The big sleep: Canada's dangerous love affair with tranquillizers

[S.J.B.]

The big sleep: Canada's dangerous love affair with tranquillizers
Sharon Kirkey
canada.com
July 12th, 2012

Public angst over the abuse of painkillers is overshadowing what Canadian researchers say is an even more pressing problem: the nation's growing love affair with sleeping pills.

The number of prescriptions dispensed for benzodiazepines and other sedatives jumped to more than 20 million in 2011, from 16.4 million in 2006, according to market research firm IMS Brogan.

Use of one drug alone — zopiclone, one of the so-called "Z" drugs — nearly doubled over the same period, from 2.9 million prescriptions, to five million in 2011.

Prescriptions are mounting as new and controversial research from Canada and the U.S. is tying sleeping pills to an elevated risk of an early death.

The drugs are intended for occasional, short-term use only, but observers say it's not uncommon for doctors to hand over prescriptions for a month's supply, with six or 12 repeats, increasing the risk of dependence and, in the case of benzodiazepines, potentially "horrendous" withdrawal.

Read the full story here.

Has anyone here tried zopiclone? Any recreational value?

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

You will find varying opinions on this, as you will concerning the recreational potential of benzodiazepines (which, basically in effect, the Z drugs are), but most agree that the Z drugs offer recreation at least if combined with another depressant; don't do this though, its very dangerous. The withdrawal is extremely painful. I know.

Of course these drugs are cash cows. In a world evermore complicated and on the verge of destruction, ridiculously addictive "sleep medication" offers a protective carapace.

 

[RobotRipping]

zopiclone is quite popular in Canada, not as a recreational drug but as a prescription. I bet most of the people who take it every night for sleep don't even know what it is. Everyone i've ever seen prescribed z-drugs and benzos do not get short term prescriptions, they get a constant supply. It's kind of hard to get benzos prescribed in the first place but once you do, you are set.

i like how the article mentions Seroquel too.

 

[paranoid android]

Many people who i know that take zopiclone don't have a clue that it is like a benzodiazepine and alot don't even know that it can cause dependency. It is very popular here in my part of Atlantic Canada and would be the most commonly prescribed hypnotic. Id say the second most popular one here would be temazepam but doctors have unfortunately caught on that people like temazepam alot (or atleast some people like me do ) so they are far more hesitant to prescribe it now then in the past.

Benzodiazepines are very popular here and you can find a very wide variety if you know the right people. I would say that lorazepam, clonazepam and valium would be the top 3 prescribed ones where i live. Doctors hand them out like candy to older people who can't sleep or have chronic pain because it shuts them up and a patient tends not to complain nearly as much if they are all mellowed out on benzos. I have also noticed that women tend to get them prescribed far more then men and in higher doses but then again there are some very chauvinistic doctors around here

As for if zopiclone has any recreational potential in my opinion it does especially if combined with a benzo. Zopiclone and temazepam was a favorite combo of mine back in the day. This can be a dangerous mix however as you can become rather confused and do stupid shit like fall, roll down over the stairs and end up crashing through the bathroom door at the bottom of the steps. Fun times 8( . Also if you take too much zopiclone you can become delirious much like if you take too much zolpidem though it's not nearly as bad for causing this side effect. By the way zolpidem is now on the Canadian market in the form of sublinox a sublingual tablet.

 

[Doctor_Ew420]

I have only known 2 people in Canada that take zopiclone. I really wish it didn't leave the flavour of a metal smelting factory in my mouth, I would love a drug that knocks me out like that.

I can definitely agree that there are A LOT of benzo prescriptions around. It is rather easy for me to find clonazepam and diazepam. Ever since I was 15!

I have been offered benzo prescriptions for clearly off label issues. I know people who take clonazepam for depression (??) I know one man who is prescribed 300 - 1mg clonazepam per month. He doesnt use more than 60-80 pills from each fill so he has a dresser drawer pretty much filled with clonazepam. Since most people get prescriptions for $2 regardless of size, he sees no problem with accepting so many pills when he would just pay the same price for less anyway. Also, benzos are a good thing to have around for many reasons.