Z-Drug Support Group (Lunesta, Imovane, Zimovane, Ambien, Sonata, Zopiclone)

[[Ba...]]

Yeah, I very heartbroken and otherwise broken.

 

 

[[wa...]]

Yes -- there are bad and very bad days while tapering.  I didn't have an "acceptable" day for many months.  If you can get just a "bad" day to seek a therapist, I'd encourage it.  But they really can't do much unless they understand this process.

 

The only way out is slow taper.  MTFan had the worse insomnia I had ever read about and, last I heard, she was finally getting some sleep.  Our brains can take a long time to restore themselves.  And I believe I am genetically programed to be an insomniac which is why I have been managing this lifelong problem.  I was also on the drug which everyone thought was the most benign, Lunesta.  It was not!  And years ago I had cold turkeyed Ativan which was hell.  I was misdiagnosed for months.  My brain was probably kindled by the time I got on Ambien and then Lunesta. 

 

WBB

[[Fi...]]

I tapered Ambien (short taper of 2 months from 10 mg.) and I'm sleeping better now.

For a while, I got one night of six hours, one night no sleep. Now, I don't count hours, I just ask myself if I feel rested. Mostly I do, most of the time.

 

Get sunlight during the day if possible. Turn off screens before bedtime. Tell yourself, "This will not kill me." The stress of thinking about no sleep is the worst. Our bodies were made to sleep automatically. If we get tired, we sleep. They will get back to normal.

 

[[Se...]]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and I hope there are still people active here...

 

I have been off the Zopiclone for almost 4 months now (after a relativly short taper) and I feel that my symptoms have increased this last month, more intense... Did you also experienced that on your journey?

 

I don't know if I'm still in phace one (The acute phase) but I am still bed and coach bound and I have to force myself to a 15 min walk outside every day and it's not so easy.

 

When did you start to feel a little better and more functional?

 

I know this is individual but it may help to hear how others have healed.

 

I need some hope and I would appreciate your responses. Thank you

[[al...]]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and I hope there are still people active here...

 

I have been off the Zopiclone for almost 4 months now (after a relativly short taper) and I feel that my symptoms have increased this last month, more intense... Did you also experienced that on your journey?

 

I don't know if I'm still in phace one (The acute phase) but I am still bed and coach bound and I have to force myself to a 15 min walk outside every day and it's not so easy.

 

When did you start to feel a little better and more functional?

 

I know this is individual but it may help to hear how others have healed.

 

I need some hope and I would appreciate your responses. Thank you

 

Hi Sensi,

As someone who has been through this, I can say that the answer to your inquiry is pretty elusive. Healing does not take place in a straight line, but rather it is a journey of constant ups and downs with gradual progress in the right direction. It can be a long road, but that does not mean that life is full of crap the entire time. Far from it. Your ability to come to terms with the situation that you are in can outpace the physical healing, which in turn will probably speed up the healing. Try to create some good memories along the way instead of only having unpleasant ones to lack back on.

 

 

 

edit: user name

[[Se...]]

Thank you so much Aloha for your answer and advice.

 

I understand that acceptance make things easier, but I don't know how I could make any "good memories" right now when I feel so ill... How did you distract yourself when you were at your worse?

 

Sorry for my bad english...

[[al...]]

Homa,

When I was at my very worst I went on a three night sight-seeing trip with my family and in-laws that had already been planned and paid for. I got very little if any sleep the night before as well as all three nights away, but I was so hyper-alert I did all the driving around as planned (never felt like dozing off behind the wheel at all). Sometimes when we stopped to look around it all caught up to me with waves of anxiety, but then we would move on and the distraction would calm me down.

 

I could have stayed at home, but I would not have felt any better and may have actually felt worse without the distractions and my family and I now have some good memories to share about our trip. The same thing can apply to a much shorter and easier outing.

[[Ba...]]

Some of us have no family or support.

[[Li...]]

Hi,

I tried tapering zopiclone, several years ago, I was almost there and then wasn't successfull. I returned to 3,75 mg in the evening. Half a tablet. At the moment, and also for awhile, I have anxiety problems. And that is the reason I want to give it a try again. Anyone some advise?

Jeroen from Holland

[[or...]]

Jeroen, zopiclone isn't much good for anxiety. All the z drugs have a really short half-life. The best that you could hope for is that they help you sleep. Their hypnotic component is designed to do that.

 

In my experience, anxiety can't be helped by medication. My solution is talk therapy. I have  a great therapist who I've been seeing for years and she's made all the difference in my life. Anxiety is a beast. I understand.

 

If it's sleep you need help with, well, there are a couple of insomnia threads on here. You could search for them. You'll find a lot of suggestions there.

