Zopiclone

Medication name

Zopiclone ("ZOP-i-cloan")
Brand name

Zimovane® ("ZI-mo-vayn")
Medication type

Non-benzodiazepine hypnotic medicine (also sometimes called a ‘Z drug’)

Tablets: 3.75mg and 7.5mg strengths

If you are 18 or over, your doctor can prescribe zopiclone for you as a licensed medicine for the short-term treatment of insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep).

Zopiclone should always be prescribed at the lowest effect dose for the shortest possible time.

If you are under 18, a specialist doctor may still consider this as a treatment option.

Read our guide to sleep problems

About zopiclone

The brain naturally releases chemicals (or ‘neurotransmitters’) which have a calming effect. One of these chemicals is called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA.)

Zopiclone boosts the effectiveness of GABA by attaching to the parts of the brain where GABA normally works. This helps to calm the brain, helping you to get to sleep.

Zopiclone should be used alongside other ways of improving your sleep yourself. Don’t just rely on your medication to help you sleep.

When you are a teenager, your body clock shifts later, meaning you may find it hard to fall asleep at the same time as the rest of your family. If you are lying awake for hours, trying to fall asleep, try going to bed a bit later, until you are regularly falling asleep quickly. Don’t spend lots of time lying in bed when you’re not trying to sleep.
Make sure you get as much natural light as possible in the daytime, especially first thing in the morning. It can help to get some exercise as well.
Make your bedroom as dark, quiet, cool, and non-stimulating as possible.
Turn the brightness down on any screens in the evening and stop using your phone or tablet at least an hour before bed.
Charge your phone anywhere but in your bedroom.
Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (even at the weekends). Avoid regular, long lie-ins as they can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
Build a calm bedtime routine and use relaxation strategies to help you wind down.

If you can’t get to sleep, try not to give yourself a hard time about it. Get up, do something relaxing for a few minutes, and then try again.

Get more tips on our guide to sleep problems

Zopiclone and everyday life

Zopiclone starts to work very quickly in your body. You should start to feel sleepy soon after taking it.

Your weight should not be affected by zopiclone.

A common side effect of zopiclone is a dry mouth. Over a long time, this can increase your risk of developing tooth decay or gum disease. Make sure you brush your teeth well and have regular dental check-ups. Speak to your dentist, doctor or pharmacist about things you can do to help.

You may want to let your family and friends know you are taking zopiclone so they can support you and help you look out for side effects.

For guidance on this, check out our page on getting support with your medication.

Zopiclone is prescribed to help improve your sleep, so should make you feel sleepy and make it easier to get to sleep and stay asleep after taking it.

It is important to continue following other advice to help improve your sleep alongside zopiclone.

Zopiclone can affect your recent memory, especially if you do not go to bed just after taking it, or if your sleep gets interrupted. Make sure that you can get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep if you are going to take zopiclone.

Some people have reported doing things like walking, preparing food, making phone calls, having sex and even driving while they were not fully awake. They do not remember doing these things after they wake. If you take zopiclone with alcohol, or with other medicines for mental health conditions like antidepressants, this is more likely to happen. If this happens to you, go back to your doctor to try another medicine.

Zopiclone is not expected to make you feel sleepy the following day, but if it does (or if it makes it more difficult for you to get to sleep or gives you strange nightmares) and this is a problem for you, you should go back to your doctor as soon as possible.

When you stop taking zopiclone you may experience ‘rebound insomnia’. This means your sleep might be worse and you might get more vivid dreams immediately after stopping it, but this should improve again. If it doesn’t, discuss this with your doctor.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol if you are taking zopiclone is not recommended as this is likely to make you very sleepy. Zopiclone may lower your tolerance to alcohol and you may experience more side effects which could be dangerous.

If you need to drive a car, ride a bike, or use machines at work, taking alcohol and zopiclone together could impair your ability to do this safely and be dangerous to yourself and others.

Drinking alcohol every day, or in large amounts, can disrupt your sleep and make your symptoms worse.

Street drugs

It is very easy, and serious, to overdose with any combination of zopiclone and drugs. Any combination could be very dangerous.

Using cannabis with zopiclone could make you feel sleepier. You could go into a deep sleep and find it is harder to wake up.

