Last Updated:

January 30th, 2026

Zopiclone addiction: Signs, symptoms and side effects

Zopiclone is a sleeping pill for treating severe insomnia. It is available on the NHS and is often considered safer than older sedatives like benzodiazepines. However, you can become addicted to zopiclone within weeks of regular use, and this can lead to overdose, risky and unusual behaviours while you’re asleep, and long-term health complications. If you are taking zopiclone and you can’t stop, you need to understand the life-threatening dangers of zopiclone addiction and begin treatment as soon as possible.

young woman suffring Zopiclone addiction

What is Zopiclone addiction?

Zopiclone addiction means an uncontrollable compulsion to use the drug, with harm already being caused to your health or other parts of your life. Zopiclone is designed for short two to four-week courses, usually for chronic insomnia. It is a very powerful sleeping pill, but the short recommended prescriptions are because the amounts of zopiclone that worked initially soon stop having any effect.

Zopiclone changes your brain chemistry, releasing GABA, the chemical that slows you down for sleep, into your brain. Regular zopiclone use, even for just a few days, tricks your brain into thinking that GABA production is being taken care of, so it stops doing that job itself.

This means if you quit or accidentally miss a zopiclone dose, there is suddenly a huge drop in GABA. You are then hit with a tidal wave of anxiety, insomnia, and even hallucinations and seizures. These are withdrawal symptoms, and they show that you have developed a Zopiclone dependence.

Withdrawal is enough to panic and take more zopiclone out of fear, and this can spill over into needing it throughout the day. It is not long before zopiclone abuse becomes your way of managing life’s difficulties, making you emotionally and psychologically dependent, too.

How can I spot zopiclone addiction signs?

Because zopiclone comes from your GP on the NHS, it feels safe, and with very careful use, it can be. The problem is that the line between safe use and dependency is so thin, and addiction denial can be strong even when loved ones can see there is a problem. If you are using zopiclone and people are telling you that they’re worried, look out for these zopiclone addiction signs:

  • Taking higher doses of zopiclone than prescribed or after you were supposed to stop
  • Switching doctors to get another prescription because your GP wouldn’t prescribe more
  • Taking zopiclone during the daytime, instead of just for sleep
  • Buying zopiclone online when legal prescriptions run out
  • Mixing zopiclone and other substances to sleep because zopiclone alone doesn’t work
  • Constantly tasting metal in your mouth from taking higher doses
  • Panicking when you count your tablets and realise you’re nearly out
  • Ignoring warnings from your GP about the dangers

young woman Zopiclone addiction

Why is zopiclone addictive?

The effect that zopiclone has on GABA release is the chemical basis of physical zopiclone dependence. But many people who become physically dependent are able to spot the signs, stop taking it, and never become fully addicted.

Here are some of the aggravating factors that often tip a solely physical dependence into a zopiclone sleeping pill addiction:

NHS availability creates false security
Zopiclone being available on the NHS can create a sense of safety for both patients and doctors. Repeat prescriptions may get approved with minimal oversight, and you may not be looking out for zopiclone addiction signs.
Taking zopiclone alone without other insomnia treatment
Chronic insomnia requires therapy and other forms of medical care to resolve the actual underlying cause, which is stopping you from sleeping. Relying solely on zopiclone means those deeper problems never get fixed, and you keep using zopiclone until and long after you’re addicted.
Rapid tolerance demands dose escalation
Zopiclone tolerance develops within days, and the obvious solution is to take more. Unlike benzos, where you might stay on one dose for months, zopiclone users almost always escalate quickly. This rapid escalation accelerates physical dependence and makes withdrawal more severe.
Desperation
Desperation can make long-term consequences like addiction feel irrelevant when you’re facing another night of insomnia and exhaustion the next day.

Zopiclone addiction and mental health links

Many people who can’t sleep have underlying anxiety disorders, depression, high stress levels or PTSD. Zopiclone masks symptoms at first, but the troubles addiction brings only make them worse later.

Zopiclone side effects and addiction dangers

Long-term zopiclone abuse creates escalating health damage. These are the specific dangers:

Zopiclone overdose
Zopiclone overdose depresses your central nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems. If you take too much zopiclone or at the same time as alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, it can trigger respiratory failure, and you can die. If you know somebody has been using zopiclone, and their breathing is abnormal or they won’t wake up, get them emergency medical help.
Zopiclone withdrawal
The most serious cases of zopiclone withdrawal can cause life-threatening seizures, dangerous depression, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts. Even less serious ones can cause acute anxiety, sweating, shaking, nausea, and severe rebound insomnia. Zopiclone withdrawal can be life-threatening, so under no circumstances should you attempt an unsupervised home detox.
Dangerous sleep behaviours
Zopiclone triggers complex unconscious behaviours, often with total memory loss. People drive cars, causing accidents, injure themselves while sleepwalking, fall down stairs or even eat dangerous foods or drink household cleaning products. All of these have led to serious injury and death.
Memory impairment and dementia
Zopiclone abuse severely damages short-term memory and sometimes causes a condition called anterograde amnesia, where you can function as normal but don’t remember anything you have done. Long-term use may cause permanent cognitive damage and increase the chances of developing dementia.
Psychological problems
Long-term zopiclone misuse intensifies the anxiety and depression you may have been trying to escape. Some users also develop severe depression, suicidal thoughts, or complete emotional detachment, putting them at risk of self-harm.
Physical health complications
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to falls on zopiclone, causing serious injuries. Even without an acute zopiclone overdose, there is also a risk of respiratory depression, which increases with polydrug use.

Finding help for zopiclone addiction

Safe zopiclone withdrawal requires a medically planned and monitored prescription drug detox. Withdrawal can cause severe insomnia, anxiety, hallucinations, and seizures, so doctors usually taper your dose, and this can take weeks or even months sometimes. During early withdrawal, drug detox nurses or doctors should monitor constantly for any sudden changes.

Once detox completes, sleeping pill rehab explores what is driving your reliance on zopiclone. Different therapies will look at all the things explained above, like chronic anxiety, fear of insomnia coming back, and misconceptions about zopiclone safety. Once these issues have been resolved, relapse prevention planning and aftercare help with a safe transition back home.

You can also strengthen your own long-term recovery by joining local support groups, undergoing therapy for insomnia, and attending regular NA meetings.

This can be a lot to take in all at once, but Recovery.org can connect you with all the help you need. Contact us today, and we will go through all the support available to you so you can get started as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do people continue using zopiclone despite tolerance or side effects?
People often continue using zopiclone despite tolerance or unpleasant side effects because the drug becomes tied to their ability to sleep or feel calm. Once dependence develops, the fear of sleepless nights, rebound anxiety, or withdrawal symptoms outweighs the concern for long-term harm. Some also underestimate the risks, assuming that because Zopiclone is a prescription medication, it must be safe to use indefinitely.
Can you take zopiclone when pregnant?
This isn’t advised. Babies born to mothers using zopiclone can experience breathing problems, muscle weakness, and zopiclone withdrawal. Breastfed infants may become overly sedated and struggle to feed due to zopiclone in breastmilk. If you are pregnant and struggling with insomnia, ask your GP for alternative medicines or healthy sleeping solutions.
Why does zopiclone cause a metallic taste?
The metallic or bitter taste from zopiclone happens because the drug and its metabolites are excreted in saliva. This affects taste receptors on your tongue, creating the distinctive metallic sensation. The taste usually lasts several hours after taking zopiclone, and with higher doses or chronic use, it can become constant.

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