has a similar action.

So, I think you should take a few days off, get used to not having it in your system so that you don't build tolerance, and then take less than 7.5, try half or even a third. If you wanted diazapam for sleep that woulds never give you twenty, that would usually give you 2 mg, maximum 5 mg, so try lowering the dose to see if you sleep well with it, and perhaps you will feel less groggy the next day.

An alternative is that you try one on the antidepressant sedatives...they will guard against anxiety and depression and should help you sleep. Mirtazapine and Trazodone are the common ones.

 

[Sleepyjay]

Hello Stevie, i agree it's not a long term solution. I have been taking them for two weeks solid, no history of long term Benzo use so equiv would be around 6mg Diazepam> 7.5mg Zopiclone iirc from CITA. I took your advice and cut the dosage down to 3/4 last night, took nothing this morning so hopefully that's a start.

To go cold turkey would exasperate the problems right now especially as the GP is refusing to prescribe /overlap a sensible longer term med like the ones you mentioned with potential anti anxiety, sedative qualities.

[Leo]

How is your sleeping? X

[Sleepyjay]

Hi Leo  +-_ Ummm not sure. It's my second night sleeping without meds and the first time in three weeks that the OCD has lost interest in climbing under the quilt with me and bullying my brain. I think I'm riding a mini wave and keeping my fingers crossed I stay upright until after Christmas for my Wife and Son.

I have a GP appointment on the 28th right about the time my meds will run out and the Doctor has told me no more Z drugs but he does have a plan...I've got a sinking feeling I will leave that appointment with a distant date to begin some monthly CBT sessions and face the new year without intermediate support or medication of any kind.

[Buttercup]

That's not great. Not sleeping is rubbish. I take Tamazepan for sleeping only when I need it though. It doesn't always work but it does make me calmer.

[Sleepyjay]

Yes that and now some type of Strep throat. Just before Christmas...fed up.