Zoplicone Taper

[[Buddie]]

Hi there

I'm currently taking 1 and three-quarter tabs of Zoplicone 3.75mg (total 6.56mg) I take 1 at bedtime, a quarter when I wake up and then a quarter in the afternoon and another quarter in the evening. I would like some help with a taper plan. The tabs are tiny so really hard to cut, plus they are not scored. I'm think of a liquid taper. But it seems complicated.

I've only been on this dive for three months but am already experiencing interpose withdrwwaal (which is why I started taking it during the day.


Thanks for your help.

[[Buddie]]

Just to be clear, what dose are your tablets?

If I understand correctly, you have been taking Zopiclone for just three weeks. It also has fairly short half-life (this helps mitigate against dependency, but this is somewhat overcome by taking several doses per day.

Dependency depends upon several factors. Firstly, individual genetic makeup. Then there is length and frequency of use. The really good news here is that after thee weeks of use, you are unlikely to have developed dependency, or at least not a deep dependency.

What I would caution you against is drawing our your taper for any longer than is necessary. You see, even if you are tapering your dose, you are extending length of use, so you risk deepening your dependency while you are actually tapering. What does your doctor advise? It might be just stop taking them, or taper off over no more than a few weeks. If so, in general terms, I'd find it hard to argue against that after short-term use.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...],

Sorry. I read your Instruction post where you mention 3 weeks of use and I somehow though it was posted only days ago (instead of two months ago).

[...], if you intend to quit, it is better to do this sooner rather than later. I see that pianogirl provided you with similar information to mine two months ago - why did you not taper off then? Given that it now three months, and how you report feeling, it probably would better to taper more cautiously now. certainly until you establish how it goes (it is perfectly possible that you will find you can taper more quickly later after establishing a base point).

As a general rule of thumb, people tend to cut no more than about 10% of their dose to test the waters. If your dose is 6.5mg per day (or there abouts), cutting by 0.5mg (to 6mg) would seem sensible starting point to me.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...]

Unfortunately I didn’t see that message from back in September. I didn’t realise I had to set an alert.

I’m deeper in the doodoo now and pretty desparate TBH

[[Buddie]]

Hi Coiin

Is that 10 percent per week / month / fortnight?

Thanks

Mike

[[Buddie]]

As often as feels comfortable/manageable for you. Though, probably at least a week between cuts until you know for sure how you are managing. The good news is that at three months in, you are still a relatively short-term user. As rule of thumb, longer-term users on the whole) tend to make cuts of about 5-10% every 1-4 weeks. Your shorter-term use means that you can reasonably expect the best. But the best guide is not any rule of thumb, it is how you react.