Cannabis and other drugs may have their own side effects on your mental health, like anxiety or psychosis.

Using heroin or methadone with zopiclone may make you feel sleepier. You could go into a deep sleep and find it harder to wake up.

There are many other street drugs, but we don’t know what effect taking them with zopiclone will have, so it’s best to be cautious. There is no regulation of street drugs or ‘legal highs’, so even if there are no known issues with the medication you take, the supply you receive might be mixed with other substances that could be dangerous.

Get more advice on our drugs and alcohol guide.

Zopiclone does not mix well with some other medicines, including herbal remedies. It may affect the way in which they work or could cause more side effects. Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications, including over-the-counter medicines for common illnesses and things you put on your skin.

You should be very careful if you take zopiclone with other medicines that can cause sedation, especially medicines for pain relief that contain opioids (for example dihydrocodeine or morphine). When combined, these medicines may make you extremely sedated or could affect your breathing. Your doctor will monitor this carefully if you are prescribed these medicines together.

Always tell the pharmacist that you are taking zopiclone if you buy any medicines from a pharmacy.

Look at the leaflet inside your medicine box for more information about other medicines that can interact with citalopram. With some medicines your doctor may need to adjust the dose of your medicines if you take them together. Ask a doctor or pharmacist for more information if you have any questions.

Try not to drink caffeine drinks (like coffee, cola or energy drinks) while you are taking zopiclone.

Caffeine has the opposite effect of zopiclone in your body and could stop it from working so well.

Caffeine can cause anxiety and sleep loss. Stopping these drinks might help to improve your symptoms.

The tablets may not be suitable for you if you have problems eating some sugars or dairy foods, as they contain lactose.

Some zopiclone tablets contain wheat starch. People with coeliac disease can take these tablets, but people who have an allergy to wheat cannot take them.

Always let your pharmacist know if you have any food allergies or intolerances, and always check with them if you’re concerned about any of the ingredients in your medication.

If you need to avoid animal products, please note that non-active ingredients used in the production of medicines may sometimes be of animal origin. Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about the ingredients.

Further information about practical considerations for medicines if you need to avoid animal products can be found on the Vegan Society website.

Do not drive a car or ride a bike just after you start taking zopiclone.

Taking zopiclone may make you feel tired, dizzy or confused, and may give you double-vision when you start taking it, even on the following day. Even if you don’t feel tired, it could affect your ability to make quick decisions. These effects are made much worse if you drink alcohol whilst taking zopiclone.

This could affect you if you drive a car, ride a bike, or do anything else that needs a lot of focus.
If you are not sleeping well, this could also make driving dangerous for yourself and other people.

For these reasons, you should not ride a bike or drive a car until you know how you will be affected.

Most people drive as normal while taking zopiclone. If you are worried about this or have any concerns you would like to discuss, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

Pregnancy

If you become pregnant while you are on zopiclone, you should carry on taking it and make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible. They can discuss the benefits and risks of continuing zopiclone and help you to make a decision that is best for you and your baby.

They may refer you to a specialist perinatal mental health team to support you with this decision.

You can find out more information about taking zopiclone during pregnancy at Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy).

Untreated illness can also be harmful to you and your developing baby, so decisions about medication when you are pregnant need to be discussed carefully with your doctor. If you and your doctor agree that zopiclone has more benefits than risks, you should tell your midwife. If you are planning to get pregnant, it is recommended that you take folic acid while you are trying for a baby and during pregnancy. It is safe to take this together with zopiclone.

Post-natal

Some newborn babies whose mothers take zopiclone during pregnancy can get withdrawal symptoms at birth and soon after, like breathing difficulties, muscle weakness or blow body temperature.

Let your midwife know if you are taking zopiclone, so that they can help if the baby has any symptoms at birth.

Breastfeeding

Zopiclone is passed to the baby in breastmilk in small amounts.

If your baby was born early or has any health issues, then breastfeeding while you are taking zopiclone may not be recommended. Talk to your midwife and doctor about feeing options.

If you breastfeed while taking zopiclone, seek urgent medical advice if your baby becomes restless, very sleepy or develops feeding problems.

Sex

Zopiclone can have side effects that might affect your sex life. These include not feeling like you want to have sex. This might happen because of the side effects zopiclone can cause like headaches, dry mouth or feeling tired.

