Zopiclone

Zopiclone: Bitter Taste, Dependence and How to Sleep Without It Again

Zopiclone is a prescription-only sleeping tablet from the group of Z-drugs and is used for short-term, pronounced sleep problems. It reliably shortens the time it takes to fall asleep, but because of the risk of tolerance and dependence the SmPC intends it for a few weeks only. A bitter, metallic taste in the morning is typical — harmless, but the commonest reason why people want to come off the medicine again.

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Contents

  1. At a Glance: Technical Data Sheet
  2. How it works: what zopiclone does in the brain
  3. Dosing: as low and as short as possible
  4. Taking it: timing, the bitter taste, typical mistakes
  5. Side effects: hangover, memory gaps, falls
  6. Dependence and tolerance: why it should stop after 4 weeks
  7. Interactions: alcohol, sedating medicines, CYP3A4
  8. Coming off it: rebound insomnia and tapering properly
  9. Alternatives: what comes first according to the guideline
  10. Special situations: older age, pregnancy, kidneys and liver
  11. Zopiclone experiences: what patients really ask
  12. FAQ: Common questions about zopiclone

1. At a Glance: Technical Data Sheet

PropertyDetails
Active ingredientZopiclone
ATC codeN05CF01
Drug classZ-drug (a cyclopyrrolone), a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic
Dosage formsFilm-coated tablets of 3.75 mg and 7.5 mg
Half-lifeAround 5 hours; markedly longer in older people and where liver function is impaired
Maximum daily dose7.5 mg according to the SmPC; in older people and where there are kidney or liver problems usually 3.75 mg
Onset of effectAs a rule within about 30 minutes
Prescription statusPrescription-only medicine
Notable featureA bitter, metallic taste as the most typical side effect; according to the SmPC use it for as short a time as possible — a maximum of 4 weeks including the tapering phase
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2. How it works: what zopiclone does in the brain

Zopiclone belongs to the so-called Z-drugs — sleeping tablets whose substance names begin with "Z" and which are chemically not benzodiazepines but act on the same system. It strengthens the action of GABA, the brain's most important inhibitory messenger, by docking onto a particular site on the GABA-A receptor — the same binding site that benzodiazepines such as lorazepam use.¹ The result: the excitability of the nerve cells falls, you become tired and fall asleep faster.

The strengths and the problems of the substance follow equally from this mechanism:

  • A reliable aid to falling asleep: zopiclone shortens the time it takes to fall asleep and can reduce waking during the night — that is what it is licensed for, and it delivers that reliably in the first few weeks.
  • Tolerance: the brain adapts to the constant damping. After a few weeks the same dose works less strongly — and the temptation to increase it is the way into dependence.
  • A carry-over into the morning: with a half-life of around 5 hours zopiclone does act for a shorter time than many benzodiazepines, but long enough that after a late dose there is still some effect left the next morning — with consequences for concentration and fitness to drive.
  • The bitter taste: zopiclone and its breakdown products are partly excreted in the saliva. That is why many people taste a bitter, metallic flavour after taking it and still the next morning — unpleasant, but harmless.

Important for context: zopiclone treats the symptom, not the cause. Why you sleep badly — stress, pain, medicines, a sleep disorder (insomnia) as a condition in its own right — stays unanswered for as long as only the sleeping tablet is running.

3. Dosing: as low and as short as possible

The figures below describe what is in the SmPC. They are not a dosing instruction — whether and for how long zopiclone makes sense for you is decided by the treating practice.

  • Usual dose: 7.5 mg immediately before going to bed; in older people and where kidney or liver function is impaired, treatment starts at 3.75 mg according to the SmPC.
  • No increases: if the dose stops working, that is a sign of tolerance — the answer to it is a conversation with your practice, not a second tablet.
  • Duration of use: as short as possible. The SmPC gives an upper limit of 4 weeks — including the tapering phase.¹,² Single nights or a few days are the real field of use.
  • Not needed every night: some practices agree on intermittent treatment, in which the medicine is taken only on particular nights fixed in advance — that lowers the total amount and the habituation effect.

