Z-Drug Support Group (Lunesta, Imovane, Zimovane, Ambien, Sonata, Zopiclone)

Night 3 after jump from 5mg Ambien. Insomnia in full effect. I’m not a fan of leaning on Clonidine. Decided not to take even though it was helping with sleep. Switched to hydroxyzine at 25mg. About to go take another one and see if 50mg will help with sleep. I am tired. I am yawning. But can tell that doesnt really matter. Valium sedation is no match for z drug sedation. Hoping this will get better

On the plus side. So far no other major w/d symptoms. 

Edit: 50mg of hydroxyzine put me out. Dangit if they dont make you feel groggy as heck the next morning though.

I am trying to get off sleeping meds. Took zopiclone on and off for 3 years. Total of 30 pills occasional use.

4 weeks ago I took on and off doses of zopiclone and bendryl for sleep.

Now last week took 2.50 zopiclone on a few times and then two days of Benadryl. And then tried to sleep without meds and all he'll broke loose. Extreme insomnia cravings and anxiety

So I broke and took another 2.50 on Tues night and slept 4 hours then woke up with Terri ble back spasms and burning nerves.

I ctd since then because I am afraid to put it in my body again but - am not sleeping much more than 3 hours a night.

I caved and took 25mg hydrazine to sleep now but nothing except dizziness

Getting advice to reinstate but taper but I am extremely scared to take another zop

But also these symptoms are unbearable

I am trying to get off sleeping meds. Took zopiclone on and off for 3 years. Total of 30 pills occasional use.

4 weeks ago I took on and off doses of zopiclone and bendryl for sleep.

Now last week took 2.50 zopiclone on a few times and then two days of Benadryl. And then tried to sleep without meds and all he'll broke loose. Extreme insomnia cravings and anxiety

So I broke and took another 2.50 on Tues night and slept 4 hours then woke up with Terri ble back spasms and burning nerves.

I ctd since then because I am afraid to put it in my body again but - am not sleeping much more than 3 hours a night.

I caved and took 25mg hydrazine to sleep now but nothing except dizziness

Getting advice to reinstate but taper but I am extremely scared to take another zop

But also these symptoms are unbearable

I am very sorry you are experiencing the physical w/d symptoms. I can see you used very sparingly over the course of 3 years. I guess your body just developed a dependency since you you used a few times over the course of the other week. The half life of Zop seems to be bit higher than the other z drugs. On average about 5 hours. If you havent taken since last Tuesday night i would imagine you are hitting the acute w/d phase. I cant tell you what to do, as only you know your own body. But it seems you have choices. You could reinstate and then do a taper off. You may have luck doing a more rapid taper since you havent used all that much. Or you could just stay off. Everyone is different. But given your short term use last week and sporadic use over the years, you will probably be miserable for a few weeks and then start to see improvements. I am not a doctor, but if i was in your shoes i would stay off and see how you feel in a few days. I would hope the physical w/d to clear up maybe a little faster. But i would expect insomnia for a while.

I wish you the best in whatever you choose!

Hello PrincessGoose. I am 2.5 months past a CT from heavy Lunesta/Ambien/Trazadone/Benadryl use. My first week was rough with mostly sleepless nights and hallucinations. The first month was also rough to say the least with lots of crying, freaking out and anxiety. I made a decision to adjust everything in my life including diet, exercise, sleep times and attitude towards the situation. I am eating 3 meals a day of super healthy high fiber food. I am walking 2-3 miles daily, I force myself to stay awake until 12:30ish nightly to help compress the sleep and make it to the morning and most importantly, I pay no attention to negative internet chatter about inability to recover from z-drugs. As a result, my GABA receptors have had a much easier time rebuilding. I am now sleeping at least 5 hours a night, and functioning fine in the day.

Too often I see people posting how bad things are 2-3 years after discontinuing z-drug usage yet there is no discussion on forming a plan to heal up and move on. The anxiety and fear keep them trapped. May I suggest you immediately develop a life plan and focus on that rather than the darkness of it all? 