 

I was on 10 mgs of Ambien (zolpidem) and tapered down to just under where you are -- 2.5 mgs. It was very hard for me to get there and very hard for me to give up the last little bit. So I understand your dilemma. I eventually gave up my crumb of Ambien and turned to other things to help me sleep.

 

If it were me, I would try not to get hooked on your z-drug again.

 

I realize that the above may not be what you want to hear -- just my experiences and observations. They may be helpful to you, however.

 

Best to you,

 

Katz

 

 

[[Li...]]

Jeroen, zopiclone isn't much good for anxiety. All the z drugs have a really short half-life. The best that you could hope for is that they help you sleep. Their hypnotic component is designed to do that.

 

In my experience, anxiety can't be helped by medication. My solution is talk therapy. I have  a great therapist who I've been seeing for years and she's made all the difference in my life. Anxiety is a beast. I understand.

 

If it's sleep you need help with, well, there are a couple of insomnia threads on here. You could search for them. You'll find a lot of suggestions there.

 

I was on 10 mgs of Ambien (zolpidem) and tapered down to just under where you are -- 2.5 mgs. It was very hard for me to get there and very hard for me to give up the last little bit. So I understand your dilemma. I eventually gave up my crumb of Ambien and turned to other things to help me sleep.

 

If it were me, I would try not to get hooked on your z-drug again.

 

I realize that the above may not be what you want to hear -- just my experiences and observations. They may be helpful to you, however.

 

Best to you,

 

Katz

 

Ha Katz,

Thank you for your comments. I think I just have to give tapering it a try. I guess I am lucky that I never increased the amount I am using. But it means that the side-effects have grown over the years.

I am using clozapine for sleeping which is véry effective.

Kind regards,

Jeroen

[[or...]]

I think I just have to give tapering it a try.

 

That seems like a good idea. It can certainly be tapered. Your taper might be uncomfortable, but once the drug is out of your system, you will feel better. I did.

 

Good luck.

 

Katz

[[Fi...]]

All,

 

I can attest to the idea that the end result is way better than the tapering. I tapered off Ambien, from 10 mg to 5 mg then baby steps down to zero. Those nights of baby steps were the worst. Once I was completely off, I had about three weeks of insomnia, and then it started getting better.

 

It does get better. Don't give up. One insomnia doctor said that the best thing to do after a night of insomnia is nothing. That is harder to do, but if you'll get up as normal, don't go to bed early, and try to move around a bit (I know, it's hard), you'll get past it quicker. Know that it will end!

 

During that last hell week, my doctor offered some zopiclone, and I just left that prescription at the pharmacy. No WAY will I get back on even a tiny chunk of this crap. I feel so much better now. It's easier to exercise, I've gained some much-needed weight, and my emotions are getting back in order. If anyone needs to message me, I'm glad to talk, but just don't give in!

 

:smitten: :smitten:

[[Li...]]

I have decided to wait with tapering zopiclone untill I spoke with my shrink.

Jeroen

[[wa...]]

Sorry it didn't work out last time Lightspacer.  I hope you can get off of the drug this attempt.  WBB

[[Li...]]

I spoke with my shrink, she agrees with my zopiclon taper plan.  She advices to do it slowly. And it is also good to see how hard it is during the first step. That can give me an indication, how it will work out during the whole process.

Jeroen

[[or...]]

[[2f...]]

Hi. Its me again. Still tapering Zopiclone. Im now at 3 quarters of a pill thats about 6 mg, since 3 weeks and Im stucked. Im very depressed and dont know if it is zopiclone or a real depression? Ive felt this for months. Some days Ive split the dose taking a small pieces daytime. Some days that helps with the depression. Im just not sure if Im depressed and need some AD. I just know that I cant have it like this, my life feels so poor, sad and I cant feel happy ness or anything. Dont know what to do anymore... CBT does not help, been there four times and cant see that it would help me (but will continue) . So tired of this...

[[or...]]

You're getting there, 2forone. Give yourself a big pat on the back for that.

 

I tapered Ambien, so I know what it's like.

 

At 5 mgs (I tapered from 10 mgs) I got "stuck". No, I didn't feel depression. Well, maybe from the fact that I had to taper yet another **&^%#^ drug, but I don't thinking tapering Z give you depression. It's something in our lives that makes us depressed imo.

 

Anyhow, my advice is NOT to take a bit of Z in the daytime WTH? You're taking a hypnotic in the daytime to counteract depression?? And believe me, an AD won't help either. I've taken more ADs than Planter's has peanuts. Nope.

 

Benzos didn't work well for us -- they got us into a mess. We have to deal with our anxiety without pills. Z drugs also got us into a mess. We have to deal with our insomnia without pills. Why on earth would we think that depression will be fixed by a different kind of pill?

