Categories
In this Discussion
To get email notification of new content, change your preferences settings. Sign in first. Then click on the icon under your name called 'account options' and choose 'edit profile' in the dropdown menu. Now click on 'Notification preferences' in the new menu below your name. Under 'Category Notifications' click on the boxes under the Email heading as you desire.
Warning about sleeping pills - safety and diagnostic pitfalls
Hi
I am hoping that my story below will increase your awareness of the really bad profile these drugs have for your own safety and if you are a therapist it may help you in differentiating withdrawal symptoms from those of trauma, PTSD, parasitic problems and illness in your clients.
Eventually I got suspicious, so I investigated some more and found an expert in treatment of addiction to these compounds. He confirmed that what I was experiencing was withdrawal symptoms but since I had only taken them for a short period that a “cold turkey” was probably ok. Although the sensitivity to these drugs vary between individuals, the expert’s opinion was that these compounds should not be on the market. Withdrawal symptoms can last from 2-12 weeks (and sometimes longer) and can start all over again with just one pill after a drug free period in susceptible individuals and stress, caffeine and alcohol can worsen the symptoms during that period. The symptoms of withdrawal (after both short and long term use) can be very confusing as the range is wide including: anxiousness, restlessness, inner turmoil, panic, phobia (social etc.), dissociation and feeling of a diffuse self, depersonalization, feeling of not being present and that the world is unreal, irritability/aggression, inability to sleep, sweating, increased pulse, negative thoughts, depression, hypersensitivity to noise and light, changes in perception with feelings of burning and stinging in/on the skin, inability to concentrate, foggy vision, tremor, weakness, nausea, gastro-intestinal symptoms, headache and chest pain. If a person has had a long term use, withdrawal from use of these drug classes (benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines) should always be done in consultation with an expert (don’t go cold turkey).
So in conclusion, be aware that these drugs can have really bad withdrawal symptoms occurring after only a few days (and also in between two nights due to the shorter half-life and the higher potency compared to the older benzodiazepines). In addition, some of those withdrawal symptoms can be mistaken for those of trauma. Please, do not use these drugs or recommend them even on a short term basis!
The following link is an example of another bad experience with this drug: http://patient.info/forums/discuss/zopiclone-extreme-warning-478064
This following piece came from a client. I hope you find it useful for yourself, or your clients.
Dr. Grant McFetridge
SUMMARY
Sleeping pills such as benzodiazepines and the “newer” non-benzodiazepines are addictive and can cause physical withdrawal symptoms even after very short usages in some individuals. Please, do not use these drugs or recommend them to anyone even on a short term basis!
I am hoping that my story below will increase your awareness of the really bad profile these drugs have for your own safety and if you are a therapist it may help you in differentiating withdrawal symptoms from those of trauma, PTSD, parasitic problems and illness in your clients.
FULL STORY
Recently, I had triggered something that rendered me sleepless for a period of time and melatonin had no effect. I did some healing work, but was still awake feeling stressed and hypervigilant and could not pinpoint whether the cause of my sleeplessness was the total lack of sleep or from the original triggered issue. After a long healing session and another night with no sleep, I was recommended to take sleeping medication and it was wonderful. I slept 8 hours (using 3.25 mg zopiclone) and felt ok in the morning, but as the day passed I got more and more anxious and thought that I had triggered something even worse during my previous healing. I did some more healing and took another sleeping pill to avoid not sleeping due to this anxious feeling. In the morning after the second pill, I felt a bit like in a haze but it cleared somewhat as the day went on. However, the anxiousness increased and I also felt diffuse (could not collect my consciousness fully) and a bit out of body. It felt like I was getting worse and worse and I thought to myself that I had really triggered something big and also very PTSD-like. At this stage I felt pretty lost and needed my sleep so I took a sleeping pill for another few nights, but I did not like the idea of taking sleeping pills and the “haziness” that came along was unpleasant so I decided to quit taking any more. The following week my symptoms of anxiousness, diffuse self, and out of body experience got increasingly worse and new symptoms emerged such as increased pulse, sweating, panic, restlessness, phobia, negative thoughts, inability to sleep at all, nausea, diarrhea, inability to concentrate and burning/stinging sensations in and on my skin that kept increasing in area as time passed. The symptoms were so unbearable (felt like taking my life if this could not be cured) and the lack of sleep on top made me very vulnerable and I eventually gave in and took another sleeping pill. I did not immediately associate my symptoms with the sleeping pills (as symptoms actually kept increasing during the time that I did not take them) and neither did anyone I spoke to, including my GP, so for the next couple of weeks the pattern was a few days with a sleeping pill and 5-7 days without a sleeping pill all along trying to heal what was triggered which was almost impossible as my consciousness was so diffuse.