Behind this restraint lies a simple principle that doctors have fixed in their minds as a rule of thumb: a clear indication, the smallest effective dose, the shortest possible use, no abrupt stopping and no extension without a fresh assessment. Zopiclone is meant as a bridge through an acute crisis — not as a permanent solution for chronically poor sleep.

A repeat prescription is not a routine. When the second or third prescription is due, that is the right moment for the question: what is the plan for coming off it? An honest stocktake after 2 weeks is easier than a withdrawal after 2 years.

4. Taking it: timing, the bitter taste, typical mistakes

With zopiclone the timing decides whether the medicine helps or mainly ruins the next morning.

  1. Take it immediately before going to bed. Not "after the evening news, on the sofa" — the effect sets in after about 30 minutes, and activities carried out while it is starting to work encourage falls and memory gaps.
  2. Only take it if 7 to 8 hours of sleep are possible. Anyone who takes a tablet at 2 in the morning and has to get up at 6 is not fit to drive that morning.
  3. Not with or straight after a heavy meal. That can delay the onset of the effect — and it tempts people to "top up" with a second tablet.
  4. No second dose during the night. If you wake up in the night, do not take more — otherwise the residual effect reaches far into the day.
  5. Against the bitter taste: swallow the tablet whole with enough water. The metallic aftertaste in the morning can be eased by brushing your teeth, with chewing gum or with a glass of juice — while you are taking the medicine it will usually not disappear altogether.
Alcohol is off limits — including that one glass of wine. Alcohol strengthens the sedating action of zopiclone unpredictably: breathing, memory and muscle control suffer at the same time. The combination of "wine to wind down plus a tablet to get to sleep" in particular is a classic route into memory gaps and falls in the night. Background in the guide medications and alcohol.

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5. Side effects: hangover, memory gaps, falls

Zopiclone counts as well tolerated in the short term — the problems that matter arise from the residual effect in the morning and from how long it is used.

Very common to common

  • A bitter, metallic taste: by far the commonest side effect. It is harmless, disappears completely after stopping — and in surveys it is one of the commonest reasons why people break off the treatment.
  • A dry mouth and a furry feeling in the mouth.
  • A hangover in the morning: tiredness, drowsiness and slowed thinking, particularly after a late dose, at a higher dose and in older age.
  • Dizziness and an unsteady gait — on the way to the toilet at night, a serious risk of falling.

Rarer, but important to know about

  • Memory gaps (anterograde amnesia): events after taking it are no longer remembered. The risk rises if you do not go to sleep straight after the tablet.
  • Complex sleep behaviours: sleepwalking, eating, making phone calls or even driving while not fully awake — with no memory of it afterwards. Authorities such as the BfArM (Germany's federal institute for drugs and medical devices) and the European licence point expressly to this risk; alcohol and other sedating agents increase it.³
  • Paradoxical reactions: restlessness, irritability or aggression instead of calm — more common in older people.
  • Worsening of sleep apnoea: in sleep apnoea and other breathing problems the muscle-relaxing, breathing-depressing effect can become dangerous.
After episodes like these: have the treatment reviewed by a doctor at once. If you or those close to you notice night-time activities with no memory of them — sleepwalking, eating during the night, leaving the flat — zopiclone must not simply be carried on with. Speak to the prescribing practice without delay. How to record and report side effects is explained in the guide side effects of medications.

Fitness to drive: the morning after

Zopiclone impairs reaction time and attention — not only during the night but also the next morning. After a late dose, after the 7.5 mg dose in sensitive people or in combination with other sedating agents, driving the following day is risky and can count in law as driving under the influence of medicines. In the first few days of treatment particular care applies, until you know how you react. In detail in the guide medications and driving.

