What Is Zopiclone Withdrawal?

I am suffering with these symptoms, but didn’t realize it was withdrawal symptoms until I googled the pill. This started three weeks ago with the burning of the tongue and heart attack like symptoms and the sore lips and mouth and the itching of the face. So I went to the doctor and he put me on a couple of pills to help.

I should say I’ve only been on it for two months or so, but have been upping the dose as needed to help me sleep and that’s when this all started. Well, after taking these pills for 14 days and no relief, I ended up in the hospital with heart attack symptoms, but after ECG, found out that’s all good. So I told my doctor I have strawberry tongue and he agreed with me and suggested I use a prescription mouth wash that he will send to the pharmacy. So I waited for two days before anyone knew how to make it and then used it for four days, and still had no relief. I had been gargling with salt, honey, silver, and other stuff but nothing was working. So a few days later, after crying with pain, I asked God for help and he said google side effects of this pill. Now it is two mornings later and I’m awake at 4:30 and there is no tongue pain yet.

Yesterday I had to take three things for the itch and pain in my mouth, so we will see how today goes and my journey to get off this killer medication.

I take zopiclone when I get up in the morning, and when I have to go somewhere like any places I don't like, like appointments, etc. I have to take two, but on a normal day, everyday I take just 1 tablet. I tried to give them up but it never worked. I tried diazepam, but it made me more depressed. As I said, I don't take anymore than 1 tablet a day and not for sleep, it seems. Well, it wakes me up and calms my bad anxiety. I've been on this zopiclone over 10 years. Every day as my body is so cold and I hurt 20 minutes after I get out of bed. Does anybody have this too?

I'm 31, and I've been on this drug since I was 14. It started with insomnia but I quickly adapted and enjoyed the pattern hallucinations. Most of all, however, I enjoyed the memory loss. I was miserable at that age (still mostly am) and it seemed like a good way to time skip my way through an unpleasant period in life.

It also gave me courage, and since I adapted enough that it actually kept me awake, I began to use it as soon as I woke up. Things I was afraid of before (like spiders) I could handle like it was nothing. No one could intimidate me and that is a powerful feeling. It's like you are a completely different person, and when you don't like who you are it's a very appealing feeling.

Now what I do is do binges. I get a 3 month prescription of 400 tabs 7.5mg tablets and do my best to burn through it within a month or so. This is because when I was using it every day for years and years and stopped half of my face went numb for a couple days, but that was only mildly annoying and nothing compared to when I get withdrawal from Percocet, which I get around 200 a month for migraines.

I could blame the doctors for pushing it on me when I was basically a kid, but what would it help? I am where I am now, which is basically nowhere. I'm just a man who might have grown up, but I honestly can't remember. I don't drive, I don't work, I don't care. The only thing it's never given me is enough courage to do is take my life. I guess there are some levels of cowardice so deep even those blue devils can't reach it.

I was on this drug for almost two years, and recently decided to go cold turkey, and the withdrawal symptoms have been pure hell. Does anyone know how long it will take for them to disappear?

I have bipolar which I have to have controlled by a prescribed drug. Have had spells in hospital etc. Zopiclone was also prescribed but a few weeks ago was suddenly stopped by mental health team doctor. Hardly getting any sleep, having panic attacks hallucinations. Was never told by him what side effects of withdrawal could be. Only realized this had happened when missing from blister pack. At same time was discharged from team so no follow up checks etc.

I was on 3.75 mg zoplicone for 6 years. I went on a high nutrient diet for a year, cut coffee to 1/2 cup per day supplemented with Dandyblend coffee substitute, then weaned off cutting the zoplicone in half every 2 weeks for a month. Had no withdrawal symptoms and now use a little melatonin and New Roots sleep aid. I tried unsuccessfully a few times before to quit but am convinced the high nutrient Dr. Furhman diet with the coffee cutting made the difference.

I have fibromyalgia with the sleep disorder that goes along with that so sleeping has been a huge problem for me for 40 years. I have taken no other drugs for about 15 years, just some MSM and vitamins. Am now completely drug free.

If you quit cold turkey, it will stink. Go 12 days and you will remember what it feels like to be tired. Symptoms of withdrawal include sweating, sleeplessness, panic attacks, twitchy feet, headaches. But for 6-12 days, it's worth it!

I was on zopiclone for about two months. Out of nowhere, insomnia hit me and I wasn't able to sleep for two nights straight. I went to the doctor and he prescribed me 10 X 7.5mg zopiclone tablets. The nights I didn't take it I wasn't able to sleep. Maybe an hour or so, max! I went back to the doctor when I almost ran out and he prescribed me 30 X 7.5mg's.

I was worried I was going to become addicted as I was taking one every night to get to sleep so I started cutting them in half. I wasn't getting as much sleep on 3.2mg. I felt I was becoming addicted to the stuff after a month and a bit so jumped online to find a natural alternative and came across melatonin. Tried that and the first night it didn't work. I'm guessing this was because of the rebound insomnia from stopping the zopiclone.

The second night I was able to drift off to sleep. It's been 5 nights now taking melatonin and it's done wonders for me. Got me off zopiclone and sends me to sleep quite quickly. I still wake up in the middle of the night, but I'm able to drift back off to sleep again.

@ddljohn: As you can see from my last post, I suffer all the time, especially during the evenings with constant dribbling. It's awful if you ever go for night out. If I feel well enough at a meal out, I have to dribble into a glass trying to pretend I am drinking. It is very embarrassing.

I have been on zopiclone for 15 years. I tried to get off twice and it was absolute hell. I got no sleep for week at least, anxiety, panic, hallucinations, I couldn't lie down, had pain everywhere and extreme restlessness and was dribbling frothy stuff for days. I constantly thought I was going to die. I had the sweats, sore skin and burning numbness and a fast heartbeat.

When I went through this hell both times, when I was starting to feel better my husband told me he was leaving and I had other issues. I was not ready for this intense stress and went on it again, but I could not go through that again. I have also got fibromyalgia which is extremely painful and these pills help it and my chronic insomnia. I still seem to have constant dribbling all the time. One day I would like to stop. I just don't feel ready yet. I am a 48 year old housewife, but have too much stress and a controlling husband.

I think this drug should be illegal. It's very easy to abuse and doctors are not being diligent about following up on patients and making sure that they don't use this drug for a long time. Zopiclone is very addictive and I built tolerance to it quickly. My doctor did not care and kept prescribing it for me. I doubled my dose in just a few months and became reliant on it to get sleep.

I've heard that this drug is even available online now and it's being abused big time, not just in the US but in Europe also.

@ddljohn-- I'm not experiencing the saliva issue, but I have a lot of anxiety since I quit the drug three days ago. I decided to go cold-turkey since I was taking a very low dose- just 3.5mg/day. I did not realize that zopiclone is so habit forming. I have to urge to take it again but I've been able to fight it so far.

Has anyone else had this odd withdrawal symptom from zipiclone?