Most side effects happen when you first start taking your medication and get better over time. If you are worried about this, speak with your doctor.

Untreated illness can have a negative effect on your sex life, so if zopiclone helps you to recover, positive effects can include improving your desire, experience and enjoyment of sex as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again.

Fertility

There is no evidence that zopiclone will affect your fertility. Talk to your doctor about your zopiclone and alternative choices of medication if you are trying to get pregnant or planning a family.

Zopiclone is not a banned substance in sport.

Most people play sports as normal whole taking zopiclone, but if zopiclone affects your concentration, eyesight or co-ordination, then you may want to wait to see if those effects go away before playing sports that need a lot of focus. If you have any concerns, discuss this with your doctor.

Zopiclone will help you to sleep better, which might have a positive impact on how you play sports in the long term.

Zopiclone may affect your concentration, give you double vision or make you feel dizzy and tired.

Ideally it’s best not to take or stop taking zopiclone fir the first time just before your exams.

It is not possible to predict how the medication will make you feel, and if you do get any side effects, these are more likely to occur when you first start taking zopiclone.

You should talk to your doctor about any future exams if you are starting zopiclone. You might decide together to delay starting it until you have done them.

If they are more than a month away, however, you might find that it is better to start zopiclone to improve your sleep, motivation and ability to study.

Try to avoid caffeinated drinks whilst taking zopiclone as they stop zopiclone from working.

Most people take exams as normal whole taking zopiclone, but if you have any concerns, discuss this with your doctor.

Information and safety considerations

Your doctor will consider any other medical conditions or symptoms you have before recommending a medicine for you.

Your medicine will come with a ‘patient information leaflet’. It’s important that you read this information. Speak to your pharmacist if:

you’re not given a leaflet
you don’t understand the information
you need it in a different format or language
you’re concerned about something you’ve read

The information leaflet also includes a list of warnings and precautions to consider before you take the medicine. If you think that any of these apply to you and are concerned that your doctor is not already aware of them, check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start to take your medication (or as soon as possible if you are already taking it).

Uses, warnings, safety and side effects

Taking zopiclone

Usually zopiclone is not taken for more than two to four weeks. Some people take zopiclone for a very short time (two to five days). You and your doctor should talk about how long you need to take zopiclone.

People can become dependent on the effects of zopiclone if they take it for more than a month, and then when they stop, they are more likely to get withdrawal symptoms.

You will get the best effect from zopiclone if you take it at the dose prescribed by your doctor.

Zopiclone should be swallowed whole with a glass of water just before going to bed.

Zopiclone should be taken at the lowest dose possible for the shortest possible time.

You may agree with your doctor not to take it every night, but perhaps every other night, so you do not get into the habit of taking it.

If you can make sure that you get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, you will probably experience fewer side effects the next day.

If you forget to take a dose before bedtime, take it as soon as you remember or wait and take the dose the next night. Do not try and catch up by taking a double dose the following night.

You must allow yourself between seven and eight hours of sleep after taking it.

If you forget to take your tablets for a few days, and you have only been taking them for less than one month, you should not get any withdrawal symptoms.

If you have taken zopiclone regularly or just as needed for less than four weeks, you should be able to stop it straight away, although your doctor may recommend you reduce the dose gradually over a few days or a week.

However, stopping zopiclone too quickly may cause withdrawal or rebound symptoms.

Zopiclone is not likely to give you withdrawal symptoms if you have been taking it for less than four weeks, but some people do experience this.

If you have taken zopiclone regularly for longer than four weeks, it is more likely you will experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop it suddenly.

Some of the symptoms you get may be the same or similar to symptoms you had when you were unwell, so understandably, you might feel anxious or upset that problems you had with sleep might be returning.

You might get any of the following symptoms:

rebound sleeplessness
muscle pain or aches or cramps
anxiety
shaking
sweating
feeling agitated or confused or panicky or irritable
headache
fast heartbeat
feeling strange or having nightmares or hallucinations (sensing things that are not there)
uncomfortable feelings in your stomach and gut

In serious cases you could also get the following:

feeling unreal in yourself
feeling apart from who you really are
feeling very sensitive to certain sounds
numbness and tingling of fingers and toes
being very sensitive to light, noise and physical contact
hallucinations
having seizures or fits

Even when zopiclone is stopped gradually, you may get some rebound symptoms:

your original sleeplessness may return
you might feel mood changes
you might feel anxious
you might feel restless

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, go back to your doctor for advice.