6. Dependence and tolerance: why it should stop after 4 weeks

Zopiclone causes dependence — not in everyone, not after three nights, but reliably enough that the SmPC limits its use to a few weeks. The risk rises with dose and duration and is particularly high in people who have had a dependence disorder before.¹

The mechanism is the same as with the benzodiazepines and can be described in three stages:

  • Tolerance: the brain turns its GABA sensitivity down. The accustomed dose works less strongly — often after just 2 to 4 weeks of taking it daily.
  • Physical habituation: without the medicine the turned-down system loses its balance. Restlessness, trembling, sweating and anxiety follow — and above all sleep that is worse than it ever was before.
  • Psychological dependence: the conviction that "I cannot sleep without a tablet" hardens — often more strongly than the physical component. Many of those affected take a low dose for years that pharmacologically barely works any more but seems indispensable as a ritual.

You may know the pattern from a quite different substance: with a decongestant nasal spray, continuous use means the nose no longer clears at all without the spray — the remedy creates the problem it is meant to solve. The guide nasal spray dependence describes this vicious circle; with sleeping tablets it runs by the same logic, only with more at stake.

Important for context: taking a low dose over the long term is not a weakness of character but a known, well-described consequence of how the substance works. Nor is it a reason for an abrupt stop — but for a planned, supported exit (section 8).

7. Interactions: alcohol, sedating medicines, CYP3A4

The critical interactions of zopiclone almost all follow one principle: anything that sedates on top of it or slows its breakdown increases the carry-over, the memory gaps and the depression of breathing.

CombinationConsequenceWhat to do
AlcoholUnpredictably increased sedation, memory gaps, falls, complex sleep behavioursAvoid it completely during the treatment
Benzodiazepines (e.g. lorazepam) and other Z-drugs such as zolpidemThe same mechanism twice over — an overdose effect, a raised risk of dependenceDo not combine; any switch only with medical support
Opioid painkillersIncreased depression of breathing and sedationCombine only where a doctor has expressly prescribed it that way
Sedating antidepressants and antihistaminesAdditive tiredness, a hangover lasting into the dayHave your overall medication checked at the practice or the pharmacy
CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g. erythromycin, clarithromycin, ketoconazole)Zopiclone is broken down more slowly, effect and side effects are increasedInform your practice; a dose adjustment may be needed
CYP3A4 inducers (e.g. rifampicin, St John's wort)Faster breakdown, a weakened effectAlways mention herbal preparations too
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The point that matters most in practice: many sedating agents are available over the counter — antihistamines "for travel sickness", herbal calming preparations, cold remedies with a sedating component. Taken together they make a cocktail that nobody would have prescribed that way. Check combinations in the guide to drug interactions or directly in the interaction check in the brite app.

8. Coming off it: rebound insomnia and tapering properly

The commonest mistake on the way out is stopping cold after taking it for a longer time — and the commonest trap is called rebound insomnia: after stopping, you sleep worse for a few nights than you did before the treatment. The brain, which has got used to the damping, overshoots in the opposite direction. Anyone who does not know about this reads it as proof ("so I do need the medicine after all") and starts again — and the circle closes.

  • Rebound is limited in time: the worsened nights as a rule last a few days to about two weeks — they are a transitional stage, not a permanent state.
  • After short use (a few days): stopping straight away is usually unproblematic — if in doubt, the practice decides.
  • After weeks to months: reduce step by step, for example by halving the dose and then leaving longer intervals between doses — the specific scheme is set by the treating practice.
  • After months to years: a slow, medically supported taper over weeks; at high doses an abrupt stop can in extreme cases trigger seizures.
  • Organise support: a fixed reduction plan, realistic expectations of the first few nights and a follow-up appointment make the difference between an attempt and a success.

What helps during the rebound nights: build up sleep pressure (go to bed later rather than earlier), get up at a fixed time in the morning, no naps during the day — and take the nights for what they are: temporary. The general principles for ending a course of medication are explained in the guide stopping medications.

