# Zopiclone (hypnotic) and Loazepam rotation



## Mysca2 (Mar 27, 2007)

My doctor has been rotating me between Zopiclone and lorazepam (Canadian, unsure of names may be used in other countries.. althought zopiclone is primarily used as a hypnotic sedative along the lines of ambien and sleep aids) I seem to build tolerance very very quickly to meds (except remeron, that stuff at 15mg had me damn near comatose for the two weeks my doc had me on it... I was an absolute zombie! a hungry one too!)

Anyways, anyone recognize either of these meds? the Lorazep is a benz and the zopi is apparently in a class of it's own (something about it not blocking betas but symbionising them... :stu /boggle)

Just curious if anyone else has been stuck on this sort of rotation? zopi's I take in the morning as opposed to at night as they would be used as asleep aide and the lori's I take twice a s aday as needed (but they take at least an hour to kick in and rarely actually work.. but it is a 1mg dose...)


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

In Canada they are called Imovane and Ativan respectively, in the US they are called Lunesta and Ativan Respectively.

I have taken both meds. Imovane was the best sleep aid I've ever used. It worked great for 5-6 months then it stopped working. I've only taken ativan like 5 times, never on a long term basis, I doubt it would be as good as Imovane for use as a sleep aid.

Why on earth would you take Imovane in the morning as its a sleep aid? What does your doctor hope to accomplish besides making you a zombie?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Ativan (lorazepam) does nothing to put me to sleep. Benzos never made me sleepy, though they make most people sleepy till that side effect wears off after a couple weeks of regular use. Thus benzos made poor long-term sleep aids unless you're an oddity who never developes any tolerance to the drowsiness effect. It good they don't make me sleepy, as I have to take huge amount of Xanax and I'd be in bed all day if it was sedating.

I don't know about Lunesta. I just know that here in the US they have plenty of TV ads where this glowing Lunesta moth flies into your bedroom and magically puts you to sleep. No doubt for a few dollars per pill. Given the price, doesn't look like I'm going to try it as I actually have to pay for meds.


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## Mysca2 (Mar 27, 2007)

Wierd thing is the zopiclone doesn't make me sleepy at all, in the beginning he did have me using it as a sleep aide and it wasn't effective at all aside from making me physically relax and stop my thousand track mind from racing. I've never felt like a zombie on it but perhaps has to do with my dosage? (only 7.5 mg) Sadly I have built such a tolerance to it that it is completely useless to me now as the lorazepam is as well despite the rotation. Today I have been put on a two week trial of Paxil to see how I react to it, hoping this will be my cure-all.

Anyways, never realized Imovane was basicly the same thing as Zopiclone! My mother takes Imovane and the one night I tried one of hers it did actually knock me out (I barely made it to bed and slept like the dead, felt fantastic the next morning but had the most awful bitter-metallic taste in my mouth that I vowed never to try one again lol) I wonder what the difference is between the named brand imovane and the zopiclone I get prescribed :stu 


.... I actually forgot the point of this post in the time it took me to go get a drink lol... paxil at work perhaps?


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

*Re: re: Zopiclone (hypnotic) and Loazepam rotation*



Mysca2 said:


> Wierd thing is the zopiclone doesn't make me sleepy at all, in the beginning he did have me using it as a sleep aide and it wasn't effective at all aside from making me physically relax and stop my thousand track mind from racing. I've never felt like a zombie on it but perhaps has to do with my dosage? (only 7.5 mg) Sadly I have built such a tolerance to it that it is completely useless to me now as the lorazepam is as well despite the rotation. Today I have been put on a two week trial of Paxil to see how I react to it, hoping this will be my cure-all.
> 
> Anyways, never realized Imovane was basicly the same thing as Zopiclone! My mother takes Imovane and the one night I tried one of hers it did actually knock me out (I barely made it to bed and slept like the dead, felt fantastic the next morning but had the most awful bitter-metallic taste in my mouth that I vowed never to try one again lol) I wonder what the difference is between the named brand imovane and the zopiclone I get prescribed :stu
> 
> .... I actually forgot the point of this post in the time it took me to go get a drink lol... paxil at work perhaps?


