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6 months off Zopiclone (taken for 6yrs) and feeling great!


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Hi,

 

I just wanted to come back here and say it really can get better!

 

I've been free of Zopiclone for 6 months and I feel so good! I spent the whole of last year tapering. One unsuccessful one Jan-June, and then success from July-December.

 

I'm sleeping well and all the daily withdrawal symptoms have gone. I feel rested and well and it's wonderful having my life back - and more because I appreciate everything even more now  :).

 

I sleep all through the night most nights, and average 7 or 8 hrs a night. It's absolutely amazing to feel this rested and I'm so grateful. It still feels like my birthday every morning! 

 

When I was first off the zopiclone, I had a couple of weeks of the acute withdrawal phase and then some nights when I didn't sleep at all. So, maybe once or twice a month up to May I took a small amount of Mirtazapine (< 3.5mg). I don't need that anymore.

 

I stopped the hops tea but have carried on with the meditation, the other things like blue light reduction glasses and I get to bed really early so I have an hour's reading to unwind. I started started valerian and passiflora drops which I find helpful and take most nights. That's the only thing I'm taking now and hope to stop that at some point. I also do breathing exercises like this one

if I need to.

 

I rarely get any tinnitus now (once for a few hours in the last 5 months), and it's only very rarely when there's a wave of anxiety out of the blue. Knowing that is it just a part of the healing, and not "me" makes it a lot easier to deal with.

 

Also the palpitations and irregular heartbeat, which were my toughest symptom, have settled and I haven't had them apart from one evening last week when I pushed myself too hard exercising. I've stopped the once or twice daily Propranolol and the medicine for heart rhythm disturbance and feel really good. I'll take them if I need to (very very rarely now - maybe twice in 6 months) and it is amazing to go through the day and not have symptoms and not need to think about it.

 

The frequent pain in my left armpit and down my left arm has gone too. The top of my stomach feels a bit sore still when I press on it but it doesn't cause any bother and I think it is healing.

 

No dizziness and no more panic attacks either! :)

 

I'm 50 and have a lot of energy again. I walk daily for half an hour and have recently started learning to row. It feels so good to be getting exercise. I'm also able to work and am starting up a business from home. Life has opened up.

 

So.. I hope this gives someone hope that you can get through it! 

 

I'm a single mum with a high needs child and very little family support. It was really tough - all those mornings when I had to explain to my daughter (who has Aspergers and a lot of anxiety problems) that  I'd not slept at all during the night and we couldn't go anywhere, when I had to send her to school in a taxi, and struggled to keep us in clean clothes and get meals ready. Also, I was in A&E (ER) several times when the palpitations got too bad. It's lovely to have all that behind me. If I can do this, so can you!!!

 

All the help which people here gave so generously made all the difference and is the reason for my success. Huge thanks to SG57 for your wisdom and prompt replies when I was struggling. I'm not sure I would have made it otherwise. Thank you too to everyone who was kind enough to reply and give advice and support. Really, I can't thank you enough.

 

Much love to everyone still tapering and wishing you every success!

 

Kate/Catherine

 

:thumbsup::smitten:

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Congratulations on getting off zopiclone! I'm really curious about how your sleep (and other symptoms) were during the time you were tapering, and immediately after jumping. Did you take any other sleep meds during that time?
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Thank-you for posting your inspiring recovery story Healthypath77!  So glad you are doing so well-keep on healing and thanks again :thumbsup::)
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As one z-drug survivor to another - great going!

 

Best thing is that we both get our lives back.  So great that it is going so well for you.  I'm going to talk about your awesome success story at our next inperson support group, I have quite a few zopiclone sufferers there trying to come off.

 

Thank you so much for posting this.  Hoping things just keep getting better and better for you.

 

:smitten:

 

Ali

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Fantastic stuff - well done  :smitten: :smitten:

 

Thank you very much, Rob!!  :thumbsup:

 

I see you went into acute withdrawal around the same time. I hope you're doing well now.

 

Catherine

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Congratulations!  Wishing you lots of love and joy in your life.  Thank you for sharing.  :-*

 

Thank you so much Rosie! Wishing you the very best too!!  :smitten:

 

Catherine

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Congratulations on getting off zopiclone! I'm really curious about how your sleep (and other symptoms) were during the time you were tapering, and immediately after jumping. Did you take any other sleep meds during that time?

