Zopiclone, how well do you sleep?

[TwitchyJerk]

I've taken zopiclone a few years ago on 3 night's when I had a bereavement and it worked really well.

This time, I've taken it on 3 night's (about once every 2 weeks) to try and get a better night's sleep as my health condition means it's really difficult get to sleep and stay asleep, even through I am exhausted because I keep twitching... admittedly I have slept better, but still keep waking up every few hours.

Anyone else had this experience? Is there a "better" sleeping pill I can ask for?

Thanks!

Unfortunately I take it every night it has its pros and cons but from my understanding there is nothing more you can take after zoplicone. I have been tried with diazepam and tresepam but find zoplicone helps me fall asleep fast and longer on good nights

@abblie thanks, my g.p only prescribed 5, so I guess I'm resentful that it doesn't knock me out like magic! Tried diazapam- did nothing :(

Amytriptaline. It's an old anti depressant, you can take between 1-3 depending on how badly your sleeping, it helps keep you asleep.
I've been on them for 2 years.

Zopiclone will help you get to sleep but it won't help you stay asleep. Ask your GP if you can try amytriptaline or melatonin.

@Thelnebriati @agentgoodnight thanks. I took amitriptiline before for nerve pain before I got ill. It didn't work so switched to duloxitine.

But I have also been recommended it for the twitching which came with this illness so its definitely worth trying again if it would help with bothering issues. 🤔

• both issues.

Technically they are bothering issues also. Lol.

May I ask what dose of zop people are taking? I find 3.75 ie half a tablet works pretty well.

When I'm prescribed it I get 7.5mg.

I'm bipolar and take zopiclone when my sleep is so disturbed that I'm at risk getting manic. Sometimes it is too late but most of the time it is brilliant. Gets me off to sleep and keeps me there for a while at least. I take 7.5 tabs as the smaller ones never touch the sides.

I suspect like many meds it works well for some and less well for others. I have it on repeat but as it can be addictive I try to avoid using it unless things are looking bad or 8 really want a decent sleep. In my case that is weighing up the potential zop bad with the potential mania bad.

Zoplicone doesn't work for me anymore unfortunately. My GP prescribed temazepan last night I needed sleeping pills and they worked a treat.

I had it for a while some time ago.

It gave me very restless legs. So did Zolpiderm.

I use zopiclone 3.75mg occasionally. It helps me get to sleep very well. I will wake if there is a noise, or I have eg physical pain, but I then get back to sleep easily which I wouldn't otherwise. For me that's the beauty of it.

If you have nerve pain (Amitriptyline actually kept me awake all night, it was awful) you could ask for Gabapentin.
I used to be awake nearly all night in pain before I was prescribed this.
I do also have Zopiclone for nights where I’m in too much pain for the Gabapentin to help me to sleep, and I do get to sleep, but am then wide awake from around 5am. I only take it when absolutely necessary though as I know it’s addictive and I am only allowed a very limited supply.

I have amitriptyline and gabapentin and they do help with sleep. I have muscle twitches too. They only really wake me up when the muscles properly cramp or the nerve itching thing starts.

Depends on the dose. I need 7.5mg now where I used to only need 3.75mg. Also, I used to pass out within 20 minutes and wake 9 hours later. Now I can read for an hour or more and wake up a few times or be wide awake 6-7 hours later.

Also - the 2 times I've taken 7.5mg in hospital, I barely slept at all. I don't think it was to do with the pain or discomfort - just psychological, around being in a strange place with an unlocked door.

One other thing - the orange 3.75s are better than the blue 3.75s and I have no idea why. They should work the same but they categorically do not.

Zolpidem/Ambien is in the same category as zopiclone. Barely works for me at all - even at the 10mg dose which is double the standard female dose. Doesn't work for my mother either. But some people love it!

There's also zalaplon (sp?) in that 'family'. I've never been offered it so not sure if it's available here.

Other than that, there are benzos which are like gold dust to get prescribed in the UK.

Some people on here swear by doxylamine (Kirkland Sleep Aid) which you can buy from Biovea online. Doesn't do much for me.

I've taken zopiclone for years. If you don't think its working as well try and make sure you take it on an empty stomach, don't eat too late at night. It stops it working as well.

It does get less effective over time so taking a day off here and there helps.

@TastesLikeFlavourlessFizz is the colour change on the 3.75s because of the manufacturer? Certain brands of amitriptyline and gabapentin work better for me than others. I know they're all meant to be the same but they really aren't!

I say this as someone who is a lifelong insomniac and bipolar, as well as having a chronic pain condition. Try and find another way to get to sleep. I would have been on pill since I was 15. I've taken zopiclone (amongst others) and not only sleep a bit shite it is also very addictive to use pills.
I managed on the following:
Yoga Nidra - which basically teaches your body to relax(loads of videos on YouTube)
Exercise
Avoid alcohol
During really bad periods I do about 3 days of valerian.

I have also suffered bereavement I know that's a particularly hard time, but during that period actually found it easier to be an insomniac as as I could explain to myself why I wasn't sleeping.

The other thing I do that I find really important it's just accepting I will be awake. For example last night I woke up at 2am I didn't get back to sleep until 6 am

Bit shit but I'm alive

Sorry for all the typos!

I used to take Zopiclone, and found it worked well. Then a study was published linking it to cancer. It freaked me out so much I completely stopped. That was three or four years ago. From what I can make out, the cancer link has now been firmly established, so anyone taking it might want to check that out and reconsider.

@FiveMins yeah I don't want to rely on Tablets and rarely take the zopiclone but.... my twitches (I guess that's an understatement) are so bad! I can be as relaxed and ready for bed as possible, then when I'm about to drift off my arms or whole body jerks 4 or so times violently and wakes me back up! This happens every night :(
So take the tablet when I'm getting so ill from lack of sleep I need it, and then it doesn't work. Fml.

So annoying for you. DH has this and found acupuncture helpful? Might be worth a go?

@TwitchyJerk I know you haven’t said your illness but have you looked into taking magnesium before bed? It does relax muscles and stops twitching (in some people with no serious underlying cause I assume) and it also aids sleep. My sleep did improve further when I started taking magnesium earlier this year, I used to wake DH with my jerking about -although I have also had Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies treated by prescription too.

No drug I know has zero side effects. I think the key is for the individual to weigh up the pros and cons of each in discussion with their doctor. Occasionally I have to take a drug for which one of the side effects is helpfully listed as 'death'. The alternative is to not take it and to get much iller so I do.

@FiveMins yeah unless i twitch while the needles are going in! Have had acupuncture before actually for undiagnosed (after a lot of investigation) hand pain and it worked really well. For 4 weeks! Worth trying again, thanks!