Warnings and safety

If you have taken more than the dose prescribed by your doctor, contact NHS 111 immediately to ask for advice, or ask a family member or friend to do this for you. This is important even if you don’t feel any different.

NHS 111 can give you advice and direct you to the best place to get more help if you need it.

If you have taken too much medication on purpose, or if after taking this you quickly feel unwell, call 999 or get someone to take you to A&E straight away. This includes if you have symptoms such as feeling drowsy or sleepy, feeling or being sick, changes in your heart rate or breathing.

If you have taken zopiclone with other drugs, including alcohol, you could get more serious side effects. Get help quickly and tell the doctors everything you have taken.

If you need to go to A&E, do not travel alone or drive yourself there. Get your parent, family member or friend to go with you to support you and keep you safe on the way. If someone is not able to drive you there, call for an ambulance. Take your medication with you and tell doctors how much you have taken.

You might get any of the following signs:

feeling extremely drowsy
feeling sleepy
passing out
feeling shaky (tremor) or dizzy
feeling unsteady and not being able to keep your balance
changing blood pressure (this might mean you feel dizzy when you stand up)
changes in your heart rate
feeling or being sick
headache
feeing disorientated or confused
difficulty breathing
bluish skin, lips or nails

Suicidal thoughts

While uncommon, zopiclone can sometimes cause you to have thoughts about hurting yourself or taking your own life.

If you have any thoughts like this, it is important you get urgent help. Contact your doctor immediately for advice and support. This could be your GP or specialist mental health team. If you are able, share how you are feeling with family member or friend as well so they can support you to get help.

If you discussed with your doctor what to do if you get these thoughts and created a safety plan, read this to remind you who to contact for support and what you can do to help you cope.

Read our guide to suicidal feelings

Serious side effects

Zopiclone can cause rare but serious side effects, including allergic reactions.

Stop taking zopiclone and go to a hospital straight away if you get any of the following symptoms:

difficulty breathing or swallowing
swelling of your face or throat
swelling of the hands, feet or ankles
an itchy lumpy rash or nettle rash

Get your parent, family member or friend to take you or go with you to support you and keep you safe on the way. If someone is not able to drive you there, call for an ambulance. Take your medication with you.

Contact your doctor immediately but don't stop taking zopiclone, if you get any of the following symptoms:

depression (low mood)
restlessness, agitation, irritability, aggressiveness, violent anger, hallucinations, personality changes (this reaction can be more likely in children and young people but is still rare)
sleeping difficulties, nightmares
feeling that you are becoming reliant on zopiclone and finding it difficult to stop
a feeling of wellbeing for no reason
memory loss or forgetfulness
sexual arousal, abnormal behaviour, or false beliefs
unexplained bleeding and/or bruising
increased risk of infections e.g. frequent sore throats, mouth ulcers, weakness and pale skin
confusion, numbed emotions
symptoms of jaundice like yellowing of the skin, eyes, nose, mouth, pale coloured faeces (poo) and dark coloured urine
skin problems such as rashes and inflammation

If you are unable to contact your doctor, call NHS 111 for urgent advice.

Side effects and your health

Side effects are more common when you first start taking a new medicine. Many go away as you continue your medicine. If they don’t get better, or if you are worried by them and they are causing you distress, speak to your doctor, specialist team or pharmacist about them.

Common side effects (affecting up to one in ten people) include:

sleepiness – take it just before going to bed
a mild bitter or metallic taste in your mouth
dry mouth

There are other side effects that you can get when taking this medicine. We have only included the most common ones here.

This list of side effects can look scary. You may not experience any of them, but it’s important to be aware of them so you know what to do if they do happen.

Unless your side effects are very severe or distressing, try to continue taking your medication until you can talk to your doctor. Your doctor can make changes to your medication to help if needed.

There is no additional monitoring routinely recommended with zopiclone.

Very rarely zopiclone can affect your liver.

Your doctor may recommend additional checks depending on any other medical conditions you have or if you get any side effects from your medicine. This can include a liver function test. A blood test will be needed to check this.