Zopiclone: instructions for use of tablets

Zopiclone is a tablet preparation for eliminating insomnia and difficulty falling asleep. It is prescribed for:

  • Sleep disturbances (poor falling asleep, frequent or early awakenings)
  • Insomnia of a chronic form, as well as due to stress, emotional stress
  • Sleep Disorders Due to Mental Illness
  • BA, accompanied by night attacks.

Release form and composition

Content 1 tablet Zopiclone

  • 7.5 mg zopiclone
  • Auxiliary ingredients: lactose (monohydrate), CMC, aerosil, potato starch, talc, E 572.

Drugs in the form of round tablets in the form of a flat cylinder. They are white or creamy. A dividing strip is applied on the surface, the edges of the tablet are beveled. Packed in blisters for 10 pieces. In a package of thick cardboard – from 1 to 3 blisters, a user manual.

Healing properties

Hypnotic medication no-sleep-disorders.com, a member of the group of cyclopirrolone derivatives and an agonist of GABA receptors in the human brain, which are sensitive to benzodiazepine. The substance has sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant properties.

By acting on receptors, GABA in the brain activates GABA-ergic processes, after which the sensitivity of nerve endings to the mediator is enhanced.

The substance shortens the phase of falling asleep, provides a continuous and longer sleep, reducing the number of awakenings, almost does not affect the stage of REM sleep. Gently affects the body, practically does not cause difficulties upon awakening.

After taking the tablets, the substance is absorbed from the digestive tract with high speed and almost in full. Peak blood concentration is reached after 1-3 hours. Zopiclone freely penetrates into all organs and tissues, including the brain.

Dosage and administration

The treatment regimen and daily rate are determined by the attending specialist. It is recommended to start therapy with the minimum dosage at which a therapeutic effect is possible.

Zopiclone tablets, according to the instructions for use, should be taken immediately before bedtime, already lying in bed.

The dosage of the drug is 3.75 mg (half a tablet) is designed for elderly patients (65+) and people with risk factors. On average, it is recommended to adhere to the following intake regimens:

  • Patients under the age of 65: every night 1 tablet. (7.5 mg)
  • Patients older than 65 years: ½ tab. (3.75 mg) at bedtime. A whole pill can be drunk if doctors allow
  • Patients with kidney disease or chronic pulmonary disease: 3.75 mg once a day
  • Patients with functional kidney disorders: 3.75 mg every night.

The duration of the course depends on the patient’s testimony and the response to treatment. Whenever possible, therapy should be as short as possible. The maximum duration is 4 weeks (along with the time of drug withdrawal).

  • Normalization of sleep during spontaneous insomnia (business trip, trip) – 2-5 days
  • Temporary sleep disturbance (for example, due to stress) – 2-3 weeks.

In pediatrics, sleeping pills are not used, since the features of its action have not been studied.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding

Judging by the results of animal studies, zopiclone does not have a teratogenic effect on the development of offspring. But since the drug was not tested on pregnant women, it is extremely undesirable to use it during this period. Zopiclone, like other substances from a close group of benzodiazepines, can cause:

  • Decreased motor activity and impaired fetal heart rate (after taking large doses at 2 and 3 gestation periods)
  • If a pregnant woman drank even small dosages of drugs with benzodiazepine at the last gestation period, then the baby was diagnosed after birth: hypotension, a disorder of the sucking reflex, followed by poor weight gain. Signs of the presence of the drug in the baby’s body are observed, on average 1-3 weeks (depending on the rate of withdrawal of the substance). After pregnant women used large doses of sleeping pills in newborns, breathing problems, the presence of dyspnea, high excitability, and tremor were recorded.

If there is a need to start treatment with Zoviklon during gestation, then the pregnant woman should take into account the possible consequences and avoid large dosages.

Taking sleeping pills while breastfeeding is highly undesirable.

Side effects and contraindications

The use of the drug Zopiclone may be accompanied by undesirable side effects, manifested with varying degrees of intensity – depending on the size of the dosage used and the degree of sensitivity of the body. The most common side effect of sleeping pills is a bitter aftertaste after taking the pill.

