I think I found the culprit to my anxiety

[tammymarie1971]

Hi again ladies, I was looking up the meds that this palliative care doctor prescribed for me...... I am sooooooo mad. I don't even think I asked for anything for sleep...Zopiclone 7.5mg 2 tablets a night is what I was given the date on the bottle is Nov 17. Now with the ammonia issue I have trouble remembering and processing everything, but I am pretty sure I have only been taking 1 a night, but I am scared!! What I read about this drug is awful, you can look it up yourselves if you want, but it says it should only be given in the short term 7-10 days and that daytime anxiety withdrawl can start happening after 3-4 weeks of usage!!! WHY WOULD A DOCTOR PRESCRIBE THIS??? No wonder this feeling would hit me right out of the blue!! DARN IT! I don't need this crap in my life.....
No one told me this...not the pharmacist either...Now wouldn't someone say something... I was prescribed ativan at the same time..who wouldn't say "Hey this isn't a good idea"? How am I supposed to trust this doctor to safely "keep me comfortable"? when he is adding to my problems?
Any suggestions on what to do? I guess I could take half a pill for a few nights and ween myself off...I don't know..I just know that the anxiety that creeps up behind me around dinner time is enough to do me in where I want relief NOW! It is really scary...
Anyway at least I know I am not going crazy, but I AM MAD!

Thanks for listening again,
Tammy

[chrisy]

Tammy,
I would not be surprised to hear that your fruit basket of meds might be interacting, enhancing, detracting and compounding each other's effects. I would go back to your pharmacist and/or doctor, whichever one you can get to first, and have them go over all the drugs checking for side effects and interactions that might be causing the problems. You may find that "less is more", but probably need help to figure that out.

Good luck, Tammi

['lizbeth]

TammyMarie,

You are experiencing something that many of us have gone through and learning you have to be your own best advocate. It is helpful when you have a family member or friend to help track the meds - prescriptions can really start piling up.

I stopped taking all my meds (I was NED but getting over cellulitis in the reconstructions) at once, the benadryl, the pain relievers, etc.

It took 10 days to get them processed out of my system enough to feel more "normal". What a relief it was.

Yep, reading about pharmaceuticals can be scary. The doctor prescribes medication because at the time they believe the benefits will weight the risks.

I like Chrisy's advice that "less is more" . . .

I think your liver is maxed out currently on processing toxins. Have you tried acupunture? I received it at Balboa Naval Medical Center and it was such a blessing. I got many of the same benefits of medications and none of the toxic side effects. It can help with more than pain relief, they can bring your stomach and spleen meridian back into harmony to help with worry, and the liver meridian to help with anger - If you can find an experienced LAc in your area or a DOM (doctor of oriental medicine) it is worth a try.

I love that you are so determined to get better!

[KsGal]

Im sorry to hear about the medication issues. I agree, we are all on so many different medications at any one time, it would be a good idea to just sit down with the doc and/or pharmacist and go over them one by one. I take lorazepam for anxiety and help with sleep and don't have issues with it so far. I used to be able to sit down and kind of figure out my own meds out, but its far beyond that now and I definitely need help with mine. I hope you are able to figure it out, and just keep being direct and ask "why???" was this prescribed for me if you need to know why. Big hugs to you!

[BonnieR]

I can't say I'm surprised. You are on quite a drug overload. Each one may have a purpose but together can interact badly. Plus, the stress on your liver to process it all And each doctor adds to the mix. As has been said, you need a manager for all of this
But don't stop any drug abruptly on your own. That could cause more problems. Get someone to work with you on a schedule
Sadly, when we are at our lowest state is sometimes when we most need to be our own advocate. When we are dealing with unfamiliar situations. It would help so much if you could enlist someone to work with you in this capacity
It will get better YOU will get better. Keep the faith

[sarah]

