Could I be addicted to sleeping pills?

  • Thread starter Thread starter iggyinchina
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iggyinchina

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I don't sleep well and travel often. I used to take Tylenol PM to sleep but now I take Zopiclone, a drug not available in the US but in the Arabien family. I can't sleep without pills and I need three now to get to sleep. When I stop, I am up until 3am and restless. I don't know what to do. I am a working mother and sleep is so important to me.

Any advice?
 
Hi Iggy,

Welcome. You may not be "addicted" to Zopiclone, rather "dependent" on it. When you stop taking it (and are up until 3am - and restless), do you give in and just end up taking the pill to get you to sleep?

I used to use Zopiclone to sleep, and eventually had to take two for it to work. I wasn't addicted to it, however I was dependent. I didn't need it cause of the way it made me feel, nor did I crave the drug. If I didn't take it, I'd be awake until I gave in (literally 48+ hours awake). On the contrary, I did manage to wean myself off it over the course of a couple weeks. I'd take one and a half for a week, then cut down to only one for a week, then half for a week. When I got close to the end, I'd set my alarm to wake up at 5am (rather than 7am) just to make sure I was a little more tired at night. I also did yoga to help me calm down more at the end of my day.

I'd suggest talking to your doctor about the fact that you "require" a sleeping aid at night. I needed one for many years until I found another way to get to sleep. I wasn't a good sleeper my whole life, and had a very hard time falling/staying asleep. Perhaps, your doctor can give you some suggestions other than the obvious (exercise, eat healthy, take a warm bath at night, drink warm milk etc.).

Good luck, I hope to read about your solution soon :)

Sincerely,
emsmom
 
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