Other negative effects of the drug that affect the mental state are:

  • Anterograde amnesia, which may worsen with increasing dosage
  • Behavioral disorders, possible impaired consciousness, somnambulistic state, irritability, increased aggressiveness and anxiety
  • Physical and mental dependence that occurs even with small doses of drugs; after discontinuation of pills – rebound insomnia syndrome
  • The state of euphoria, excitement, headaches, tremors, tingling on the skin, speech disorders, muscle cramps, depression
  • Confusion, unusual dreams and hallucinations, distraction, drowsiness (most often in elderly patients)
  • Sex drive disorder.

In addition to changes in the psychoemotional state, sleeping pills can cause other unwanted reactions of the body:

  • CVS: heart palpitations
  • Skin: rash, itching, increased sweating, acute bullous damage to the dermis and mucous membranes, Lyell’s syndrome, erythema multiforme
  • Immune system: urticaria, Quincke’s edema, anaphylasia
  • Respiratory system: shortness of breath, dyspnea
  • Gastrointestinal tract: bad breath, difficulty digestion, nausea, dry mouth, vomiting, diarrhea / constipation, loss of appetite (increased or decreased), plaque in the tongue
  • Metabolism: weight loss
  • Locomotor system: a feeling of heaviness in the arms and legs, muscle weakness
  • Organs: double vision, amblyopia
  • Manifestations of a systemic effect on the body: muscle weakness, asthenia, fever, fatigue, lethargy, severe sweating.

If these or other unnamed side effects of the substance appear, zopiclone should be contacted by your specialist to determine further actions. It is extremely undesirable to interrupt treatment on your own, as an incorrect refusal can provoke withdrawal syndrome (manifests itself in the form of insomnia, muscle pain, changes in the psyche and behavior, nightmares, tachycardia, headaches, delirium).

Severe forms of the syndrome are accompanied by depersonalization, impaired limb sensitivity, photophobia, intolerance to loud sounds and tactile contacts. Some patients have cramps.

Sedative should not be used when:

  • Hypersensitivity to any of the contained components
  • Respiratory disorders
  • Aproe at night
  • Myasthenia gravis (muscle weakness due to impaired neuromuscular transmission)
  • Liver diseases, any form of functional insufficiency (chronic, acute)
  • Pregnancy (especially in 2.3 tr.), Lactation
  • Under the age of 18.

Precautionary measures

During the course, Zopiclone must refrain from dangerous activities (driving, controlling complex mechanisms), which require composure and speed of reaction.

Overdose

The use of sleeping pills requires compliance with the recommended dosages, since taking overdoses of Zopiclone can be fatal.

An overdose after accidental or deliberate taking of a large number of tablets is reflected primarily in the state of the central NS, causing the patient from drowsiness to coma.

Severe forms of supersaturation with sleeping pills are manifested by muscle weakness, hypotension, respiratory depression, up to death.

Measures to eliminate overdose are determined not only by the severity of the condition, but also by the time of taking the drug. If about an hour has passed since the poisoning, then the patient needs to rinse the stomach, induce vomiting in order to rid the body of the drug that has not yet been absorbed, then give adsorbents to drink.

Severe forms of overdose, which require supportive and symptomatic treatment, are eliminated in a hospital setting. Dialysis is not used, since the active substance is distributed over all tissues of organs. Perhaps the appointment of Flumazenil – a drug with the opposite effect. In case of appointment, aggravation of neurological disorders is possible.

Drug interaction

If during the administration of Zopiclone the patient is forced to use other medications, then possible interaction with a joint course must be taken into account.

  • Alcohol: enhances the sedative effect of sleeping pills from the benzodiazepine group.
  • Rifampicin reduces the plasma content of Zopiclone by activating its metabolism by the liver. If you need to combine these drugs, careful monitoring of the action of Zopiclone is required.
  • It is extremely undesirable to combine a sedative with drugs that suppress the functioning of the central nervous system: tranquilizers, other sleeping pills, drugs with morphine, barbiturates, antiepileptic drugs, drugs for anesthesia, antihistamines, etc. The simultaneous use of drugs with similar properties enhances the inhibition of not only the nervous system, but also adversely affects respiratory activity, as a result of which the patient may die.
  • Combination with narcotic painkillers enhances euphoric sensations and thereby increases the risk of addiction, accelerating the formation of dependence.
  • When zopiclone is metabolized, cytochrome CYP3A4 is involved, so this should be considered when taking with drugs with the same features of the metabolic process.

Analogs

If there is a need to choose analogues or substitutes for Zopiklon sleeping pills, you need to consult with your doctor. Possible synonyms of Zopiclone: ​​Somnol, Zolinoks, Milovan.

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