In the current times’ pressure of keeping pace with the advancing world, un-healthy lifestyle, lack of physical activity, and improper eating and sleeping habits have contributed a lot to many health issues and among all the concerns insomnia and anxiety have greatly affected almost every individual’s life at some point. Insomnia is a condition that affects the quality of sleep of an individual. One may find it hard to fall asleep or have frequent episodes of awakening, or one finds it hard to sleep at a stretch for 7 to 8 hours which is mandatory for a sound mind and body. Individuals buy different sleeping pills UKand zopiclone is one of the hypnotic drugs and will be discussed in detail in the following article.
ZOPICLONE:
Zopiclone belongs to the non-benzodiazepine pyrazolopyrimidine hypnotic class of the drugs. It is available in the market with the brand name Imovane. It belongs to the FDA (Food and drug association) approved group of drugs. Highly effective to help people with sleep disturbances commonly known as insomnia.
MECHANISM OF ACTION:
Zopiclone is a hypnotic medicine and it brings about its effect by selectively binding to the alpha subunit of the GABA-A omega-1 receptors present in the central nervous system and brings about the following pharmacological effects such as sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, muscle relaxant, and anti-convulsant. It also has some properties that match barbiturates but differs in the safety margin profile it has a much higher safety index than the barbiturates.
INDICATIONS FOR USE:
- Short-term treatment of insomnia. The patient is prescribed to buy Zopiclone 7.5 mg as it helps the patient in initiating sleep easily, having sound and uninterrupted sleep cycle. It is very effective when used for short durations for example 2 to 4 weeks. If used for longer durations, chances of developing addiction and tolerance are there which will reduce the efficacy of the drug and will lead to potential hazards.
- The treatment duration for cases of transient insomnia is 2 to 5 days.
- For patients having short-term insomnia, the medicine is taken for 2 to 3 weeks.
- Also administered to patients as a single dose one day before their surgery.
- To reduce anxiety as it has anxiolytic properties.
DOSAGE RECOMMENDATION:
- Proper consultation should be ensured prior to consuming this drug.
- One should thoroughly read the instruction leaflet that comes with the packaging to have a sound knowledge regarding the drug, and to comprehend the possible side effects and drug interactions one can have if he or she is already on some other medication.
- The recommended dose to treat insomnia is one tablet of 7.5 milligrams before bedtime. The dose should not exceed during a single night.
- However, in geriatric patients specifically above 65 years of age, the recommended dose is less than the adults and it is 3.75 milligram before going to bed.
DIRECTIONS TO USE ZOPICLONE:
- Dose Scheduling is done by the doctor so one must stick to the plan and it is better if one takes it twice or thrice a week to avoid maximum adverse effects.
- It is usually advised maximally for 4 weeks and should not be taken any longer as a body can develop a dependency on it and its efficacy also reduces.
- Any other drug abuse or alcohol consumption is forbidden as it will worsen the side effect where one sleepwalks or other paranormal activity.
- As the drowsiness also lingers the next day so any task that involves sheer attention must not be done such as driving or handling machines as it can be dangerous.
- The dosage is tapered off slowly not promptly to give the body enough time to cure itself completely of sleep-related concerns.
AVAILABLE FORMS:
It is available in the form of film-coated tablets and used via the oral route. Tablets of different strengths are available in the pharmacies such as 3.75 milligrams, 7.5 milligrams, 11.25 milligrams, and 15 milligrams respectively. Different strength is used for different extend of disease and as it is an approved but controlled drug, which means it is only provided by the pharmacists on the provision of an authentic prescription.
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Individuals dobuy zopicloneto help them with their insomnia but it is contraindicated under certain conditions and one should discuss all the history or the concern one has with the consultant to timely weigh the risk and benefit ratio prior to prescribing such a drug. Conditions under which it should not be the drug of choice are as follows:
- Lactating mothers
- Pregnant women
- Drug addiction history
- Any breathing difficulty or conditions such as asthma
- Sleep apnea
- Any mental health concerns
- Compromised liver
- Allergic to the medicine
- Myasthenia gravis
- Any muscle-wasting disease
- Deranged kidney functions
ADVERSE EFFECTS:
Every medicine along-with benefits also have some adverse effects, and adverse effects with zopiclone are as follows:
- Feeling drowsy or sleepy
- The feeling of being tired
- Risk of dependence
- Depression
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Dry mouth
- Altered taste sensations (having a bitter (dysgeusia) or metallic sort of taste)
- Rebound insomnia
- Amnesia
- Psychomotor impairment
- Psychiatric or paradoxical reactions
- Somnambulism (such as sleepwalking, sleep driving)
- Allergic manifestations (angioedema or anaphylaxis)
ZOPICLONE AS AN ANXIOLYTIC DRUG:
Zopiclone is structurally unrelated to benzodiazepine or barbiturates but has similar sedative and minimal anxiolytic properties. It does reduce anxiety as it lowers the overall brain activity and can be useful clinically to treat anxiety. Other options are also there in the market specifically for their anxiolytic properties and should be considered first if the main concern is anxiety. However, zopiclone as it is very effective in treating transient or short-term insomnia also reduces anxiety as it acts on the GABA receptors and brings about its pharmacological effects of sedation, hypnosis, and anxiolysis. It can also be considered for the treatment of anxiety as it has low toxicity than the other anxiolytic drugs such as benzodiazepines. The best drug to treat anxiety to date is a benzodiazepine, but it also has its share of health risks. So only a proper consultation and extensive history taking can help a clinician choose a perfect drug with maximum benefits and as minimum adverse effects as possible.