1 week since i jumped from 5mg Ambien.  So far mostly just having some trouble sleeping.  Though i think i still get roughly 5 to 6 hours.  Mostly broken and not very restful.  For any who have only been on Ambien for a short time and are also on another benzo, a rapid taper may work for you.  But we are all different.

I started sub A to V the same day i jumped from Ambien.  Was at 0.5mg A in the evening.  Switched to 0.25mg A and added 2.5mg V.  I can say for sure that the sedation from valium is nowhere near what Ambien is.

Thanks Jerry,

I'm glad you are able to do some things. I know it's hard.  You have people who care about you and that's wonderful. I hope you start feeling even better very soon.

I'm not doing well.  I'm having extreme pain all over and it's non stop. I have no idea what caused it. I'm trying to hang in there.

Lady Den, I hope you are continuing to soar!

Hugs to all,

Helen

Ha Helen,

I can imagine it must be very tough to suffer from pain so much. My grandmother who passed away for 15 years (?) suffered from rheumatism and had a lot of pain too. It was very tough for her too. I hope it will be temporary for you. Has it any relation with your taper?

My father returned from his holiday last Friday. I am really glad he is back. Huggsss Jerry  :smitten:

Morning hugs to everyone!

Thanks Helen for the well wishes. I’m dealing with a very sick family member and my waves have kicked up a bit over the weekend. But I just turned 35 months and happy about that. I hope you’re doing well too. You’ve been on my mind as well as Jerry and others.

I’ve read the posts here.

I’d like to send my thoughts and hugs to those just getting started, recently off or been off for awhile but still healing. Someone suggested having a good plan for those tapering. I agree! Just keep it low and slow.

Jerry I hope you’re doing good too. Is your dad back home? If so, did he enjoy his vacation?

LD and Jerry and anyone else here,

Congrats to LD on 35 months! You're putting in a lot of time that will bring you to a better place.  I love how you do your best to enjoy the journey as you go along.  You too, Jerry. I love how you enjoy your friends, your sax, your art, your swimming and your Dad. I'm so glad your Dad is back and hope he had a good trip. 

Good Monday morning.  I hope all are doing well.  I'm still in my wave but it is not as severe as before so I am grateful. The symptoms are pretty nasty but I've been here before so nothing that will kill me, I'm sure!  My fun thing is I became a great aunt yesterday! I have a great nephew now and he's precious and healthy. 

For all the new people, you CAN do this. It's very hard for some of us but not for others.  I will just say that even though I'm not feeling great, I'm GLAD not to be on the meds anymore.  It's a huge dose of freedom.

Hugs,

Helen

Ha Helen,

Congratulations with your new nephew! It is always special when a newborn comes in this world. I hope it brings you and your family lots of joy. It must be great to be his great aunt.

LadyDen, it is great that reached the 35 months without sleep medication. I reached 6 months off, also a milestone.

Others here,

I hope you find ways to taper your sleep medications. For me, doing it as slow as possible worked good for me.

At the moment I am busy with a special app to tackle my height anxiety. In combination with special VR glasses and my phone I enter a large theater at different heights. Every next step in this app is more difficult. I also have a psychologist to help me with this process. I see him once in two weeks.

I also have started with blood pressure medication since my blood pressure is too high.

I the meanwhile I enjoy my new computer which is super fast. Because of this speed I can use my music making program Reaper with it.

Huggs,  :thumbsup:

Jerry

Congrats to you Jerry on 6 months! Yay!! Keep up the good work my friend! Glad your Dad is safely home. I’m sure he has much to tell you about his trip. Keep playing the sax and enjoying life, Jerry! Those are great distractions. I think about you often. Are you doing any new artwork? Sending you my hugs!

Congrats to you Helen on the new great nephew! I’m sure you’ll spoil him real good then give him back to his parents. Lol That’s our job…spoil them and send them back with toys that make a lot of noise! Lol payback! I’m sorry to hear you’re still in a wave but at least it’s getting milder. That’s awesome! It’s a matter of time that it will fizzle out the rest of the way! You’re such a warrior!

