zopiclone (imovane)

[Reverb]

Does anyone use zopivlone as a sleep aid? I was prescribed this by my neurologist

[ViewsAskew]

It is used in Canada and Europe. A chemcially similar drug, ezopiclone (Lunesta) is used in the US.

It's fine to use, shouldn't worsen WED. It will not help with WED symptoms, though.

[Polar Bear]

I use zopiclone and cannot be sure just how effective it is. I take it as soon as I get into bed but sometimes I'd still be awake for a long time. However, I do believe that I am resistant to some medications. It certainly has no ill effect on my WED symptoms.

[badnights]

I use 7.5 mg nightly. Sometimes I take only 1/2 or 3/4 (it's hard to split in quarters) then take 1/2 later in the night. I cannot fall asleep without it (unless I load up on Sinemet, which is impossible to do many nights in a row without starting to augment). without the zopiclone, I doze for hours, never really falling asleep.

Zopiclone is the most innocuous drug I take. It has no side effects on me that I am aware of.

[QyX]

I had Zopiclone in the past. It works like Benzodiazepines. For me these drugs have negative long term effects (bad mood, anxiety, physical dependence) so I only use them for a short time when I need a temp. replacement for my Pramipexol. (to avoid severe augmentation).

[badnights]

Side-effects, as always, are different for different people. The z-drugs, as they are called colloquially, include zopiclone, zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone. They are a different class of drugs than benzodiazepenes. Some if not all? z-drugs have shorter half-lives than benzodiazepenes and therefore less potential to build up over time with daily use and make you groggy. They also are thought to provide a healthier sleep (less disruption to sleep architecture; I would have to look into that to see what it really means because I forget). The z-drugs used to be thought of as having no habit-forming potential and no withdrawal, but that has more recently been shown to be untrue, although it seems they still are less habit-forming than benzos.

Most modern WED specialists will prescribe z-drugs rather than benzos for WED-related insomnia relief, but there is a little bit of evidence (as well as conflicting evidence) that clonazepam actually relieves WED symptoms slightly (clonazepam is a benzo marketed in US as Klonopin). Some people are not affected by grogginess despite long-term use, so there are still uses for benzos in WED for some people. And use for 2-3 days as QyX does is unlikely to cause grogginess. Many benzos, including clonazepam, have anti-anxiety properties, which might be helpful for the many WED patients with anxiety issues.