Sleeping Pills
Sleeping Pills are a quick and easy fix for insomnia. There are plenty of pills available, over the counter and prescription pills are supple. Knowing what your choices are and how they can benefit you is very important but it is also important to understand the drawbacks too.
Way back when, sleeping pills were always used to treat insomnia but today they would be considered for short term insomnia but not for chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia is ongoing insomnia that persists for one month or more. Sleeping pills are not considered for chronic insomnia because they have side effects and they lose their efficiency after they are taken for any length of time.
Benzodiazepines would include Ativan, Xanax, Restoril, and Dalmane. Their job is to promote sleep and they do so by suppressing the activity of the brain. These have been known to be effective for treating short term insomnia as they reduce the amount of time that it takes to fall asleep, they decrease the number of times that one awakes during the night, and also allows the user to sleep longer.
It would be fair to say that this classification of drugs has about the same effect but they are not the same when defining how long each remains in the system. Those that remain in the system longer have a tendency to make people feel sluggish and tired the next day.
Like most medicines Benzodiazepines can be of value if they are used judiciously. They should only be used as a treatment for short-term insomnia that lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, e.g., if sleep is temporarily disturbed by a stressful event, a medical problem, or jet lag.
Benzodiazepines should always be used for a very short period of time. Taking them for a long time can cause many problems and people risk becoming dependant upon them. People actually get to the point where they believe that they can’t fall asleep without them. They can also result in rebound insomnia and anxiety problems.
Benzodiazepines lose their effectiveness as well. Newer-generation non-benzodiazepine sleeping pills such as Ambien offer multiple advantages over traditional benzodiazepines. Ambien does not accumulate in the system after repeated usage; it kicks in about thirty minutes and has very minimal side effects. There is a very low risk for abuse than with the benzodiazepines.
Regardless of the sleep aid that you decide on there are a few rules of thumb when you are taking any type of sleeping pills. Use the smallest possible dose and do not use it for more than two to three weeks at a time. You should not use a sleeping pill more than two to three times per week. Use cognitive-behavioral techniques in conjunction with sleeping pills so that you can taper the use of sleeping pills over time.
The benefits and risks associated with sleeping pills have been a controversial topic for decades. People that use sleeping pills regularly allow themselves to become vulnerable to a multitude of medical risks. New and improved sleeping pills are hitting the market all the time. While it is true that the sleeping pills that are offered and prescribed today do not carry the same properties that can cause dependence, there are other risks to consider. People that have certain medical conditions are at a higher risk especially those with liver and kidney disease.
Lunesta is a relatively new sleeping pill that has been released to the marketplace but if you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, depression, lung disease, or a condition that affects metabolism. While it is also true that Lunesta is the sleeping pill that can be taken for the longest period of time you should also know that stopping the drug suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, unusual dreams, stomach and muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and shakiness.
Rozerem is also a prescription sleeping pill that many like but there are drawbacks involved such as those who have a history of kidney or respiratory problems, sleep apnea, or depression. Rozerem is not like to cause dependency but it can have some adverse effects if mixed with alcohol.
Sonata can also be habit forming and should not be taken by anyone that has severe liver impairment, is pregnant or has a history of depression, liver or kidney disease, or respiratory conditions.
Ambien has a tendency to not be quite as effective if it is taken for longer than two weeks. Those with a history of depression, liver or kidney disease, or respiratory conditions should also not take Ambien without the permission from their physician.
How a drug is going to effect a person depends on many things such as the amount that is taken at one time, the user’s past drug experience, the manner in which the drug is taken, and the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user’s psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).
With tranquilizers when taken as prescribed they will relieve anxiety, induce a loss of inhibition and a feeling of well-being. Some people though report lethargy, drowsiness, or dizziness. Mostly, there are very few side effects. Obviously if the dose of a tranquilizer is increased the sedation will too and if it is decreased it would do the opposite. Normally for the elderly or people that have certain diseases they will be given the lower dosages.
The risk of dependency increases if tranquilizers are taken regularly for more than a few months but in some cases it does not take that long at all. Once benzodiazepines are stopped one should expect some degree of withdrawal. Some benzodiazepines slowly eliminate from the body while others such as Valium take a bit longer to disappear.