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Do you find yourself in the situation where you have to take a sleep aid like Zopiclone and an anxiety treatment like Diazepam at the same time and were thinking about using them together to get more relief?
It's a scenario that many people who suffer from insomnia and anxiety have to deal with. Both these medications have a very high potential for misuse because they act in the same way to practically shut down your brain but mixing them is not just a matter of getting higher effects; it's a great medical risk.
Even before contemplating the use of these two central nervous system depressants together, you must be well-informed about the serious and possibly life-threatening dangers posed by their interaction.
This guide will lead you step by step through the reasons why this combination is not safe and why direct communication with your doctor is the only way to go on.
Let's begin with a brief overview of these two drugs.
Zopiclone, which is frequently referred to as Zimovane, is one of the so-called 'Z-drugs'. It is mainly dispensed as a short-term solution for insomnia (sleep issues). It is a very potent hypnotic, which implies that it has a very short onset of action before sleep gets induced. Due to the possibility of addiction and tolerance, Zopiclone is generally not advised for longer than a couple of weeks.
In contrast, Diazepam, which is commonly referred to as Valium, is a member of the benzodiazepine class. It is a multipurpose medication that is prescribed for various conditions, such as anxiety, muscle spasticity, and even certain types of seizures. It has a similar mode of action and effect as Zopiclone; it essentially calms the brain down, thus producing a relaxing and sleep-inducing effect. Because of its addiction potential and withdrawal problems, Diazepam is usually prescribed for short time only.
The interaction between these two drugs has really high risk and it is because of their influence on the central nervous system (CNS), a brain and spinal cord.
Zopiclone and Diazepam are both classified as CNS depressants. To simplify, if the nervous system were a car, it would sometimes be racing over (anxiety, racing thoughts). The aforementioned medications work like an extremely powerful brake.
The drugs do this by increasing the effect of a natural chemical in the brain called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain which means it inhibits nerve signal communication by slowing it down. When GABA is enhanced with the help of Zopiclone or Diazepam drug, the activity of the brain is pretty much slowed down to the level of offering calmness, relaxation, and sleepiness.
The main point you need to remember is that they both operate using the same basic 'braking system' in the brain.
Now we get to the core of the issue. When Zopiclone and Diazepam are taken simultaneously, it means that one is practically making use of the whole 'brake' action, and this is very risky.
In the language of pharmacology, this situation is referred to as a synergistic effect. A synergistic drug interaction is one where the combined effect of two drugs is much greater than the sum of their individual effects. It's not the old mathematical formula 1+1=2; it's rather like 1+1=5.
The nervous system is being depressed by both drugs at the same time, and the effect might become so strong that it actually drives your body beyond the limit of safe sedation into total suppression of vital functions. This increased effect means that the side effects of both drugs are also tremendously amplified.
The most significant and life-threatening danger of mixing Zopiclone and Diazepam is respiratory depression.
The central nervous system is responsible for the control of breathing, and as such, it is imperative to note that both substances have CNS slowing or depressing effects; thus, they can have a very drastic effect on the breathing rate. The combination of these two drugs will give one the breathing rate multiplied, and the result of this is the person's breaths becoming very slow and shallow by a dangerously slow and shallow rate.
In extreme situations, the human body may become totally unresponsive to the act of breathing or the oxygen saturation in the body may get down to the critical level. Consequently, the following may occur:
Profound Sedation: The person would feel like really sleepy, disoriented and at times not able to stay awake.
Coma: The person would be in a state of unconsciousness and even drowsy.
Death: In case of the total stoppage of breathing and absence of immediate medical assistance, the person would die.
This is not merely a theoretical concern; it is a concrete reason why doctors are reluctant to prescribe these medications together so easily and when they do, that is always through careful monitoring.
Combining Zopiclone and Diazepam in the same treatment plan then, is not a good idea, as the combination will probably end up risking another not so serious, but immediate and heavy side effects as well.
The use of both drugs causes substantial meticulousness, coordination, and reaction time impairments. The severity of the impairment becomes intolerably high when the two are consumed together. The risk of falling and suffering a bad fracture or even a head injury is significantly increased, especially if you happen to get up to go to the bathroom at night. Driving and working with machines are among the activities where the risk of accidents becomes completely unacceptable.
The use of these sedatives together can extremely confuse you, make it difficult for you to think, and hinder your memory. Anterograde amnesia is one of the effects by which you may not remember things that occur while the drugs are in your system—this can even last for hours after intake.
Zopiclone and Diazepam are two drugs with dependence issues that are usually very hard to overcome. When they are prescribed separately, the risk is lessened if you take them for short periods. However, when they are combined the risk becomes more substantial and aggressive. If your body gets accustomed to these two potent sedative drugs, then withdrawal or tapering will push you into being severely and dangerously depressed, anxious, and insomnia-prone to the point of tremors and even seizures in the most serious cases.
When Zopiclone and Diazepam are taken together, the result is a very strong synergistic effect, which raises the chance of death from respiratory depression and nasty side effects to an alarming level. Always abide by the healthcare provider's recommendations and do not combine strong sedatives without their explicit directive. Your health is not worth the risk.