# Zopiclone, (imovane, zimovane)



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

*Zopiclone* (brand name Imovane in Canada, and Zimovane in the UK)
Is a Z drug, which means its a _non benzodiazepine_ hypnotic sedative used in the treatment of insomnia. Its supposed to have the same sleeping aide effects as the Benzodiazepine known as Triazolam, huh no wonder i love Zopiclone so much.

however this little blue miracle pill is not all good
its habit forming, highly addictive and you find yourself craving more and more to sleep at night, they give them out in hospital over here for patients to sleep and yeah when u first take them after never taking anything like that before, they are wonderful and have no drowsy _antipsychotic drug_ like side effects but its the build up in your system that gets you hooked

i am weaning myself off them and am down to one per night from between three and six a day, i have stopped taking them through the day, i took them to calm my nerves as they work so fast, within half an hour for me

Don't get me wrong, i am not advocating this drug, but i am not against it entirely either, its easier to come off of than a straight out benzo now that i am going to struggle with when the time comes

Please share your thoughts and experiences with Zopiclone

but be careful if you have just started taking them as they do have this wonderful calming feeling and this "so what its all good" like effect that you start desiring to have every day until you are awake at night unable to sleep cuz they just dont work anymore


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Taking them through the day was foolish to begin with, no offense. They're not meant for that, and are pretty damn amnesic. I tried it one day for anxiety purposes and when I realized the next day that I have absolutely NO recollection of that day, it was obvious to me that it's just a terrible drug for such uses.

As far as addiction or dependence liability, I haven't found them too bad. I was prescribed 2 x 7.5mg pills (15mg total) per night originally, taking that for maybe about 6-8 months, and haven't ever felt the need to increase the dose, like you'd expect from a serious dependence/tolerance-forming drug. In fact, my need for it has actually decreased over time. Usually I take only one now, sometimes even just half, but occasionally still two if I'm going to bed particularly hyped up or anxious, or if I'm going to sleep much earlier than usual. I even managed once to go the better part of a week without taking any at all. None of this is a conscious effort to cut back, I just don't feel like I need as much. And I've been using the drug for nearly a year now. My psychiatrist still prescribes me 2 per night though so I have a HUGE surplus of the drug.

They do feel amazing, much better than regular benzos IMO, so I know what you mean, especially with 2 or more pills for me. Though I also get crazy hallucinations if I manage to stay awake in the dark. It freaked me out the first few nights because I thought there were insects swarming my room. But nowadays I'm falling asleep almost as soon as I hit the pillow anyways.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

When I first took zopiclone it was BAD to say the least. It never put me to sleep, made me super anxious, and just generally made me feel like crap. The worst part, though, was I would get random sleep paralysis the afternoon after I took the pill. This was in the summer time last year, so I could hear the sounds of construction going on (saws, drills, etc.). In my sleep paralysis I'd be feeling pain as a drill was going into my back, limbs were getting sawed off, etc. It was crazy. (This was pre-antidepressants)

A few months later (after taking anti-depressants) I took a zopiclone again one night and it worked as it should.

I found the rebound insomnia on zopiclone to be AWFUL. I couldn't sleep properly for a week to a week and a half after stopping.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

rustybob, yes the rebound is terrible, i have been off them before and they are chronic with their withdrawal effects

i have never taken them without being on antidepressants so i would know what they are like, but you seemed to have a bad time on them as they are a strong hypnotic sedative so if your body is not used to some form of medication it may have been wandering what the hell zopiclone was doing lol

but yeah with antidepressants they do work well and i do not know about meyaj said, i recall clearly what i have done the night after i take them. To me even when i first started i could remember as clear as anything. The only thing that has ever blocked my memory has been alcohol and being drunk which i only did three times as a teen, because on my combo of meds its far too dangerous to drink and i dont like the taste of any wine or spirits anyway

i think zopiclone are great, they are just too damn addictive


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

What is the difference between zopiclone and zolpdiem?


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

mike8803 said:


> What is the difference between zopiclone and zolpdiem?


Two completely different Z-class hypnotics. Zopiclone is considered to be "a benzo in disguise" while zolpdiem goes by the brand name Ambien and has a totally different mechanism of action. Both are generally used as sleeping pills.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

Arisa1536 said:


> rustybob, yes the rebound is terrible, i have been off them before and they are chronic with their withdrawal effects
> 
> i have never taken them without being on antidepressants so i would know what they are like, but you seemed to have a bad time on them as they are a strong hypnotic sedative so if your body is not used to some form of medication it may have been wandering what the hell zopiclone was doing lol
> 
> ...


