Generic Name: Zopiclone for Insomnia (zopiclone)
Zopiclone for Insomnia Reviews
"I have taken it as needed for over 20 years. I have had severe chronic insomnia for over 40 years and would have lost everything due to several insomnia-induced panic attacks and breakdowns had I not had this drug to hand when needed. No metallic taste for me. It doesn’t ‘knock me out’ and if I’m mid-panic attack it won’t work. I have to take it when calm and a good hour before sleep. I feel very chilled in the morning. A lifesaver for me."
"When I was 26, my brother died, and I got insomnia. I would need it about once or twice a year to shut my brain down and sleep. Then my insomnia got worse, and I started full-time on zopiclone at 49. I'm 71 now and have been taking it for 22 years. I don't see or feel side effects. I worry about them because my family thinks I'm frying my brain. I know I'm not. Sleep is very precious to me. That's how I function. Love to my family. They only want the best."
"I have happily been taking this for years. I have had no side effects. I am getting great sleep, feel rested, no grogginess (compared to insomnia!). No metallic taste for me. Overall, very helpful for me."
"Zopiclone is definitely worth a try if you’re experiencing insomnia. Personally, I use it when my own mental health is debilitating (I suffer from OCD and depression). Whenever my sleep pattern is hindered or I genuinely can’t get to sleep, I take one. Half an hour to 45 minutes, it starts to kick in. It’s a short-term-use drug, however, which is annoying because when my mental health hits the fan, I just want to sleep through it until I get better. But I digress, great drug and definitely worth a try. Side effects: drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, gross taste in mouth."
"Been taking zopiclone 7.5mg since I was 21. I'm now 30. I've had chronic insomnia since 21, and since I have been taking these, I have had no issues sleeping. But when I stop taking them for a couple of days, insomnia kicks in. I don't feel addicted, as I can stop and start them. I do get the metallic taste, but that goes within an hour or two from waking up. Probably the best thing I've used for a sleeping aid. I've tried a lot of things in the past, and this is by far the best option."
"Knocked me out cold within 1 hour after taking it. I didn't wake up in the middle of the night either like I typically do without zopiclone. Unlike other common sleep aids, I felt no drowsiness at all in the morning after taking zopiclone."
"Zopiclone has always worked well for me, as a shift worker, and in times of emotional distress. I need only 3.25 mg (1/2 tablet), 60 kg female. This dose leaves me alert the following day as long as I take it early enough in the evening. Taken regularly may be habit-forming and tolerance may develop. I would take it only when absolutely necessary, and never more than a few days in a row. Perfect for shift workers needing to re-normalize the body clock, IMO. Highly recommend."
"I have been using this drug for 30 years. I use it every night and take 1 tablet. No, I don't crave more. I can't tell you how much normalcy it has given me over the years. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to sleep properly and therefore wouldn't have been able to work, start my business, or lead a normal life. It's easy to look at the negative side of this drug for its addictive quality, but what about the fact that it has given me a life that I otherwise wouldn't have had? The only side effect I get is dry mouth."
"This medication mimics the sleep cycle. The problem is it does it very poorly. When I took it, I felt like I got 8 hours of sleep off of five hours. Then mid way through the day I started to get extreme fatigue and a very strong sense of detachment. By the 7th day of taking this medication. I started getting extreme headaches and my sense of detachment was way worse. At one point, pretty sure I was experiencing some form of psychosis. I went back to my usual medication (clonazepam) which I take at a very low dosage for sleep (Yes, It is not prescribed for long-term usage but at the very least the medication is predictable. It is a standard sedative). These new hypnotic benzo-like medications are much much worse because they attempt to address a problem that doctors are mostly clueless about. Be very cautious about taking any new medication for sleep even off-label standard anti-depressants and/or mood stabilizers are a better choice."
"My frequent sleep problem is early morning wakening usually after about 4 hours. Low-dose Zopiclone taken before sleep does not deal with this effectively because of the short duration of action of Zopiclone. However, just half a 3.75 mg (ca. 1.9mg) via a tablet guillotine is very effective to get 3-4 hrs more good quality sleep with no after effects."
"After suffering for months with insomnia cause by Hashimoto's I decided to try Zoplicone. I get a solid 6-7 hours of sleep with no side effects. A lifesaver! I used it a few times a week for fear of dependency. I am able to function once again!"
"I've been taking it for 10 years. For the first 9 years (half a pill) it worked fine, however in the last year or so it's not working anymore...so I've been from time to time taking a full pill. This drug was a lifesaver. My insomnia is terrible and Zopiclone helps if you take it correctly. I have to ask my doctor to increase my dosage to one pill day."
"This is the only sleeping aid I have tried that has worked for my anxiety. I’ve tried drowsy over-the-counter antihistamines such as nytol, as well as melatonin, but nothing worked. I woke up a couple of times in the night, but taking this medication helped me fall asleep very quickly and stay sleeping for most of the night. Before taking it, I would not be able to sleep until 4 am. I’ve only tried it once but would definitely recommend it to re-set your body pattern."