If Imovane worked for you, why not get it prescribed for your sleep. It gives you a bitter taste yes. It basically turns your breath into sleeping gas ha, everytime you inhale you feel more and more sleepy.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

My bad, Lunesta is eszopiclone and Imovane is zopiclone. I too wonder why there is a difference between Imovane and its generic.


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## Speak Easy (Jun 27, 2006)

i liked ativan for its sedative properties, not anxyolitic.


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## Collibosher (Dec 10, 2003)

Never had ativan - as we've discussed here before, benzos are hardly ever prescribed in the UK where I live - but my doctor rotates me between zopiclone and ambien. I believe zopiclone works better and has fewer side effects, but it's true that if you take the same sleeping drug every night - regardless of which one it is - you do develop a tolerance over time.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I used 7.5mgs of Imovane(Zopiclone) last night to put me to sleep. I dont see how anyone could use that for anxiety. They would just be knocked out for 8 hours.


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

I talked to my pharmacist ( I have a pharmacology interest, studied it a bit myself )...

Zopiclone comes in *TWO* formats in Canada.

The first kind is 7.5 mg, kinda an oval shape and it's blue, scored in the middle. This kind is not covered under government medicare.

BUT the second kind are small, round, white tablets. It says "Z" and "5" on it. These are covered by government funding (for example if you are on disability, it will be paid for)... The pharmacist said the government is trying to push for 5 milligram dosages. Personally I am prescribed 15 milligrams. And get the white ones. I find that tolerance can build with it, and I get a variety of different effects, seems different each time I take it.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Abuse of z-drugs during the day is quite possible, because they often create "weird" paradoxical effects which some people like. It's not unusal for a minority to go through 20-30+ tablets a day, withdrawal is like that of short-acting benzos, very hard & dangerous.

The non-sleep, anxiolytic z-drugs like alpidem have been withdrawn from the market or will not developed anymore if I recall correctly.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

As a chronic insomniac I have tried both Zopiclone and Zolpidem-CR for insomnia, and in my anecdotal experience zopiclone caused some euphoria as a side effect, whilst zolpidem did not. 

So in my case I preferred Zolpidem-CR as I am just looking for something to put me to sleep, because IMO any euphoria-type effect is more likely to encourage one to stay up at night which is counterproductive to it's intended use.

I also had the same reaction to Mirtazapine as the OP; Never built tolerance, but was always super sedated and hungry 24/7, which was effective for insomnia sure, but overall very counterproductive in regards to life in general.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

The first time I took zolpidem I had a paradoxical reaction and got really f**** up, but not tired. Then it worked like it should some time, never used it much. The last time I hadn't slept for over 3 days and nights I took within six hours 7 tablets and after that was still watching DVD with mainly dry mouth. Zopiclone and zaleplon have never worked for me.


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## JohnG (Sep 3, 2010)

The z-drugs comes with less hang-over at morning compared to benzos (short acting) ?


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

JohnG said:


> The z-drugs comes with less hang-over at morning compared to benzos (short acting) ?


Yeah in my experience they have less of a hangover than clonazepam (longer acting).

Short acting benzos like Temazepam would probably be more similar to Z-drugs however.


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## planetmed (Oct 26, 2010)

if i want to sleep i take a full of zopiclone (7,5 mg)
if i want to avoid anxiety i take only a quarter (1/4)

it's perfekt. it is kind of a benzo light 

but for rotation with a benzo like Lorazepam to avoid dependance it's pretty useless i think as they both are cross-tolerant


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## jusme (Jul 18, 2012)

*Zopiclone*



Noca said:


> I used 7.5mgs of Imovane(Zopiclone) last night to put me to sleep. I dont see how anyone could use that for anxiety. They would just be knocked out for 8 hours.


I started to use zopiclone as a sleep aid but now I've developed a tolerance to it... I sometimes take 1/2 zopiclone in the day to take the edge off my anxiety attacks, relaxes me but doesn't make me sleepy. I still take 1/2 zopiclone at night. Find it hard to sleep. Doc has now prescribed me lorazepam just for severe attacks, just 1mg tabs. I'm scared to take them as I'm aready taking 7.5mg zopiclone daily. Athough using zopicone to calm me isn't a good thing - I find it works for me


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