One dose of 3.5 mg Zopiclone has distorted my hearing. Please help!

I am going through the longest nightmare I can imagine. A single tablet did give me sleep for the night but with the price of my soul :'( In the morning I had tinnitus for the first 2 days, then hypercusis attacks (everything suddenly became extremely loud for about 30 min) happening at random times the following week, and now, after nearly 2 months the sounds/music have a weird layer of screeching/whooshing noise in the background. Shower, A/C, engines all have a constant mechanical track of a broken speaker, its hard to describe, but I can only hear it when there is a source of sound, so it doesnt go on on its own. I can hear human speech just fine, but the problem becomes really disturbing when I am surrounded by many noises, like outside, the mall or any busy places. Listening to music is also hard without noticing it.

 

  I didnt know the dangers of benzo pills before taking them, since GP said it may cause a little irritation or discomfort the first time...he didnt say anything about hearing probelms. I felt the effects so quick I had to throw the tablets away after the first usage as I was scared to the point of tears.

 

I cannot sleep without thinking about it, since when Im agitated by this distortion I stress myself so much I get tinnitus I never had any problems with hearing, I am only 25 and I feel my life is over as I have damaged my ears   

 

 

 

Oh and I forgot to mention, I did take half of the 3.5 mg tablet 2 days after the first usage. I could not sleep at all and so I had nothing else left. The following nights I relied on alcohol to help me sleep, which probably made the effects of zopiclone worse... I dont know what I got myself into

 

Please, somebody tell me what I should do! And if there is any hope for me...

Sounds like it's very good you stopped taking the Zoplicone right away.  You may be paradoxical to it.

 

Have you mentioned the auditory issues to your doctor?  I would have him check it out or refer to a specialist to rule out other causes (and it probably is not caused by something else, honestly).   

 

The best thing you can do for yourself is to reduce your stress, especially since it appears to have triggered a reoccurrence of the tinnitus and other auditory issues. 

 

In the meantime, please know that you will recover.

Challis 

Thank you, Chalis!

  I did go to the ENT and he said my hearing is fine. They did few audio test and all. But I dont think they know anything about zopiclone, which worries me the most Usually Tinnitus and hypercusis are common when withdrawing, but I never heard anything about hearing sounds with an extra sound on top of it. I just dont understand how can a single tablet cause so much change and if its normal to have side-effects for this long (almost 2 months).

 

It would be really helpful if someone could explain what are the typical effects for the single usage and the withdrawal duration. I am extremely anxious about this  :'( Is there any permanent damage possible for short uses?

It's unusual but it happens.  There are others here who have had severe reactions to one dose but I'm not sure who at the moment.

 

I Googled Zopiclone (helped to spell it correctly this time   ) re single dose, tinnitus, etc. and didn't come up with much.  The dose you took was half of what would generally be recommended for an adult so it wasn't excessive. 

 

I keep seeing the 'extremely anxious' part of your post and have to say anxiety ( or any stress) just makes nervous system upsets worse.  I want you to be reassured that although tinnitus is extremely upsetting and it's scary to think it may last forever, if it's due to the Zopiclone you will be okay.  There's some research that indicates there could be permanent brain shrinkage from longterm use but there's nothing concrete at this point and I've never seen anything suggesting a single dose could cause permanent damage of any kind.

 

 

I have read others describe your symptoms here. You haven't done any lasting damage in my view. Your brain is messed up and creating auditory hallucinations right now. The problem is not with your ears, it is with your brain. Once it sorts itself out the tinnitus and auditory hallucinations will go away. Stay away from alcohol, it can cause the same type of symptoms.

The alcohol likely didn't have anything to do with it unless you took it at the same time as the zopiclone (like I did for 8 months).

 

You are probably just super sensitive to this drug and it has messed up your chemistry much worse and quicker than most. It will sort itself out. You are young and your body will quickly adapt.

I have read others describe your symptoms here. You haven't done any lasting damage in my view. Your brain is messed up and creating auditory hallucinations right now. The problem is not with your ears, it is with your brain. Once it sorts itself out the tinnitus and auditory hallucinations will go away. Stay away from alcohol, it can cause the same type of symptoms.

 

 

I do hope you are right  The messed brain part is definitely fitting for me after I took the dosage, my head seems to feel kind of tight most of the time, also heavy. Because of the incident I developed depression, so I have a really hard time to relax or enjoy something since my thoughts are stuck on this hearing problem. Moving away the mind from it is difficult by I keep trying! I would take visual hallucinations any day over this hearing disaster if I had to pick haha

The alcohol likely didn't have anything to do with it unless you took it at the same time as the zopiclone (like I did for 8 months).