Recently, I had triggered something that rendered me sleepless for a period of time and melatonin had no effect. I did some healing work, but was still awake feeling stressed and hypervigilant and could not pinpoint whether the cause of my sleeplessness was the total lack of sleep or from the original triggered issue. After a long healing session and another night with no sleep, I was recommended to take sleeping medication and it was wonderful. I slept 8 hours (using 3.25 mg zopiclone) and felt ok in the morning, but as the day passed I got more and more anxious and thought that I had triggered something even worse during my previous healing. I did some more healing and took another sleeping pill to avoid not sleeping due to this anxious feeling. In the morning after the second pill, I felt a bit like in a haze but it cleared somewhat as the day went on. However, the anxiousness increased and I also felt diffuse (could not collect my consciousness fully) and a bit out of body. It felt like I was getting worse and worse and I thought to myself that I had really triggered something big and also very PTSD-like. At this stage I felt pretty lost and needed my sleep so I took a sleeping pill for another few nights, but I did not like the idea of taking sleeping pills and the “haziness” that came along was unpleasant so I decided to quit taking any more. The following week my symptoms of anxiousness, diffuse self, and out of body experience got increasingly worse and new symptoms emerged such as increased pulse, sweating, panic, restlessness, phobia, negative thoughts, inability to sleep at all, nausea, diarrhea, inability to concentrate and burning/stinging sensations in and on my skin that kept increasing in area as time passed. The symptoms were so unbearable (felt like taking my life if this could not be cured) and the lack of sleep on top made me very vulnerable and I eventually gave in and took another sleeping pill. I did not immediately associate my symptoms with the sleeping pills (as symptoms actually kept increasing during the time that I did not take them) and neither did anyone I spoke to, including my GP, so for the next couple of weeks the pattern was a few days with a sleeping pill and 5-7 days without a sleeping pill all along trying to heal what was triggered which was almost impossible as my consciousness was so diffuse.
Eventually I got suspicious, so I investigated some more and found an expert in treatment of addiction to these compounds. He confirmed that what I was experiencing was withdrawal symptoms but since I had only taken them for a short period that a “cold turkey” was probably ok. Although the sensitivity to these drugs vary between individuals, the expert’s opinion was that these compounds should not be on the market. Withdrawal symptoms can last from 2-12 weeks (and sometimes longer) and can start all over again with just one pill after a drug free period in susceptible individuals and stress, caffeine and alcohol can worsen the symptoms during that period. The symptoms of withdrawal (after both short and long term use) can be very confusing as the range is wide including: anxiousness, restlessness, inner turmoil, panic, phobia (social etc.), dissociation and feeling of a diffuse self, depersonalization, feeling of not being present and that the world is unreal, irritability/aggression, inability to sleep, sweating, increased pulse, negative thoughts, depression, hypersensitivity to noise and light, changes in perception with feelings of burning and stinging in/on the skin, inability to concentrate, foggy vision, tremor, weakness, nausea, gastro-intestinal symptoms, headache and chest pain. If a person has had a long term use, withdrawal from use of these drug classes (benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines) should always be done in consultation with an expert (don’t go cold turkey).
Today, it seems so unreal that I could get caught in this trap. I have always been against sleeping pills and would never have started had I not been so devastated from lack of sleep and scared by whatever I had triggered. In this situation, all it took for me to change my mind was a recommendation from a person that meant well followed by a similar recommendation by my GP including her comforting words that these pills are not addictive (not like the old benzodiazepines) and if one dose was not enough doubling the dose was quite ok. And then she prescribed an amount enough to cover one person for 2 months straight. It is scary how easily I got a prescription for these pills and how little my GP knew about the addictive profile and the withdrawal symptoms (the opinion of the expert was that this is the case for many GPs).
So in conclusion, be aware that these drugs can have really bad withdrawal symptoms occurring after only a few days (and also in between two nights due to the shorter half-life and the higher potency compared to the older benzodiazepines). In addition, some of those withdrawal symptoms can be mistaken for those of trauma. Please, do not use these drugs or recommend them even on a short term basis!
The following link is an example of another bad experience with this drug: http://patient.info/forums/discuss/zopiclone-extreme-warning-478064
Comments
It is hard to see how much the pharmaceutical industry is pushing compounds that are so harmful.
I guess society is valuing immediate strong effects over respecting the body's natural optimal functionning.
With all the good phytotherapeutic products, and nootropics, there is enough good effective stuff to use already !