Hello,
Someone and that may be you, should figure out the interactions between all the drugs you're taking and which ones you can safely drop.
I've taken 1/2 a zopliclone from time to time for years with no bad experience in fact I like it better than other sleeping pills because I wake up without feeling drowsy but then I only take 1/2 and only periodically and I'm not taking as many drugs as you (only some for my heart).
Only you know how you feel and you're obviously very anxious and there are certainly things to do to help this. Have you tried meditation or at least finding time to be quiet and calm? I'm not a new agey person at all but I do know that being able to do yoga deep breathing and meditation and learning to calm yourself are extremely important and helpful. I find reading extemely calming and wonderfully distracting - if you don't enjoy reading, try listening to audio books. TV can add to anxiety so I suggest less of that. ~Walking and exercise, if you're strong enough, can be helpful. ~Read a book in bed at night and I think you'll find it will help you sleep without drugs.
take deep breaths and concentrate on your breathing, visualizing your breath.
I'm sure if you search for relaxation tips, you'll come up with something helpful but you have to really try and concentrate.
take care
hugs and love
sarah

[karen z]

I think Chrisy and others are right and have given you good advice. I would talk to your pharmacists immediately about the weaning issue and have a talk with your doc.

I think you will feel better when you are off so much (and perhaps the wrong things) and then, if you do need something for anxiety, you might be able to get "a little" help with that.

[Del]

Hi Tammy,
This sounds like a very high dose of Zopiclone! I am also prescribed Zopiclone at 7.5mg, but I am only to take a HALF a pill when needed. Two pills at a time seems very high! And recently I have been breaking my pills into thirds, and that does the trick as well. I only take them when needed, not every night. And I haven't found any side effects, addiction probs. I wake up without any drowsy feelings, although I always have a terrible taste in my mouth. I would have an immediate discussion with your doctor (or pharmacist in the meantime). I have no idea if the dosage is based on weight, or anything else (I'm around 140 lbs on a good day :). Hope you find a solution soon!

[CarolineC]

I was prescribed zopiclone years ago for fibromyalgia and have mainly taken half a pill every night.

A month ago I picked up my prescription at the local pharmacy (they know what I have been going through with cancer for the last 4 years) and noticed that the pills were a lighter blue. I mentioned it to the clerk and she said they were changing pharmaceutical companies, so I asked if they could print out the ingredients because I have a sensitive system and have a hard time adjusting to different meds-it seems I don't need much of anything to have an effect. I got just 7 pills to try out and had dull headaches, but thought I was just adjusting. Last week I woke up at about 3 am and took another half pill-which I have sometimes done, and I was completely out of it for my bloodwork the next day.

I didn't like how I felt and just looked up zopiclone on wikipedia.org. Wow. If you read it, note the subtitles on carcinogenicity for breast cancer because of the drug having an adverse effect on the immune system. I also noted that "patients with liver disease eliminate it slower than normal patients and in addition experience exaggerated pharmacological effects of the drugs" -I have Gilbert's Syndrome which I'm believing is not such a benign liver condition. I have also been experiencing an "out of it" feeling constantly and am wondering if it was also interacting with Letrozole which I take around 8 pm and can also cause dizziness and drowsiness-at least it had a label saying so when I was having radiation at a larger centre and had the pills renewed. The local centre doesn't put that label on the box. I am "only" on metoprolol and zopiclone besides Herceptin, Letrozole and Clodronate. I never thought my little blue pill could be so dangerous. I have now dropped to 1/4 pill nightly and am trying to get off them, and I feel abit more coherent in the morning.

I spoke to the pharmacist when getting the rest of the pills saying that from now on could they please inform me of brand changes and he apologized and said they normally do. I have yet to show them this information. The brand of these pills looks to have less fillers and are abit larger although they are supposed to be the same mg-they feel more potent.

These were the only pills I was on before I was diagnosed and no one has reviewed the prescription with me, at least not in the last 4 years. I thought I was being so careful, checking my anti-cancer meds out and trying to boost my immune system by eating healthy, exercising, stress reduction, etc. and this makes me frustrated.

Tammy, I hope you are doing well and that you have discontinued the pills.

[sarah]

Hello,
I might have been taking a different drug acutally mine is Stilnox or Zolpidem but I have a feeling that taking any of these drugs too often can be a problem. hope you solve it because not sleeping isn't good either
hugs and love
sarah