 

Thank you meowie!

Congratulations to you too!!

 

During the taper my sleep was pretty bad. Because the lack of sleep was affecting my heart rhythm I resorted to taking a very small amount of mirtazapine (remeron) when I really needed some sleep - maybe once or twice a week - and although not ideal, it did help a lot and enabled me to carry on with the taper. Initially, I tried mirtazapine daily and got some quite nasty side effects, so I stopped it for a while then used it very sparingly when I was desperate.

 

Sleep gradually improved towards the end of the taper, and then it was a big surprise (more like a shock!) immediately after jumping to have a lot of the early withdrawal symptoms suddenly back, including the insomnia  :tickedoff:. I had some rough weeks in January and February and then things started improving  :). I used the mirtazapine on and off during that time too.

 

I tried phenergen during the taper and had one good night from that but it didn't work again.

 

I also used a herbal sleep aid called "Dormeasan" (Valerian and Hops tincture) made by Vogel and had great results from that. It's effectiveness does wear off after prolonged use but I find it very helpful if used now and then.

 

In terms of other symptoms during the taper... I had tinnitus, palpitations, dizziness - especially when outdoors or in shops, skin itching, stomach problems, brain fog, panic attacks, anxiety, pain down my arm and in my armpit...I'm sure I've missed some out. They gradually started easing during the taper and then some arrived again after the end of the taper (not the dizziness, but I was shaky instead).

 

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask more questions if you want to.

 

All the best to you!  :smitten:

Catherine

 

 

 

 

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As one z-drug survivor to another - great going!

 

Best thing is that we both get our lives back.  So great that it is going so well for you.  I'm going to talk about your awesome success story at our next inperson support group, I have quite a few zopiclone sufferers there trying to come off.

 

Thank you so much for posting this.  Hoping things just keep getting better and better for you.

 

:smitten:

 

Ali

 

Dear Ali,

 

Thank you and wow!!! I've just read your success story. Huge, huge congratulations to you.

I am out of time to reply tonight but will write again tomorrow.

 

:smitten:

Catherine

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Thank-you for posting your inspiring recovery story Healthypath77!  So glad you are doing so well-keep on healing and thanks again :thumbsup::)

 

Thank you!! I really appreciate that. I'm sure there's plenty more to healing to do.

I wish you all the very best with your taper! :thumbsup::)

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As one z-drug survivor to another - great going!

 

Best thing is that we both get our lives back.  So great that it is going so well for you.  I'm going to talk about your awesome success story at our next inperson support group, I have quite a few zopiclone sufferers there trying to come off.

 

Thank you so much for posting this.  Hoping things just keep getting better and better for you.

 

:smitten:

 

Ali

 

 

Hi again Ali  :)

 

Firstly, I want to say I was so very sorry to read about the loss of your first husband and what you went through as a result.

 

I can relate to so many of the symptoms you mention in your success story and thank you because there were some which I hadn't realised were the zopiclone - like the internal whirring. I was pretty worried about that as I thought it was an unrelated heart symptom, so phew, that's a relief to know that may pass too. The neck and shoulder pain too - that was awful and I was worried not knowing what it was (and having heart issues in the family).

 

How amazing that you run an in-person support group. Yes, please tell people from me too that it does pass if you can just keep hanging in there. I wouldn't have considered myself a very strong person mentally but it certainly helps us develop inner strength if we can find a reason to keep pushing on.

 

My tablet addiction started with post-divorce stress, and my ex-husband was mentally abusive towards our daughter over a period of years, and I wasn't being able to stop it. I didn't sleep for 2 nights in a row and was desperate. Then with the ongoing stress, it became a habit until early last year I finally happened on a book by Andreas Moritz about Liver cleansing which alerted me to the dangers of drugs like zopiclone. The pennies started dropping and so many of the symptoms started making sense. I'm guessing you can relate!

 

Thank heavens you found out and recovered too. I'm very happy for you and you had it so much more intense from the sounds of it. How wonderful that you found love again and that you have a new husband  :) Congratulations on your recovery and all you are doing to help others now. I hope to do that one day when I'm fully recovered.

 

Many blessings to you!  :smitten:

 

Catherine

 

P.S.