I’ve been in a wave too since last Sunday but mine is fizzling out like yours Helen. I haven’t been on many walks because it’s been too risky. When I’m in rougher waves,I rest to not give my brain too much to do while it’s doing it’s “ thing”. It sucks but I know it’s actually a good thing. Healing is going on! Once we take that attitude about it, it really helps to get through it. Just like you said Helen, it’s just the way this process goes…up and down…three forward and one or two back. BUT, look at the gain…one step! 

My boatiness is kicked up today so I’ll see if it settles down. If so I’ll be walking to the mailbox and driving from one parking spot to another. What I hate about my rougher waves ( my slams) is that it forces me to pause my progress! Ohhhhhh sooooooo frustrating! 

Sending my best regards to all. Enjoy your day and the weekend! Remember to do something fun!

Congrats to you Jerry on 6 months! Yay!! Keep up the good work my friend! Glad your Dad is safely home. I’m sure he has much to tell you about his trip. Keep playing the sax and enjoying life, Jerry! Those are great distractions. I think about you often. Are you doing any new artwork? Sending you my hugs!

Ha LadyDen,

No artwork at the moment, I am not feeling good enough for that. I had a nice saxlesson yesterday, my teacher played on his new soprano sax. I also played on my soprano. I am watching a lot of tennis at the moment. The Roland Garros tournament is now. It is a pity you still experience waves. I hope that will improve. Lot of Huggs … Jerry  :thumbsup:

Thank you Jerry! I hope you continue on a good path too. Helen watches tennis also. I’ve been watching baseball with my boyfriend. I’ll be glad when I’m able to go watch a game at the park. I like watching the little league. Those kids are so cute and excited when playing.

Sending Team Z all the hugs and love today. It’s rainy and cloudy here iin SC. I’ve been enjoying the peace because it keeps the noisy residents out of the pool. YAY! But it keeps me from being able to go on my walks. Oh well, we can’t have it all….lol 

Hi guys,

Lady Den, I enjoy baseball too. What's your favorite team?  I know you are going to get a game in person and maybe even this summer! How are you doing?  We have the same weather as you. 

Jerry,

I'm watching A LOT of Roland Garros right now.  Who are your favorites? I like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek and many others on the women's side.  For the men, I'm enjoying Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz and more. There are so many great players. Did you see Gael Monfils yesterday?!! Holy cow, that was incredible.  I hope you start feeling better soon. 

I'm a bit better these last couple of days but man oh man, I've been wavy since the end of March.  Tomorrow is my 2 year anniversary!  We are going to the beach for 4 nights and I'm excited about that.  I hope to feel good enough to stroll gently on the beach some.  I've been busy at home but also resting a lot.  My part time job is much busier in the spring and summer so I have to pay attention but I enjoy it. 

To anyone else reading here, I hope you are progressing well. 

Helen

Ha Helen,

I also watch Roland Garros a lot. I was fan of the Dutch players, but they are all out since yesterday. I am a big fan of Alcaraz. Not really fan of other players, I am often for the underdogs  i saw the game the great game with Monfils. 5 setters are often nice to watch. The last Dutch player Griekspoor lost yesterday in an exciting match which was also in 5 sets… I have a Discovery plus membership for a month, which means I can see all the matches without advertising…

Huggggg,

Jerry

Hello everyone

I am six months off zopiclone

I had acute dystonic reaction to the meds no one believes me and I was so paranoid and out of my mind I just experienced too much terror / to frozen to take action,

After 1,5 year of horrible akathasia this is what I still experience.

All my senses have become disturbed .My body feels hollow inside.

Feels like I am ecploding

Fore arms feel like being under a vise

The fat tissue in upper legs hurt

Turtle neck

Taste gone or things tastes bad

Sticky feeling in mouth.

Smells are bad. Bad chemical or burning smells that aren’t there not very ofte anymore.

Loss of normal sensations throughout my body.

