Are sleeping pills bad?

[Leros]

I got my sleep schedule really screwed up during finals week, which was a few weeks ago. I bought some sleeping pills to help get me back on a normal schedule.

Usually it takes me about 1.5-2 hours to fall asleep from the time I lay down in bed. It doesn't matter how tired I am, it takes me forever to fall asleep. The sleeping pills let me fall asleep in about 10 minutes which basically makes my day 2 hours longer.

Is there any harm in taking sleeping pills almost every day?

 

[Canai]

I dunno but I sure could use some

 

[Captante]

They're bad if you become dependent on them to fall asleep, but for occassional use under a doctors supervision there shouldn't be a problem.

Over the counter sleep-aids are almost always made of Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) & will only be effective for a short period of time before your body gets used to them... if you find you have consistant problems sleeping I'd suggest telling your doctor & getting a perscription medication instead.

 

[silverpig]

Have 2 beers and then have sex. You'll be out like a light.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Captante
They're bad if you become dependent on them to fall asleep, but for occassional use under a doctors supervision there shouldn't be a problem.

Over the counter sleep-aids are almost always made of Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) & will only be effective for a short period of time before your body gets used to them... if you find you have consistant problems sleeping I'd suggest telling your doctor & getting a perscription medication instead.

So would the doctor give me a medication composed of something different?

 

[doze]

What are you taking over the counter that knocks you out in 10 minutes and allows you to sleep a whole night? Any hangover in the morning?

 

[AlgaeEater]

Over the counter sleeping pills act basically like muscle relaxants. You're sleepy only because your body feels fatigued as if you were working out all day long for all your muscle groups. It doesn't hit the problem that people have with sleeping, and that's the mental stimuli that people run through when they're trying to sleep.

Prescription pills work the same way as over the counter, but they effectively try and disrupt brain activity or nerve activity on a very minute level. It basically wears you out to think, and you fall asleep.

In the end, the whole process is unnatural, so of course its going to be really bad for you in the long run day after day. Non-habit forming doesn't mean non-problematic over a period of time. Usually if you don't get a normal sleep pattern without medication for 2 weeks, more drastic measures are needed such as sleep therapy.

Best advice is to do something mentally exhausting before attempting sleep. Not stressful, just tiring. Like doing a sequence of easy to solve puzzles is a good example.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Captante
They're bad if you become dependent on them to fall asleep, but for occassional use under a doctors supervision there shouldn't be a problem.

Over the counter sleep-aids are almost always made of Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) & will only be effective for a short period of time before your body gets used to them... if you find you have consistant problems sleeping I'd suggest telling your doctor & getting a perscription medication instead.

So would the doctor give me a medication composed of something different?

Yes ... there are several very effective perscription sleep-aids available right now that are much more effective then Diphenhydramine which is really an antihistamine with drowsiness as a side-effect ... a couple examples are Ambien & Lunesta.

Fortunately for me I've very rarely had sleep problems in my life except due to occasional back spasms for which my doctor prescribed 10-20mg Valium, so I have no personal experience with any of the newer medications ... as I said you should really take this issue up witha doctor yourself instead of self-medicating.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'd definitely talk to your doctor about this to be sure.

Have these issues only been occurring after finals week and not before it?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Depands on how many you take. 1 or 2... you're fine.


The whole bottle? You might have some problems.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Captante
They're bad if you become dependent on them to fall asleep, but for occasional use under a doctors supervision there shouldn't be a problem.

Over the counter sleep-aids are almost always made of Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) & will only be effective for a short period of time before your body gets used to them... if you find you have consistent problems sleeping I'd suggest telling your doctor & getting a prescription medication instead.

Don't forget about the Ambien Episodes. Where people woke up in prison or a hospital and had no idea how they got there untill on of the staff members filled them in; Because their last memory was being at home.

 

[Juno]

if you decide to abuse them, you may die in your sleep.

 

[SoulAssassin]

melatonin ftw...been taking it for years almost every night

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Captante
They're bad if you become dependent on them to fall asleep, but for occasional use under a doctors supervision there shouldn't be a problem.

