# Sleeping problems, anxiety, paralysis and Zopiclone, could their be a link?



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Hey again
Well i have been on and off the zopiclone for almost five years (4.5 to be precise) and its been an emotional roller coaster. Also i have noticed that when i take them, i experience nightmares, horrible paralysis and scream out in my sleep, yet when i go a night without them as i am meant to due to the tapering down (one night off and one night on) i get the same horrible nausea and sleep anxiety i had before i started taking anything only this time, unlike before i started using these drugs, i now get sleep paralysis with or without the zopiclone. I understand the side effects but maybe the manufacturers should add
"Can cause sleep paralysis" "sleep anxiety and general sleep disorders" to the list of side effects.

An example of zopiclone side effects from a *website*


www.netdoctor.co.uk said:


> Side effects
> Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
> Change in taste, such as a bitter or metallic taste.
> *Disturbance of the gut such as nausea, vomiting and dry mouth.
> ...


:afr:afr

I bolded the symptoms that apply when i do take them
When i do not take them the nausea is just as bad:blank:blank

Does anyone else get this???


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## Timboslice (Jul 28, 2010)

Zopiclone is Lunesta right?

I used to take that in the 3mg variety for a year or two and winded up having similar problems. The most evident were the stomach issues-- I'd get horrible nauseated at night, and the fact that I tasted metal each and every time I took it didn't help matters at all.

I winded up switching to zolpidem and it worked/s without the stomach issues-- though the GABA stuff will have you doing retarded stuff every night, and eating like a horse. A gleeful horse, at least. 

Though if you're cross-tolerant with benzos, I doubt that a Zdrug is really going to help much.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Timboslice said:


> Zopiclone is Lunesta right?


Lunesta is Es-zopiclone, which is basically the active part of zopiclone, it's rougly twice as potent, so 3 mg lunesta = 7.5 mg zopiclone (3.75 mg of which is active).


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## Recipe For Disaster (Jun 8, 2010)

never taken lunesta but ive had sleep paralysis from benzos before.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Recipe For Disaster said:


> never taken lunesta but ive had sleep paralysis from benzos before.


Thats interesting? Really?
A lot of benzos are used for sleep paralysis and sleep disorders to calm the nightmares and hallucinations so i did not know they could do that.

Since zopiclone and zopiderm and imovane or whatever are Z drugs, technically a type of sedative but not benzodiazepine they must work differently, i don't know???

My doctor told me that zopiclone IS a benzo but the side effects and sleep issues do not seem to parallel with benzodiazepines:afr


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

These symptoms may be due to a sleep disorder which is keeping you in a lighter stage of sleep and making your more aware, hence sensing sleep paralysis and waking up from nightmares often.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> These symptoms may be due to a sleep disorder which is keeping you in a lighter stage of sleep and making your more aware, hence sensing sleep paralysis and waking up from nightmares often.


I think so too
The zopiclone and other meds are just hindering or adding to it
I have had sleeping problems especially paralysis and apnea all my life
to have a test done overnight for apnea and so on costs 395.00 plus 48.00 for the screen test so i am hoping the rehab place will test me there for free :b


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## robotaffliction (Jul 24, 2009)

at one point, there was some research suggesting that while most sleeping medications (benzos, "Z" drugs - basically all tranquilizers) are bad for sleep apnea, the medication remeron (mirtazapine) is either neutral for sleep apnea or may actually be one of the only medications to be helpful for sleep and improve sleep apnea and sleep architecture...

ps - the Z drugs are very similar to benzodiazepines, most of the claims about them being safer or more selective are not necessarily accurate.



Arisa1536 said:


> I think so too
> The zopiclone and other meds are just hindering or adding to it
> I have had sleeping problems especially paralysis and apnea all my life
> to have a test done overnight for apnea and so on costs 395.00 plus 48.00 for the screen test so i am hoping the rehab place will test me there for free :b


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

robotaffliction said:


> at one point, there was some research suggesting that while most sleeping medications (benzos, "Z" drugs - basically all tranquilizers) are bad for sleep apnea, the medication remeron (mirtazapine) is either neutral for sleep apnea or may actually be one of the only medications to be helpful for sleep and improve sleep apnea...


Really?
Yeah i think the Z drugs are hindering it or making it worse, i mean when i started hearing voices during a bad hallucination it was due to a Zopiclone over load. :afr:afr

I am a little skeptical of taking remeron (mirtazapine) because of the weight gain and the lethargy side effects, my doctor also dislikes it and says its more dangerous than useful for someone like me with sleeping problems so i don't know

maybe melatonin or something natural?


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## robotaffliction (Jul 24, 2009)

i used to take a 15mg mirtazapine and split it in half for sleep (i.e., 7.5mg at bedtime).. yes it seemed to increase appetite before bed, but overall it did not increase weight for me. nardil on the other hand... that was really bad weight gain. mirtazapine definitely has some benefit for sleep architecture/quality in general, but most sedatives and benzos will degrade the sleep architecture and quality.

melatonin, well if you are prone to depression i would avoid it.. and for some people it works, for other people its just like placebo or even makes it harder to sleep. anecdotally, my friend says that gabitril with klonopin will put him out right away..



Arisa1536 said:


> Really?
> Yeah i think the Z drugs are hindering it or making it worse, i mean when i started hearing voices during a bad hallucination it was due to a Zopiclone over load. :afr:afr
> 
> I am a little skeptical of taking remeron (mirtazapine) because of the weight gain and the lethargy side effects, my doctor also dislikes it and says its more dangerous than useful for someone like me with sleeping problems so i don't know
> ...


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

So you went straight down from 5-6 zopiclone tablets per day to half of one tablet? If that's the case withdrawal effects are likely. 

As for the more long term problem of night terrors (if you've been getting them for years) I think they are treated with an antiadrenergic agent such as clonidine, prazosin or propranolol (inderal) taken before bed to help prevent the night terrors from occuring.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Yeah i will see what they say tomorrow but what exactly is propranolol? 
I have heard people on this forum mention it
its different to propofol right? :afr


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Yeah propranalol is just a beta blocker, officially it's used to treat hypertension. No relation to propofol at all lol.


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## Kari011 (Aug 2, 2010)

Sleep paralysis from Zopiclone ? that' s common from what I've heard. Usually the side effects is nightmare.

How about trying Ambien or Zolpidem ?


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Kari011 said:


> Sleep paralysis from Zopiclone ? that' s common from what I've heard. Usually the side effects is nightmare.
> 
> How about trying Ambien or Zolpidem ?


*Ambien* may kill me lol and *zopiderm* to my knowledge is not available here in New zealand and my doctor will not put me on anything sedating like that anymore.

I may just have to tough it out until the zopiclone are out of my system once i am off the half tablet.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Zolpidem ist the active ingredient in Ambien btw.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Medline said:


> Zolpidem ist the active ingredient in Ambien btw.


ah okay 
well then it will be a No then in my case as the doctor wants me of the Z drugs
they are not really that good if you have an addictive personality


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

yeah z drug are crap rebound hypertension, it lame they give you the chills so bad totally get rid of your resistences too cold -4 feel's like -40, plus the taste and depression sweating and the shakes.... the only good thing about them is you might not get delrium if you didnt take them for long, natural sleep is way more healing


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