Due to someones previous question about Zopiclone how can I wean myself off it,please look at my profile.?

I have been on this for above two years and would like not to have to take it. It was prescribed after I retired and had some horrific nightmares about my medical history and work related memories. When I was a paramedic there was no such thing as stress counciling we were just expected to get on with the job. Now I have retired my mind seems to have time to focus on the unpleasant incidents I attended over 35 yrs.

Public Comments

1. Hi, I`m on it as well and what I started to do was cut the tablet in two and stay on that for a while then cut it half again so that you are having a quarter, I was able to get off them for some time without having any problems, I have had to go back on them but will start to cut down again as soon as I feel ready. hope this helps
2. firstly. let me say what a wonderful job you did.. its takes somthing to actually do that type of work.. and as a layman, i can omly take a guess at what you have been through in your working life.. at a guess i would say that your condition is akin' to post traumatic stress disorder... most people turn to drink, but this is not the answer here.. if you wish to come off a medication it is generally advisable to consult your DR...who should advice you acordingly.. and while your at it, ask him if there is a centre which deals with this type of complaint... i can only wish you luck sir
3. I have taken zopiclone at various times, but I thought it was to treat short-term insomnia? I was told when I was prescribed it that you shouldn't take it for more than a couple of weeks at a time and that long-term use made it ineffective. Although you weren't given counselling at the time of your being a paramedic, could you not ask to receive some counselling now? What about replacing the zopiclone with a herbal remedy or seeing a homeopath? Have you wondered if the zopiclone is still helping you sleep or maybe its just psychological and you could do without it anyway? Maybe keep yourself busy with a hobby and don't allow yourself to dwell on the past...there's nothing you can do to change anything now and you aren't achieving anything positive by focusing on it. Stating the obvious, but take time to wind down before bed, have a relaxing bath, milky drink, listen to nature sounds, read a lighthearted novel...? I feel for you, because there's nothing worse than not being able to sleep...I hope you can sort this out soon.
4. Who on earth continued prescribing this drug to you for two years? In the UK, Zopiclone's prescribing guidelines are short term- no longer than 4 weeks including a tapering off period. If you were having nightmares and stress etc then your GP should have referred you for CBT or other forms of therapy rather than keep dishing out Benzo's which are very harmful and addictive in the long term. You need to see your GP regarding withdrawal from this drug. Withdrawal needs to be done gradually over time with a dose reduction. Your Doctor will likely switch you to diazepam (which is commonly used to withdraw from the 'Z' drugs). It enables mini-dose reductions over a period of time to prevent acceleration and any recurrence of withdrawal symptoms. A slow diazepam reduction regime has been found to have the higher success rates. The risks from taking Zopiclone simply outweigh the benefits and there is very little benefit to be gained from taking this drug in the first place. Tolerance to this drug will develop very quickly, on average, patients tend only to fall asleep 20 minutes earlier and sleep no more than 30 minutes longer than they did before starting the drug. See your GP.
5. You may want to go see a Control Substance Counselor who is an MD/PHD to taper you off the drug without all the side effects.
6. Everyone should be entitled to the best medical care, at least the best the system can afford, and though I believe everyone should also be treated equally, as a paramedic one might have thought you where especially entitled. It is pretty appalling that some poor quality, unthinking doctor got you hooked on one of the dreaded 'Z' drugs and as Rhianna has rightly said, once you did have a problem chose not to take the correct course of action and refer you for CBT. I am surprised that even retired paramedics are not given specific access to therapy if they need it.Even now it might be worth contacting your former union to discuss if there are any arrangements that might help you. Just to give you 2 direct quotes from the data sheet: 'Long term continuous use is not recommended. A course of treatment should employ the lowest effective dose.' 'Treatment duration Transient insomnia 2 - 5 days. Short term insomnia 2 - 3 weeks. A single course of treatment should not continue for longer than 4 weeks including any tapering off.' This sort of crappy prescribing is unfortunately very widespread and gave me much cause to be disappointed with my GP colleagues for 25 years! You by now will know all too well that addiction to zopiclone takes no more than a few nights of use and that the sedative effects of the drug rapidly wear off, leaving you on average sleeping no more than an extra 30 minutes and dropping off only 20 minutes sooner, but totally hooked. You don't give your current dose, if it is 7.5 mgs or heaven forbid more than the this maximum recommended dose, then it should be reduced very gradually. Another method is to convert the patient to diazepam, which despite its notoriety is LESS addictive. 15mgs of Zopiclone is equivalent to 10 mgs of diazepam. One of the other advantages is that diazepam doses go down to 2mgs and if more gradual downward titration is required there is a liquid preparation. You have my sympathy and I hope you find some helpful doctors and therapists out there, they do exist but sometimes they can be hard to find.
7. I have what is called polyphasic sleep. Ok. You mention that you are retired. In the first place that has everything to do with the here and now or the present. You find yourself addicted to a drug. As a paramedic you should be the first to know that that is not acceptable. Am not talking about what others think. Is what you think that matters. As a veteran I can tell you to buck up and stop the madness. Forget about the drug and go cold turkey. If you have medical issues due to that then go to ER. As far as the traumas that you have seen deal with it as best you can. It takes time to heal. And now is the time for you to put it in the proper perspective for you.Give no one else that power. They do not understand and have not lived what you have. Been there done this.