 

You are probably just super sensitive to this drug and it has messed up your chemistry much worse and quicker than most. It will sort itself out. You are young and your body will quickly adapt.

 

To be honest, I did take wine a few hours before taking Zopiclone the second time (half tablet). I was going mad not being able to sleep since I had a job in the morning. I still didnt sleep well after taking it though, but maybe alcohol did make things worse together with zopiclone I wish I had done my research...

 

 

 

 

 

On another note, I found this interesting info on all Benzo products and its effects.

 

 

http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/dbd6d500407749f193d6bb222b2948cf/Benzodiazepines+-+GPs.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=dbd6d500407749f193d6bb222b2948cf

 

 

This part got my attention

 

"Common symptoms associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal are listed below. These symptoms do not

necessarily occur in all people. Nor will they occur at the same time. Typically, symptoms are constant in the

early stages, and then become intermittent. The general time period for withdrawal is six to eight weeks,

but some patients will experience symptoms for less than two weeks. A minority of patients will experience

symptoms intermittently for months"

 

Specific to benzodiazepine withdrawal

>

metallic taste

>

distorted hearing – sounds appear unduly loud or strange

>

feelings of depersonalisation and unreality

>

distorted vision – patient may feel they are seeing things through a veil

>

sense of smell and touch heightened and distorted

>

pain, stiffness and muscular spasms, particularly in the face and scalp, which can result in headaches

and muscle twitching

>

paranoid thoughts and feelings

 

 

"These usually commence one to two days after reduction in dose of a short-acting benzodiazepine or five to

seven days for a long-acting benzodiazepine. The severity and duration is variable as is the constellation of

symptoms. Typically the symptoms will resolve four to six weeks after completing the detoxification program.

However, symptoms may persist for up to 12 months. For patients on low doses of benzodiazepines,

the duration and intensity of withdrawal symptoms is not clearly related to the prescribed dose.

Individuals who take more than the equivalent of 50mg diazepam per day are at risk of withdrawal seizures

and/or hallucinations."

 

Symptoms can last for 12 months?  What do you guys think?

Symptoms typically last longer for people on it longer and at higher doses. It is extremely unlikely that your symptoms would last one year after only one dose.

 

This is a more comprehensive listing of symptoms...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome

 

Issues with sound are very common.

 

In terms of the alcohol, it is simply additive. So having a glass of wine with 3.5 mg zopiclone might be like taking 7 mg zopiclone.

Why don't you try benedryl?? I used Ambien for more than a decade along with Ativan and too much alcohol. Now that I am drug free I can use 1-2 at night and sleep like a baby without ANY side effects.  It does not effect the GABA receptors and is not habit forming.

Why don't you try benedryl?? I used Ambien for more than a decade along with Ativan and too much alcohol. Now that I am drug free I can use 1-2 at night and sleep like a baby without ANY side effects.  It does not effect the GABA receptors and is not habit forming.

 

Do you use it nightly or just as needed? For most people it stops working (like most things) after a couple of weeks.

Currently I am using 50mg every night due to the akathesia. I don't crave it but my symptoms are horrendous especially at bedtime. I'm not worried about taking it because not sleeping has so many detrimental effects. This way I sleep and can face the next day. 

Symptoms typically last longer for people on it longer and at higher doses. It is extremely unlikely that your symptoms would last one year after only one dose.

 

This is a more comprehensive listing of symptoms...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome

 

Issues with sound are very common.

 

In terms of the alcohol, it is simply additive. So having a glass of wine with 3.5 mg zopiclone might be like taking 7 mg zopiclone.

 

Thanks for the link

I noticed the duration of symptoms is generally 2 months since the last dose, which means I still have 10 more days until my 2 month mark! Yea, the article says it can last for many months, but is it a fact that every benzo product takes at least 2 months no matter the amount you took? I mean usually the short term dosage is a few days, so Im curious if the amount of tablets you took matters.

Why don't you try benedryl?? I used Ambien for more than a decade along with Ativan and too much alcohol. Now that I am drug free I can use 1-2 at night and sleep like a baby without ANY side effects.  It does not effect the GABA receptors and is not habit forming.

 

Well, I think I am scared for life to take any sleeping pills from now on, but thank you for suggestion:) I used melatonin tablets shortly after I tried zopiclone, and they seemed to work for a while, until I started to have nightmares. There is always a price to pay if you try to alter your body functions