With me I think the bad reaction was more from the fact that something was REALLY screwed up in my brain. For twenty-four and a half years I couldn't sleep properly, for twenty-four and a half years I was super anxious, for twenty-four and a half years I was chronicall fatigued and unmotivated, and for twenty-four and a half years I literally had zero emotion. I was clearly one of those people that the monoamine theory applies to. Clearly something was up with seratonin, norepinepherine, dopamine, and GABA.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

rustybob said:


> With me I think the bad reaction was more from the fact that something was REALLY screwed up in my brain. For twenty-four and a half years I couldn't sleep properly, for twenty-four and a half years I was super anxious, for twenty-four and a half years I was chronicall fatigued and unmotivated, and for twenty-four and a half years I literally had zero emotion. I was clearly one of those people that the monoamine theory applies to. Clearly something was up with seratonin, norepinepherine, dopamine, and GABA.


well i am sorry it took so long (24.5 years) for the doctors and psychiatrist to figure out what was wrong, it should not have taken that long. That must have been awful 

i was 17 when i was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance in the brain, as my mother, her father, her fathers uncles and great uncles all supposedly had this but there was no technology for my great uncles back in the turn of the century (yes my mother is older than most peoples so she has older parents and grandparents) but once diagnosed it was as though the cloud was lifted and i finally went on medication but i did not get the help i needed until i was 18 and saw a psychologist and underwent CBT and alternative therapies, needless to say when circumstances took a turn for the worst i still needed Zopiclone and a decent Benzo


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

*My take on Zopiclone (Imovane)*

Hi

I find I need 15mg to have any effect. If I take it nightly it works wonders the first 3 - 6 nights and after that is less pronounced. It does work at that level, after a few days on it without breaks it still has an effect but not so much. Considered to be less addictive than a benzodiazepine. I've been on many sleeping meds, this one I consider one of the milder ones. Better than trazadone but not near as good as a high chloral hydrate dose. Doctors seem more at ease prescribing this than say oxazepam or another benzo.

15mg as a PRN is decent IMO. It doesn't F me up much (minimal side effects). I think it has very low potential for abuse, it's not very euphoric and high (above 30mg+) dose would just basically make you black out I think. Makes mre have a strange taste in my mouth. Some people get an effect at 1/2 a 7.5mg tablet but I need 2 full tablets to work, but then again.. I have some kinda natural tolerance to many depressant type drugs.

I would think this would be the 2nd step in a 3 or 4 step ladder of sleep med strength.. stuff like trazadone at the bottom level, Z-Drugs 2nd, benzos at the 3rd and strong strong ones like chloral hydrate or barbiturates at the top. I suggest you start at the bottom before diving head first into stronger stuff as it's helpful for most mild to moderate insomnia.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

MBL said:


> Hi
> 
> *I find I need 15mg to have any effect. If I take it nightly it works wonders the first 3 - 6 nights and after that is less pronounced.* It does work at that level, after a few days on it without breaks it still has an effect but not so much. Considered to be less addictive than a benzodiazepine. I've been on many sleeping meds, this one I consider one of the milder ones. Better than trazadone but not near as good as a high chloral hydrate dose. Doctors seem more at ease prescribing this than say oxazepam or another benzo.
> 
> ...


Yeah correct 
15MG does work, especially after being off it for a few months.
I do not hate it anymore like my first post stated and the "addictive" thing was a scare tactic my doctor used as my psychiatrist says its not an addictive drug per say, its habit forming, also unlike what my doc told me, it does not effect 90% of people and make them "addicts" or as he put it "dependent" my shrink told me the reality was its more like 5-10% of people become seriously addicted and the rest are just given it as a short term couple of weeks thing then taken off it so abruptly that off course you will feel terrible and crave it so yeah in a way that makes sense


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## crazycarlene (Oct 13, 2012)

*hello*

hey i have been addicted to zimovane for 5 years , i first started taking em as i was having panick attackts so i took one , one day and it made me feel so calm n relaxed and got rid of the panic attacks . i take them in the day for anxiety but i am now taking up to 7 a day and im feeling really dizzy constantly . my therapist said not to stop taking them as i cud have sezuires. but i cant stick the constant dizzness .i am so scared i duo what to do?????


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

crazycarlene said:


> hey i have been addicted to zimovane for 5 years , i first started taking em as i was having panick attackts so i took one , one day and it made me feel so calm n relaxed and got rid of the panic attacks . i take them in the day for anxiety but i am now taking up to 7 a day and im feeling really dizzy constantly . my therapist said not to stop taking them as i cud have sezuires. but i cant stick the constant dizzness .i am so scared i duo what to do?????


What I did to get off zopiclone 7.5mg is I started taking half a pill for a while, then 1/4th of a pill for a while and then 1/8th of a pill. I did need help with other things for sleep like using Benadryl and melatonin, but I'm off them now.

But yah I've never been in a situation where I took as much as you do. I knew the drugs were addictive when going in so I tried to maintain balance. Also Z drugs have been shown to be carcinogenic so I didn't want to take too much.

I think you and your psychiatrist need to make a plan to get off it. If you don't have a psychiatrist and are just seeing a plain old physician, I would get a psychiatrist as they are skilled with these drugs.