The best time to come off it can be planned. For the last steps of the reduction, choose a week with no important commitments — not the week before an exam or a business trip. If you know that the first few nights will be bumpy, you do not have to sleep through them perfectly.

9. Alternatives: what comes first according to the guideline

The honest order of priority is set out in the German S3 guideline on insomnia in adults (DGSM, AWMF 063-003): the first choice for chronic sleep problems is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) — not a medicine.²,⁴ It combines sleep restriction, stimulus control and work on night-time rumination, and it works more durably than any sleeping tablet, because it takes apart the anticipatory fear of the sleepless night. Digital CBT-I programmes are available on prescription in Germany.

In terms of medicines, the comparison looks like this:

OptionStrengthsLimits
ZopicloneA reliable aid to falling asleep for a short periodTolerance and dependence after weeks, bitter taste, hangover
ZolpidemA shorter half-life, so it tends to leave less carry-overThe same mechanism, the same risk of dependence — no way out of the problem
Benzodiazepines (e.g. lorazepam)Also relieve anxietyA higher potential for dependence, a longer duration of action, more carry-over — for sleep problems alone rarely the first choice
MelatoninNo potential for dependence, licensed in the prolonged-release form for older peopleEffectiveness rather moderate, helps above all where the sleep rhythm has shifted
Sedating antidepressants (e.g. low-dose mirtazapine)No dependence, useful where there is accompanying depressionSide effects of their own (weight gain, daytime tiredness); used off-label, or only where the diagnosis fits
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Switching from zopiclone to zolpidem — or the other way round — does not, incidentally, solve the underlying problem: both Z-drugs act at the same receptor, and tolerance and dependence simply travel with you. An honest overview of all the options, including sleep hygiene, is given in the guide sleeping pills: what really helps?.

10. Special situations: older age, pregnancy, kidneys and liver

In older age zopiclone is a special case with a clear message: the 7.5 mg dose is on the PRISCUS 2.0 list of medicines regarded as potentially inappropriate for older people in Germany.⁵ The reason: the breakdown slows down, the substance goes on working for longer — and the combination of muscle relaxation, drowsiness and a trip to the toilet at night markedly increases the risk of falls and of a fractured neck of femur. If it is used at all in older age, it is at 3.75 mg and for a very short time. What to bear in mind about medication in older people generally is brought together in the guide medications in old age.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: zopiclone is not among the medicines of choice. The advisory centre Embryotox judges the data to be limited; taken towards the end of pregnancy it can lead to adaptation problems and poor feeding in the newborn.⁶ If you are pregnant or would like to become pregnant, talk to your practice about alternatives — the guide medications during pregnancy gives you your bearings.

Kidneys and liver: where liver function is impaired, zopiclone is broken down markedly more slowly — the SmPC provides for the lower dose here, and in severe liver failure it is not suitable. In advanced kidney failure the dose is lower as well. The basics on this are in the guide medications for kidney and liver disease.

Respiratory conditions: in severe COPD, untreated sleep apnoea and myasthenia, zopiclone is contraindicated or can be used only with great restraint — the effect on breathing weighs particularly heavily here.

11. Zopiclone experiences: what patients really ask

"The bitter taste is driving me mad — does it go away?"

While you are taking the medicine, usually not completely; afterwards, yes. The taste arises because the active substance is excreted in the saliva — so it is not a sign of intolerance but part of normal breakdown. It can be eased by taking the tablet immediately before lying down, by brushing your teeth thoroughly in the morning and with things that mask the taste, such as chewing gum or lemon water. For many people it turns out to be a useful ally: every morning it reminds them that the medicine is not meant to be a permanent arrangement.

"I have taken zopiclone every night for months — am I dependent now?"

Possibly, but that is no reason to panic — and certainly no reason to stop immediately. Typical pointers are: the effect has worn off, you no longer get to sleep at all without a tablet, the thought of a night without one makes you uneasy. The right way is an open conversation with your practice and a tapering plan worked out together. Abrupt withdrawal after months is unpleasant to risky and is usually the reason why attempts to come off it fail.