What a beautiful place to marry! I stayed on Vancouver Island several times between 2004 and 2008 when we were living in Canada. We used to stay in the beach houses on Merville beach. It was like heaven! I hope to get back one day.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Catharine for the lovely words.  Yes, it was a slice of heaven being married on that beach in a storm.  Talk about winds of change.  It was an absolute act of faith as I was so ill that day, I could hardly contemplate a future, nevermind a healthy one.

 

I don't believe in coincidences.  You finding that book.  My sitting in on my new GP's diatribe about zopiclone in the aftermath of my husband's open heart surgery.  Without being too "woo hoo" about it, I honestly believe that the universe brings you what you need, when you need it, if you can proceed on faith in the dark times.  That has been my experience.  My late husband was an amazing man and by any rights I shouldn't have a soul companion of that order twice in my lifetime, yet here I am.  I treasure every day, even in withdrawal.

 

This is the very best thing that you could have ever done for yourself.  And you are a warrior.  This experience taught you to dig deep and find the part of yourself that deeply cares for you and can do the right thing despite the difficulties.  I'm so glad you are getting your health and your life back.  You will be a powerful example to all the lives you touch going forward, you don't need a meetup group for that!

 

Sending love, hope and healing your way.  Thank you for taking the time to give hope to others.  Your grace shines through.

 

:smitten:

 

Ali

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Hi,

 

I just wanted to come back here and say it really can get better!

 

I've been free of Zopiclone for 6 months and I feel so good! I spent the whole of last year tapering. One unsuccessful one Jan-June, and then success from July-December.

 

I'm sleeping well and all the daily withdrawal symptoms have gone. I feel rested and well and it's wonderful having my life back - and more because I appreciate everything even more now  :).

 

I sleep all through the night most nights, and average 7 or 8 hrs a night. It's absolutely amazing to feel this rested and I'm so grateful. It still feels like my birthday every morning! 

 

When I was first off the zopiclone, I had a couple of weeks of the acute withdrawal phase and then some nights when I didn't sleep at all. So, maybe once or twice a month up to May I took a small amount of Mirtazapine (< 3.5mg). I don't need that anymore.

 

I stopped the hops tea but have carried on with the meditation, the other things like blue light reduction glasses and I get to bed really early so I have an hour's reading to unwind. I started started valerian and passiflora drops which I find helpful and take most nights. That's the only thing I'm taking now and hope to stop that at some point. I also do breathing exercises like this one

if I need to.

 

I rarely get any tinnitus now (once for a few hours in the last 5 months), and it's only very rarely when there's a wave of anxiety out of the blue. Knowing that is it just a part of the healing, and not "me" makes it a lot easier to deal with.

 

Also the palpitations and irregular heartbeat, which were my toughest symptom, have settled and I haven't had them apart from one evening last week when I pushed myself too hard exercising. I've stopped the once or twice daily Propranolol and the medicine for heart rhythm disturbance and feel really good. I'll take them if I need to (very very rarely now - maybe twice in 6 months) and it is amazing to go through the day and not have symptoms and not need to think about it.

 

The frequent pain in my left armpit and down my left arm has gone too. The top of my stomach feels a bit sore still when I press on it but it doesn't cause any bother and I think it is healing.

 

No dizziness and no more panic attacks either! :)

 

I'm 50 and have a lot of energy again. I walk daily for half an hour and have recently started learning to row. It feels so good to be getting exercise. I'm also able to work and am starting up a business from home. Life has opened up.

 

So.. I hope this gives someone hope that you can get through it! 

 

I'm a single mum with a high needs child and very little family support. It was really tough - all those mornings when I had to explain to my daughter (who has Aspergers and a lot of anxiety problems) that  I'd not slept at all during the night and we couldn't go anywhere, when I had to send her to school in a taxi, and struggled to keep us in clean clothes and get meals ready. Also, I was in A&E (ER) several times when the palpitations got too bad. It's lovely to have all that behind me. If I can do this, so can you!!!

 

All the help which people here gave so generously made all the difference and is the reason for my success. Huge thanks to SG57 for your wisdom and prompt replies when I was struggling. I'm not sure I would have made it otherwise. Thank you too to everyone who was kind enough to reply and give advice and support. Really, I can't thank you enough.

 

Much love to everyone still tapering and wishing you every success!

 

Kate/Catherine

 

:thumbsup::smitten:

 

Thank you for writing this, it really gives me so much hope right when I need it. And some really good advice too. Thank you.

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