I cannot feel any inner sensations anymore such as feeling full regardless of how much I eat - literally nothing of ever having eaten or for example being constipated. I only go pee when my bladder hurts don't get the sign earlier

Very altered sensation of pressure.

All of my muscles are tight and pulling against each other from top of head to feet.

Muscle texture/tone has changed - stiff/sticky

I get pulled backwards sensation and sideways if try to sit - can’t sit upright.

I start having strange chemical feelings inside when I do sit up straight- also my spasming in face gets worse and I want to move my arms and have to suppress the need to stand up. Gets less when I lay down.

Tightness in face feels like I am being suffocated by my own face.

Neck feels rigid, back feels rigid left arm too.

As if I turn into a statue

Brain feels like it gets yanked sideways in head

Muscles  get too ‘springy’ and hard to control.

Whole body including arms gets squeezed.

Tight muscles

Head has incredible pressure. As if being pumped up and up constantly.

Jaw and teeth feel tight.

Jaw moves as if trying to chew.

Hypersalivating.

When I walk or when I wake up my back arching backwards and hips too but can't really describe what the hips do it changes posture

Ears feel full.

Abdomen feels rigid and spasms side to side where back is tight.

Dystonia throughout back, neck, ribs, buttocks, jaw, legs, shoulders. All contracting so tight bending spine.

Feels like I am being squashed by heavy weight. Pulled by the ground

Hard to breathe onf and off

Fatigue.

Severe loss of adipose tissue.

Weight gain. 60 pounds

Body doesn't feel part of me anymore just part of outside me

Arms freeze

Feeling nailed to the ground

Can't walk very weak legs

Obesity

Belly bloated

I am very scared

Ha Z group,

How are you people doing? I hope good. I am not doing great sadly enough. I think this is related to new blood pressure medication I use. I have to give it time. We are getting hot days here. 30 degrees in the weekend. I prefer 24/25 degrees. Today is swimming day. I’ll go at 3 O’clock together with friend Willem.

Huggs to Becksblue, Helen and LadyDen…. and others who read en write in this group. :thumbsup:

Hi guys,

 

Lady Den, I enjoy baseball too. What's your favorite team?  I know you are going to get a game in person and maybe even this summer! How are you doing?  We have the same weather as you. 

 

Jerry,

 

I'm watching A LOT of Roland Garros right now.  Who are your favorites? I like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek and many others on the women's side.  For the men, I'm enjoying Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz and more. There are so many great players. Did you see Gael Monfils yesterday?!! Holy cow, that was incredible.  I hope you start feeling better soon. 

 

I'm a bit better these last couple of days but man oh man, I've been wavy since the end of March.  Tomorrow is my 2 year anniversary!  We are going to the beach for 4 nights and I'm excited about that.  I hope to feel good enough to stroll gently on the beach some.  I've been busy at home but also resting a lot.  My part time job is much busier in the spring and summer so I have to pay attention but I enjoy it. 

 

To anyone else reading here, I hope you are progressing well. 

 

Helen

I’m doing fine, my usual….mild waves everyday that are just annoying and maybe 1 tougher wave every week or two out of the blue. I notice I’m getting situational waves now. Meaning a wave trigger by sensitivity of something that I did or used. But those don’t last long. I’m driving my parking spaces very often and doing well most of the time. You were right when you suggested I try driving rather than being just a passenger. It has helped me get over my bump in the getting back in the car. Thank you so much my dear friend. How are you doing?

Oh yeah….one more thing…I notice I’m getting these mini waves that makes new symptoms pop up mildly but they’re short lived. For example, yesterday I suddenly started itching in one spot on my finger without any known reason. I didn’t touch anything, put on any lotion I might have reacted to or nothing. Just itched - one finger- for about an hour then poof gone! Weird!!! Now this morning I have a spot on my back doing the same thing 😂 No redness, no rash, nothing rubbing against it  etc…. Just internal small area itchy.