Over the counter sleep-aids are almost always made of Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) & will only be effective for a short period of time before your body gets used to them... if you find you have consistent problems sleeping I'd suggest telling your doctor & getting a prescription medication instead.

Don't forget about the Ambien Episodes. Where people woke up in prison or a hospital and had no idea how they got there untill on of the staff members filled them in; Because their last memory was being at home.

Yeah thats true, I seem to recall a few posts on here involving folks having memory problems related to Ambien, but even so I'm pretty sure the majority of people taking them have no trouble & consistantly losing sleep is garanteed to damage your health.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
melatonin ftw...been taking it for years almost every night

work in the sun?

if I am too awake, I'll use Unisom. It's technically the same stuff in some antihistamines, as it is an antihistamine in of itself. but it helps you fall asleep too, and to a point stay asleep. but its not something that requires 8 hours of sleep. I've used it on nights where I only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Now, taking 2 and getting 4 hours of sleep means its hard as hell to keep yourself awake in the morning. But I have no problem waking up taking 1 and waking up 4 hours later. I try and take it a half hour to an hour before bed. That, and no glasses on makes my eyes tired and I fall asleep. or leave my contacts in, because around bedtime my contacts are bothering me with the lcd monitor and the overhead lights in the room.

 

[bsobel]

Yeah thats true, I seem to recall a few posts on here involving folks having memory problems related to Ambien, but even so I'm pretty sure the majority of people taking them have no trouble & consistantly losing sleep is garanteed to damage your health.

Actually the problem is fairly widespread with Ambien, the FDA just required relabeling due to the incidence of activity (driving, etc) while sleeping. Ambien itself is a hallucigen, if you wind up not sleeping on it, well badness can and often does occur...

 

[bsobel]

Is there any harm in taking sleeping pills almost every day?

If your using any sleeping pill for more than 5-7 days straight and NOT under a Dr's care, you should go see one. It can be symptomatic of a number of things and many sleeping pills can be habbit forming.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
Best advice is to do something mentally exhausting before attempting sleep. Not stressful, just tiring. Like doing a sequence of easy to solve puzzles is a good example.

Or try reading some of P&N. That's how I fall asleep.

 

[HombrePequeno]

I was prescribed Sonata which I found to be pretty useless. The only thing that helps me when I have problems sleeping is the Codeine-Aspirin combo they sell in Canada. It does have a slight amount of caffeine in it but it helps me relax enough so that I can fall asleep.

 

[edmundoab]

Yeah I agree, get something to drink or exercise like mad..
that is a better tranquilizer then sleeping pills.

or of course.. sex if you have the opportunity.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: bsobel

Yeah thats true, I seem to recall a few posts on here involving folks having memory problems related to Ambien, but even so I'm pretty sure the majority of people taking them have no trouble & consistantly losing sleep is garanteed to damage your health.

Actually the problem is fairly widespread with Ambien, the FDA just required relabeling due to the incidence of activity (driving, etc) while sleeping. Ambien itself is a hallucigen, if you wind up not sleeping on it, well badness can and often does occur...

my ex took it. shed hallucinate maybe 1 time in 10 or so. but she claimed to feel to tired to move....while she was talking to the three men spinning on the ceiling fan

 

[0roo0roo]

newer stuff might be better, but i tried some once and while back and woke up to thumping heart. one of the listed side effects. needless to say i tossed the bottle.

 

[thejackal1]

One of the best sleeping aids is weed. And its all natural.

 

[Rastus]

I have two cords of wood that needs to be split and stacked. That will make me sleep like a baby for about two weeks.

 

[Legend]

Do not take it alone the first few times. Do not combine it with food or alcohol. Take it exactly as directed.

I've seen what Ambien can do when not taken as directed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem#Side-effects

Wikipedia is spot on. Combine ambien with food, at least with my old roomie, and he got pretty much all of the above. On a couple of occasions, he acted pretty gay. It wasn't until the final time that he remembered, but then told me he chose not to remember.

Luckily the thought driving never crossed his mind.