sleep tablets, do you get "hooked"?

[Jay95]

I'm having trouble sleeping  at the moment - mainly due to stress (sick family member who is in the ICU) and I've been recommended to try a certain sleeping tablet, but I'm worried it is something I will rely on to sleep at night and eventually get stuck on, like I won't be able to sleep without it. Anyone have an experiences with this sort of thing?

[Jay95]

The person who recommended it tells me to use it for up to 5 nights only, just worried thats all. 

[geoff]

dear Jay, well that's a good question, and in my opinion yes you can get hooked on them, as I know an elderly chap who has to take his sleeping tablet every night no matter what, so as soon as he wakes up during the night he gets up and takes the tablets, and I only know this because he tells me.

His wife has tried to hid them from him, but his constant nagging of where they are, she has now given up.

I did say 'in my opinion' because if it's something that you rely on every night, or perhaps some other medication that you take during the day, which doesn't include any medicines that you have to take or must take, then it becomes a necessary task to take this particular medication.

If you can find any other way to sleep that actually works then it's a preferable choice, but you will have to psych using the sleeping tablet out of your mind.

Let us know how you go or what you think. Geoff.

[Jay95]

thanks geoff

at the moment I'm getting 0 sleep on average, if i'm lucky maybe 2 or 3 hours. Which is harmful for a lot of reasons:

- Driving 

- Operating excavators etc at work 

- Definitely not helping my mental health! Pretty grumpy most of the time. 

I bought them. But I'm still conflicted, obviously lots of reasons to take them, lots of reasons not to, particularly the story you told me. But I guess everybody is different and if this is what I have to do, after trying everything else, maybe that's what I have to resort to in order to function safely and stay well. 

[geoff]

dear Jay, thanks for getting back to us, and I understand the situation you are in, it's like being 'catch-22'.

By not having much sleep will make you grumpy and agitated, so your caught chasing your own tail.

The tablets normally will only give you about 4 hours sleep, which isn't enough for a good night's sleep, unless you can still stay asleep, and because you mind is aware of your situation you will probably wake up.

Your doctor and/or pharmacist will only give you a limited amount, but there are other tablets which you can purchase off the shelf which 'say' they help with your sleeping, but perhaps I would ask your pharmacist.

There are also many 'old mother's tails' on the net, whether they work I don't know, but keep in contact and let us know how you go. Geoff.

[BK13]

Hi Jay,

there are a couple of things I have tried which have helped me sleep.  I don't know if you like teas but there is this fabulous tea called Pukka night time tea.  I have a cup of this and I am out like light - maybe not all night but it at least gets me some rest.  Contains: oat straw flower, licorice root, chamomile, lavender, limeflower, valerian root, tulsi leaf.  I got it from a local organic store but hopefully you can find a stockist near you.   I also spray my pillow with a mist of lavender, tangerine and ravensara oils.  Listening to relaxing music or meditation and mindfulness can help also.  I haven't tried this as I'm too impatient to wait for a bath to fill but a warm bath with essential oils may get your body in a more relaxed state and more open to the possibility of sleep.

I just think by reading your post, that if you do take the sleeping tablets, the stress you feel about taking them and the worry about the effects - may actually mean they dont work as well for you as they might!  

So i am suggesting alternative risk free methods, that you can take and use without fear or concern, if you believe that they can work or at least help, then they will.  Relaxing and not worrying can be one of the hardest things in the world, believe me I know.  You've obviously got a lot on your mind and I hope some of my suggestions are helpful.  Let me know how you go.

bk

[pipsy]

Hi Jay.  Just an opinion.  I too was 'hooked' on sleeping pills.  Bad mistake, you get too dependent on them.  The ones I was on were in conjunction with anti-depressants.  With all the pills I was on, plus the sleepers, I was having hallucinations.  I stopped all pills last year after an overdose.  I did purchase over the counter sleepers.  Still very little sleep at night, but Zombionic during the day.  It's taken some months, but I find if I don't do anything stimulating (I was doing crosswords, another bad mistake), in the evening, I go to bed after 10 p.m, sleep till about 4 - 5 a.m.  I've tried most things, warm milk, evening chocolate.  Sometimes, non- concentrational  t.v  programs  help.  Because I was on prescription sleepers, nothing worked.  Maybe something just to help relax you might help.  There is a Herbal treatment you can get, can't give you the name because the forum will be 'blocked'.  The more you 'force' yourself to sleep, the harder it becomes.  As Geoff said, it becomes 'catch 22'.  You will start to get sleep normally, it just takes time and patience.

Good luck, hope I've been of some help.

Regards Pipsy.

[BK13]

Hi again Jay,

maybe I am reading between the lines too much here, but were these tablets recommended to you by a friend, or a doctor?  Apologies if I've gotten it wrong but I just want you to be careful if you are taking advice and medication from friends.  Prescription medication (even over the counter medication) shouldn't be taken lightly. I'm sure you know all of this - but medications affect everyone differently and your doctor may have other advice or suggestions for you.  Your friend may have plenty of experience with taking the medications themselves but they aren't always one size fits all.  Please chat to your doctor if you haven't already - just want to make sure you are safe.

[BeeGee]

Hi Jay,

It sounds like the drug you are using belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines; this is the group that most traditional "sleeping pills" fall into, and they are definitely prescription only.

You should seriously only use these in consultation with your own doctor and on your own prescription.  They are dependency forming - that is, you do get "hooked" on them; not in the sense of an addiction in which you experience cravings, but in the sense that after a while you require them just to feel normal.  Breaking the dependency is very hard and for some people, impossible.

For short term circumstantial problems that appear to be likely to have their own resolution, using "benzos" to help you sleep (with your doctor's involvement) is not all bad.  If it gets you over a hump for a week or so and then you can return to normal, drug-free sleep that's pretty OK.  Don't use them with alcohol though as each amplifies the effect of the other, and not in a good way (e.g. you could stop breathing).

If however the problems are deeper and are not likely to go away any time soon you need a different strategy.  Drugs can still help, but you need something different to benzos.  There is a class of antidepressants called tricyclics that are often used to treat sleep disorders (as well as a range of other non-depression problems).  They are relatively safe to use over long timeframes and will not cause dependencies.

Having said all of that... no drug is really the long term solution to sleep disorders.  There will be underlying causes that need to be resolved; loss of sleep is simply a symptom.  Sleep hygiene is critical, and your doctor should be able to help you develop a good sleep hygiene plan... and of course there's a ton of resources on the net to help with that too.  Exercise, diet, routines, work, relationships, stress - these all affect sleep and need to be in order for good sleep patterns to re-establish themselves.

Hope this helps!

[Jay95]

i got told about the medication from a counsellor at eheadspace. used it for 4 days then slowly cut back and i dont use it anymore.