 

I got (and am getting ) therapy for my depression. A talk therapist, not a CBT therapist.

 

As for being "stuck", I just had to suck it up and get on with things. I know this is not what you'd like to hear. (You're not saying that you can't sleep, so it's good that is not one of your problems). You're stuck and depressed. Hmm. What if the next time you went to see your therapist, you started talking with him/her about what's really depressing you? (I've done a little CBT and found it distinctly unhelpful. I even got a little workbook from the therapist called Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Feelings. Um, no. Fortunately I found my present therapist and was able to chuck CBT). Are you depressed because you feel trapped by this drug w/d? Are you depressed because you feel you can't participate in life/left your real life behind? Why do you feel so sad about your "poor" life? Why can't you feel happiness? All good questions for real talk therapy.

 

Anyhow, those were my experiences with quitting Z and addressing my depression. Tapering Z is not fun, but it can be done. And you will feel a lot better once you're off the drug.

 

Hope this has helped a bit. I feel for you.

 

 

Katz

 

[[2f...]]

Thanks Katz. Ive been depressed before, before Zopiclone.

Some nights I sleep, some not. But even if I sleep, Im depressed (it just become worse by not sleeping). Its good to hear depression was not a w d symtom for you. But I think many become depressed from Z. You are ofcourse right about the feeling in tapering, its like feeling stuck and feeling hopeless.

And you are right about that things in my life making me depressed too (things that went wrong, age etc) . Its just that those things is much easier to handle if you are not depressed. What symtoms did you, or ANYONE here have? I thought anxeity and depression was high on the w d list?

Need some support, its a lonely dark place

[[or...]]

Hi 2for.

 

Well, I wasn't depressed or anxious from tapering Z, thank God. My s/x were physical. Spaciness, "weirdness" in my head, dizziness, nausea. Some of the same s/x that my benzo taper gave me, alas.

 

I sure hear you about being depressed by life incidents and just plain old age. I'm an, um, "senior" and that alone is enough to make a person depressed! Just kidding. It's one of the things I have had to come to terms with. Therapy sure helped. Also dealing with losses in my life. That's a toughie.

 

I still think that a good talk therapist would benefit you immensely. Where do you live? Most big center have a variety of therapists. The downside of therapy for some is that it's not like a pill -- it isn't something you take in and get fixed. You have to commit yourself to working at it, at digging around in your past to identify the reasons why you are e.g. sad and depressed in the present. But if you're a digger, and have a good therapist, you can literally change your life.

 

But, look, you're making good progress with your Z. Carry on and you won't be stuck. And the feeling of accomplishment from being successful at chucking this drug is wonderful.

 

Holding a good thought for you,

 

 

Katz

[[2f...]]

Katz, Im glad theraphy helped you and Im sure it does. CBT dont, even if its very known that it should help for depression. I live in Sweden. You said you where depressed, but you dont link it to your benzo withdrawal? How do you know what is what?

 

Any one have thought about that? They say theraphy dont help when its benzo depression /anxeity.

Anyone that can say why taking a small dose daytime is no good? In Sweden they say that because it is such a short life benzo you will have symtoms daytime, therefore its best to take some of the tapering dose daytime. Im not sure anymore... It worked well in the beginning (one month since I started day dose).

 

[[or...]]

How do you know what is what?

 

2for, about depression . . . I've been depressed all my life. It's usually not debilitating. When it gets too bad, I see my therapist more often. The real, rock-bottom cause: childhood abuse. But therapy has helped me see that I have two choices: I can go under, or I can go on. And I just need a little help now and then to go on.

 

Hmm, I'm mystified why you take a benzo for depression. They help anxiety. Or maybe your bit of Z in the daytime just makes you feel different and doesn't really help the depression (well, feeling different is helpful). When I took my myriad ADs they didn't touch my depression, but they sure made me feel numb and distant from myself.

 

Hope you can find relief from all this somehow, 2for and get the help you deserve.

 

 

Katz

 

 

[[2f...]]

I dont take Z for depression. It was part of taper plan. As its short life benzo you get w d faster. It was suppose to help for that. But Im not sure anymore. Think the nervous system get "upset" or something. Ive red about people taking Z during day (as long as they dont increase the taper dose.

Well my depression makes me very inactive and down in mood. Feel worth less too. I had a rare condition 2017, and that have had an inpact too.

[[2f...]]

I didnt slept last night. It happens often. Today as Im feeling more weak because of lack of sleep, I ve read for hours here on Z group. Ofcourse Ive red before but today I learned more, thanks to wwb, aloha (they also has been very kind to me when I asked questions here before).

 

I will Try not to take the tiny peice daytime and didnt today. It stopped working I think, and made me more depressed (??).

I hope this forum have some activity, but its very quite here. How is everyone?