Coming off Sleeping Tablets
Discussion
My wife has a shoulder operation at the end of last year which involved part of the the shoulder blade being drilled away.....she needed a cocktail of pain killers and sleeping tablets to enable her to sleep post op. Unfortunately the shoulder didn't heel as expected (she ended up with frozen shoulder) and needed a cortisone injection in the joint last week to settle the inflammation.
She's now pain free but in the situation where she cannot sleep without sleeping tablets (last night she was awake til 4am before taking a tablet). Anyone got any real world experiences of coming off them ? It seems that you either go cold turkey or gradually reduce dosage over six or seven weeks.
Anyone gone cold turkey and if so how long has it taken to get back to "normal" ?
Situation isn't helped by the fact that we have a 3 and a 5 year old!
She's now pain free but in the situation where she cannot sleep without sleeping tablets (last night she was awake til 4am before taking a tablet). Anyone got any real world experiences of coming off them ? It seems that you either go cold turkey or gradually reduce dosage over six or seven weeks.
Anyone gone cold turkey and if so how long has it taken to get back to "normal" ?
Situation isn't helped by the fact that we have a 3 and a 5 year old!
Scantily said:
What sleeping tablets has she been taking? If it's a benzodiazapene of some description then I certainly wouldn't recommend stopping cold turkey, withdrawal is particularly nasty and potentially dangerous. Your best bet is to slowly taper until she can sleep without them.
Zopiclone.Doing some reading sounds like they might be as addictive as the benzodiazapene.
She needs to go and see her GP by the looks of it.
Been prescribed zopiclone myself in the past to counteract the insomnia I suffered from a high dose of steroids.
As stated above it can cause problems trying to 'cold turkey' after using them.
I ended up cutting mine in half, and taking a half tablet with one of these herbal sleeping pills from the chemist (Herbal Nytol I think) for few nights. Then missing out the zopiclone after a few days.
As stated above it can cause problems trying to 'cold turkey' after using them.
I ended up cutting mine in half, and taking a half tablet with one of these herbal sleeping pills from the chemist (Herbal Nytol I think) for few nights. Then missing out the zopiclone after a few days.
Cheib said:
Zopiclone.
Doing some reading sounds like they might be as addictive as the benzodiazapene.
She needs to go and see her GP by the looks of it.
Ok, one of the Z drugs, technically not benzodiazapenes but have the same withdrawal effects I believe, if she has sufficient supply then there's no reason she cannot manage it herself and slowly reduce her need. But if she's going to run out soon then it would be a good idea to speak to her GP. It depends on the dosage and how long she's been taking it, if it's at relatively high dosage for prolonged periods then withdrawal will need managing well, but if it's a low dose over a shorter period then it should be quite easy.Doing some reading sounds like they might be as addictive as the benzodiazapene.
She needs to go and see her GP by the looks of it.
Scantily said:
Cheib said:
Zopiclone.
Doing some reading sounds like they might be as addictive as the benzodiazapene.
She needs to go and see her GP by the looks of it.
Ok, one of the Z drugs, technically not benzodiazapenes but have the same withdrawal effects I believe, if she has sufficient supply then there's no reason she cannot manage it herself and slowly reduce her need. But if she's going to run out soon then it would be a good idea to speak to her GP. It depends on the dosage and how long she's been taking it, if it's at relatively high dosage for prolonged periods then withdrawal will need managing well, but if it's a low dose over a shorter period then it should be quite easy.Doing some reading sounds like they might be as addictive as the benzodiazapene.
She needs to go and see her GP by the looks of it.
Edited by Cheib on Monday 20th January 09:54
I was an insomniac and took Zopiclone for several months.
I went cold turkey and accepted that I would not sleep properly for a few days and knew it was a mental thing, but instead of worrying about it, I learned to lie there in bed with my eyes closed, empty my tiny mind of thoughts and just rest and I could quite literally do that for 8 hours.
I found out that doing that rather than staying up reading or worrying about it meant that I might get micro sleeps withtout realising, but as I was resting anyway (just not sleeping) the affects of no sleep were minimal.
Now I have a routine that I have to do if I want sleep, if I screw up the sleep pattern by staying up late one night it takes a day or two to get back on track.
Overall Im glad I took them and I read a good few books on sleep techniques and meditation and the only thing ruining my sleep now is snoring, room too warm or too much alcohol.
I went cold turkey and accepted that I would not sleep properly for a few days and knew it was a mental thing, but instead of worrying about it, I learned to lie there in bed with my eyes closed, empty my tiny mind of thoughts and just rest and I could quite literally do that for 8 hours.
I found out that doing that rather than staying up reading or worrying about it meant that I might get micro sleeps withtout realising, but as I was resting anyway (just not sleeping) the affects of no sleep were minimal.
Now I have a routine that I have to do if I want sleep, if I screw up the sleep pattern by staying up late one night it takes a day or two to get back on track.
Overall Im glad I took them and I read a good few books on sleep techniques and meditation and the only thing ruining my sleep now is snoring, room too warm or too much alcohol.
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