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## crazycarlene (Oct 13, 2012)

thanks for the repley, i am also changing antidpressants too i thought it was that but i think its cause im taking so many so im gonna wean myself down to3, i am currently on a waiting list to see a addtion psychtrist. my addtion to these tabs have got out off control. im scared what its doing to my body.


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## Melanieanne77 (Dec 15, 2012)

meyaj said:


> Taking them through the day was foolish to begin with, no offense. They're not meant for that, and are pretty damn amnesic. I tried it one day for anxiety purposes and when I realized the next day that I have absolutely NO recollection of that day, it was obvious to me that it's just a terrible drug for such uses.
> 
> As far as addiction or dependence liability, I haven't found them too bad. I was prescribed 2 x 7.5mg pills (15mg total) per night originally, taking that for maybe about 6-8 months, and haven't ever felt the need to increase the dose, like you'd expect from a serious dependence/tolerance-forming drug. In fact, my need for it has actually decreased over time. Usually I take only one now, sometimes even just half, but occasionally still two if I'm going to bed particularly hyped up or anxious, or if I'm going to sleep much earlier than usual. I even managed once to go the better part of a week without taking any at all. None of this is a conscious effort to cut back, I just don't feel like I need as much. And I've been using the drug for nearly a year now. My psychiatrist still prescribes me 2 per night though so I have a HUGE surplus of the drug.
> 
> They do feel amazing, much better than regular benzos IMO, so I know what you mean, especially with 2 or more pills for me. Though I also get crazy hallucinations if I manage to stay awake in the dark. It freaked me out the first few nights because I thought there were insects swarming my room. But nowadays I'm falling asleep almost as soon as I hit the pillow anyways.


If you want to off load some of that supply, my Dr has cut my off at 7 and I'm dreading my sleepless nights to come back  my email is thowraau at gmail. Com


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## annalucky (Dec 16, 2012)

hi i have been on zolpidem for 8 years and sad to say i am addicted to them if i dont take them i lie awake for weeks on end.after a we while they do stop working and feel a need to take more although i dont do that,at times i take 2 niteal from over the counter at chemists they are like an antihistamine with my 2 tablets ,but please dont go to that intent that i done as this not the answer i suffer from severe anxiety and only tried to get releif as any one who has this will understand


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## jnms (Dec 2, 2012)

So many people who want to use Zopiclone ..... I'm sure you have already realized that it has side-effects like many other drugs.... side-effects that will become even more harmful one day as your immune system gets weaker and weaker due to these medications....

I really feel a lot of empathy for people like you. It seems like you believe that you have to spend the rest of your life taking medication..... 
As a matter of fact I was in the same situation like you, a few months ago. I think it's time you know the truth and learn about the revolutionary method that can put an end to any mental disorder. As I said, I was in the same situation like you a few months ago.... struggling with anxiety..... yes, anxiety.... the mental disorder that can make life unbearable.... Everything seemed so dark to me at the period.... 
Little I knew what was ahead of me at the time. I had always wanted to find a cure for my anxiety..... I tried several methods, which didn't work but I didn't give up. I kept my hope alive. 
Fortunately, one day I learned about the existence of a revolutionary method that can put an end to any mental disorder, including anxiety. This seems to be the only method that works for everyone and can cure entirely any mental disorder. I was cured thanks to this method! I feel such a relief to be finally free from anxiety!

Here, you can learn how to cure your mental disorder, too.

Unique and revolutionary approach

All you need is to be serious and open-minded and to put in the work. It takes some time, but you are free from anxiety in the end. The unconscious is better than any doctor. You can learn, too, how to use the healing power of dreams, which is the most natural and effective. 
It feels so good to be normal again! I spent last Christmas and New Year's Eve anxiety free.

It seems like nobody posts here anymore. I am going to leave this forum and never post again. I am going to begin a new life.


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## marioand (Jun 25, 2014)

*wait*



jnms said:


> So many people who want to use Zopiclone ..... I'm sure you have already realized that it has side-effects like many other drugs.... side-effects that will become even more harmful one day as your immune system gets weaker and weaker due to these medications....
> 
> I really feel a lot of empathy for people like you. It seems like you believe that you have to spend the rest of your life taking medication.....
> As a matter of fact I was in the same situation like you, a few months ago. I think it's time you know the truth and learn about the revolutionary method that can put an end to any mental disorder. As I said, I was in the same situation like you a few months ago.... struggling with anxiety..... yes, anxiety.... the mental disorder that can make life unbearable.... Everything seemed so dark to me at the period....
> ...


No wait I was reading your post and it was very helpfull. Tell me how are you doing now?


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## marioand (Jun 25, 2014)

I have such an anxiety that just sometimes I feel I cant go on anymore and the pills help me, but i also feel depresion....anyone there?


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## watertouch (Nov 4, 2013)

Well the Imovane/Zopiclone hits the same receptors as Benzo does so yeah it works for anxiety... Depression, maybe an SSRI type medicin could help, and also lower anxiety... Prozac/fluoxetine maybe.


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