"Can I just take zopiclone every second or third night?"

Intermittent treatment agreed with your doctor can make sense, because it reduces the total dose and the habituation. Improvised on your own, though, it has its pitfalls: if you experience the "free" nights as a battle and the tablet as a reward, you are more likely to train the psychological dependence. What counts is a fixed plan — nights decided in advance instead of a spontaneous decision at 1 in the morning.

"Does half a tablet help against the hangover in the morning?"

A lower dose does indeed reduce the residual effect — which is why 3.75 mg is the strength provided for sensitive people and for older people. Whether half the dose still works well enough for you, and whether your tablets can be divided at all, is something to settle with your practice or your pharmacy. More important than the question of dose is often the timing: the later you take it, the more certain the hangover.

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FAQ: Common questions about zopiclone

The effect as a rule sets in within about 30 minutes. That is why the tablet is taken immediately before going to bed — and only when 7 to 8 hours of sleep are possible afterwards. A heavy meal shortly beforehand can delay the onset of the effect.
The active substance and its breakdown products are partly excreted in the saliva. That is where the typical bitter, metallic taste comes from, often still there the next morning. It is harmless, not a sign of intolerance, and it disappears completely after stopping.
According to the SmPC, for as short a time as possible, at most 4 weeks including the tapering phase. The reason: after a few weeks of daily use, tolerance and dependence develop. A longer course should only follow an explicit fresh medical assessment.
Yes, zopiclone can cause both physical and psychological dependence — including at a normal dose, if it is taken daily over weeks. Signs are a fading effect, restlessness without a tablet and markedly worse sleep when it is left out. Hence the rule: short use, a planned way out, no open-ended repeat prescription on your own initiative.
Only with care — and after a late dose, too short a night or in combination with alcohol, not at all. Zopiclone can still impair reaction time and attention the following day. In the first few days of treatment you should do without driving until it is clear how you react to the medicine.
Both are Z-drugs with the same mechanism at the GABA-A receptor. Zolpidem has a shorter half-life and tends to leave less carry-over; zopiclone acts a little longer and causes the bitter taste more often. On the risk of dependence there is nothing to choose between them — switching does not solve that problem.
After a few days of use usually yes, after weeks to months better not. Rebound insomnia and withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, trembling and anxiety are a real risk; after long use at a high dose, in extreme cases even seizures. The safe way is a step-by-step taper following a plan set by a doctor.
Zopiclone shortens above all the time it takes to fall asleep and can reduce waking in the first half of the night. It is no guarantee of sleeping through — and if you wake in the night, no second tablet may be taken, because the residual effect would otherwise reach far into the day. Persistent problems with staying asleep should be assessed medically.

Sources

  1. Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) for zopiclone (current version, available through the German medicines information system). pharmnet-bund.de
  2. S3 guideline on insomnia in adults (DGSM, AWMF reg. no. 063-003) — German source. awmf.org
  3. BfArM (Germany's federal institute for drugs and medical devices): risk information on zopiclone and the Z-drugs (among other things complex sleep behaviours and the potential for dependence) — German source. bfarm.de
  4. Gesundheitsinformation.de (IQWiG): Sleep problems and sleep disorders — treatment options. Accessed 2026 — German source. gesundheitsinformation.de
  5. PRISCUS 2.0 list: potentially inappropriate medication for older people — German source. priscus2-0.de
  6. Embryotox, Charité — German pharmacovigilance and advisory centre: zopiclone in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Accessed 2026. embryotox.de

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Medical disclaimer: This article is for general information and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. After taking zopiclone for a longer period, never stop it abruptly but only step by step under medical guidance, and do not combine it with alcohol or other sedating agents. If you have night-time activities you cannot remember, breathing problems or falls, contact your practice without delay. The choice of medicine and the dose are always set individually by the treating practice. Last updated: August 2026.