Carol and All: I am wondering what advice you might have for me. I have been on varying doses of Zopiclone for the past 5 years. Before that I had another round with it and was eventually able to taper off it. However, when my husband became seriously ill, I resorted to it in the summer of 2008. I have not been able to get off it again.
Now I am attempting to get off it even though my husband has very advanced cancer with frequent crises and no hope for improvement. A rocky road ahead. Nonetheless I need to look after myself and that means getting off the Zopiclone.
I was taking 7.5 for a long time - a large half at bedtime and the smaller half when I woke in the night. When I was feeling particularly anxious in the summer, my family doc suggested going up to 1 1/2 a night. I also have been taking 10 mg of Doxepin (a very low dose tricyclic antidepressant that is used for insomnia.)
Now the doctor wants me to only take 7.5. I only have a few tablets left and so need to use sparingly at least until I see him next week. It is a controlled substance where we live.
I have reduced to one tablet a night the past 3 nights but am not getting enough sleep. How long will it take to adjust to this dose? How long until I can cut again and how much?
Many thanks for any advice you can give. LL
It is hard to know just how much you will be affected by discontinuing zop.
It seems that most people do not have such a horrible time as I did with it.
Because Of my experience I have quite a different answer for you than [...].
I also want to say , I am so sorry that you have so much to go through with your husband.
I have no other words that would mean anything .

Well, regarding the zop. You have already become tolerant and the only way to sleep would be to up your dose even more! OK , well I tried that. Believe me it is not the answer.
It is a controlled substance here also. But my husband had a stock pile because he used them so sparingly .
You have some major life issues that make it tough come off now and get no sleep at all.
There are a number of other things that may help a little.
I did not like how seroquil made me feel but worried dad seems to find it helps.
I got amytryptlin from the doctor.
I used Unisom along with "relax and sleep".
I alternated with, Supersleep which is L-theanine, 5 htp, melatonin.
I sometimes used L-tryptophan .
Nothing worked as well as zopiclone used to work but slowly I am getting some sleep.
I also put meditation in my ear most of the night.
I did not take zopiclone dependency seriously enough and had no idea that I had interdose withdrawal along with the tolerant issues.
I am not writing very well here tonight but I did want to write this.
Carol