"I'm on shift work. I take half a 7mg tablet about 4 days a week. Usually if I wake after 3 hours sleep...it gives me three plus hours more....you will feel groggy for an hour after but that fades quickly. Does not effect energy or appetite."
"I'd rate this medication 9/10 for sleep. I found it more effective than zolpidem and most other stuff for sleep. When you first start it leaves a metallic taste in your mouth for the next day. For a short-term solution, I would recommend it for bad bouts of insomnia."
"Have been taking 7.5 mg for years. At first it worked, but for the past few months, it does not seem to work at all. I keep taking it in the hope it will work again. I tend to feel groggy the day after."
"It was okay... Positives were that I slept well without waking up in the night. Negatives were bitter taste in the mouth and it took a long time to work. I may or may not take it again. Not bad but not the best I've had. I prefer Temazepam."
"Took 3.75mg Asleep within 60 mins, woke up after 6h but next day felt like 2-3 hours of sleep - initially feeling energised with a crash around 4h after waking. Metallic taste present but only noticeable when thinking about it Felt severely impaired 6h after waking until bedtime"
"Took this to cope with diagnosed heart condition, which made me worried and led to insomnia. Only take half or quarter tablet, and found it worked very well - giving about 5 hrs of quality sleep and then I felt relaxed enough to carry on for another 2 or 3 hrs. At one point, after 5 weeks of taking this, I started to have very depressing thoughts and also some high levels of blood pressure and anxiety. I stopped taking it for 2 weeks but started again - you just have to be very careful to spot the tell-tale signs of mental depression and bleak thoughts and taper the dose down."
"Life saver, I have had much trauma and grief in my life, so therefore getting to sleep is impossible without this pill. Its calming effects have changed my life and given me sleep where I never had it. It gives a better quality of life if you can get a decent kip."
"Careful with this drug. I took it a few times a week for 10 years and then every night for 4 months. It started to not work anymore and I started tapering over weeks before stopping. Worst 3 months of my life with nasty rebound insomnia, wicked anxiety, and weird physical symptoms. I am doing CBT-I now to try to get some normal sleep back. You must respect this drug with no more than occasional use or it will take control of you!"
"I only found this drug to help with sleep sometimes. I took it 1-4 times per month. I HATED the METALLIC gross taste and dry mouth that I would have for at least 24 hours after taking it. I even tried placing it in an empty capsule to see if that would help with the taste. It didn't help. Not everyone gets the metallic taste, and everyone is different in how it affects them. If this drug helped me sleep every time I took it, I may have been able to 'tolerate' that horrible taste for more than 24 hours. So I asked my doctor if I could try Ambien instead. Not only did it work most of the time, it also did not leave any bitter taste! So Ambien wins for me!"
"Zopiclone was almost perfect for me and a positive experience overall. I tried 3.75mg one night but it didn't do the trick, so I went up to 7.5mg and that worked very well. I would get a solid night's sleep each time with no side effects whatsoever. I was falling asleep fine without Zopiclone (also taking Mirtazapine which helps with falling asleep), but I was waking up several times per night due to anxiety. Zopiclone ensured that I got a good night's rest. I didn't feel 'knocked out' at all. I was nervous taking it at first, as I am with any mental health medication, but this didn't prevent it from working well for me. The only downside is it eventually started to become less effective, even though I used it sparingly. I used maybe 20 doses over a period of about 3 months, but over the past couple of doses I was getting down to 5-6 hours per night. Better than nothing, but still not ideal."
"After another 72-hour episode during a depressive dip where I was too hungry to sleep but found it impossible to eat, I decided I'd try zopiclone. The first time I took it was at the end of the 72-hour episode, 7.5mg. Despite having not slept or eaten in three days, I felt completely sober and alert, *until* I took the pill. It seemed to be the catalyst for psychotic symptoms. 30 minutes after taking it, I saw a corpse grow from my wall and my window silently shatter. I was panicking and attempting to text loved ones, who were scared but knew I had taken zopiclone. After an hour of psychosis, I slept like a baby for 8 hours and awoke feeling like a hundred bucks. I felt great. After that, I would only lose my memory of the 4 hours before and after taking it, no hallucinations again. Despite my reckless activity during the amnesia phase, the drug induces perfect, restful sleep."
"I have been taking Zopiclone for twenty years. Chronic insomnia along with depression (for which I was taking Celexa) made life challenging, especially as I was running my own business and single parenting. I am now successfully retired and still take 1/2 tablet... occasionally another half if I wake up in the middle of the night and start having negative thoughts. I know there are risks, but so far at age 78 I'm doing well....despite a diagnosis of Sjogrens a few years ago... still physically active and busy."
More about zopiclone
Patient resources
- Zopiclone drug information
Related treatment guides
- Insomnia