Love and hugs 🤗

Macha in time things will get better. Those are unfortunately all normal symptoms. Your body and brain has to return to homeostasis. That takes time. It’s ok to be scared. We all have been there. If you can, try not to let your fears rule you. Embrace them and tell yourself there’s nothing to be afraid of…this is just your body reacting to its current situation for awhile. Best wishes to you. Distract yourself all day with things you enjoy. Go for walks, eat healthy and engage in calming activities.

Jerry good to hear from you. I know I haven’t been here for a bit. I’ve been busy spending time with my daughter and practicing driving. All is going well so far. I’m sorry to hear that you aren’t doing so well but I think you are right that it’s your new BP medicine. Those take time to adjust in the body. Things will settle down soon. I hope they’re already getting better for you. I’m thinking of you, my friend. Sending hugs and love ❤️

To everyone else here on Team Z thread….I know things are crazy and difficult going through this but you have to go through to get through the other side. It’s like a wooded forest…keep going and at some point you will come out to a clearing. While you’re in the thick of it, it’ll be rough sometimes then a little easier then rough again…then it will get easier and easier. That’s when you’ll know you’re well on your way back to a normal life. I locked my focus on that goal no matter how bad I felt. And now, I’m in the easier part of that forest…I see the clearing up ahead. And you will too. I’m not telling anyone what to do with their own body BUT I will suggest that you take extra care of yourself during the healing process. Easy, gentle and loving care. Your brain is sensitive especially to stress. It’s under repair, things are out of whack, etc. Be ever so kind to yourself. Stay far away from outside stress!

Sending my best regards and hugs 🤗 Take one day at a time!

@[la...]

Unfortunately I am 20 months housebound / bedridden many days cause of all symptoms

Walking I can’t more than 2-3 minutes.

Do you really think all is normal and I should just wait eat good and distract myself the most possible?

@ladyden

 

Unfortunately I am 20 months housebound / bedridden many days cause of all symptoms

Walking I can’t more than 2-3 minutes.

Do you really think all is normal and I should just wait eat good and distract myself the most possible?

Hi Mascha4444, LadyDen knows exactly what you’re feeling, she was in your same situation for far too long and she’s doing so well now, trust her words. 

@lightspacer are you from Holland?

Yes, I am from Holland. How do you know that?

Jeroen

@ladyden

 

Unfortunately I am 20 months housebound / bedridden many days cause of all symptoms

Walking I can’t more than 2-3 minutes.

Do you really think all is normal and I should just wait eat good and distract myself the most possible?

 

Hi Mascha4444, LadyDen knows exactly what you’re feeling, she was in your same situation for far too long and she’s doing so well now, trust her words. 

Halleluyah! Yes indeed I personally know. Thank you! I’m a witness today that in time, with much patience and in each person’s own process of healing…it DOES get better and better.

Mascha I wouldn’t lie to you..time will tell you the truth. That truth is that if you don’t disrupt your brains way of healing, it will heal. What do I mean by disrupt? IMO…don’t try this or that to “ fix” it. In most cases, it will make things much worse. Our bodies have a repair process. The brain does too. Now some injuries to the body can’t be repaired depending on the extent and cause. But, this IMO isn’t one of those. Now, honestly, it is a very slow heal for most. But, I’d rather it take the few years to repair than to be like I was permanently. They are symptoms. They are highly uncomfortable and debilitating. But, they do heal. I was completely bedridden and housebound for a longgggg time. Now, I take 30-40 minute walks nearly everyday with little to no issues ANYTIME of the day. I’ve just started driving a very short distance and it’s going well. I can now sit up to watch movies, enjoy family games ( my brother is a sneaky wanna be king of UNO LOL) those games are included of taking my granddaughters outside to play, cooking and all kinds of things. Pam and many others on here know very well the extremely terrible shape I was in. I believed in my healing and refused to think otherwise. That benzo bully tried to convince me daily that I won’t ever heal. He’s a lying chithead! I kept distracting everyday doing everything I could from my bed. I traveled the world by YouTube, visited museums, zoos, monuments, festivals, etc while I let my days stack up. Yes stay distracted ❤️