Patients having difficulty sleeping will often resort to a number of possible remedies that are available on the market today. Believe it or not, they aren’t always content with the traditional “counting of sheep” method! In order to easily doze off to sleep, it often requires much more than just an imaginary fence and a flock of sheep. Patients try different medical options that can help them to feel drowsier and eventually fall into that wonderful, peaceful rest they so desire.
There are many treatments and medications available today. Often patients use white noise devices or sleep pillows as an initial solution to their problem. If this doesn’t work, they will usually move to a more serious treatment. Among the more popular medications are the sleep drugs. Sleep drugs are especially successful in helping people who are having an especially hard time making themselves sleep. They use the drugs for only a short time in order to “re-train” their body clock into a normal schedule of sleep. Then, when they have caught up on their rest, they try to transition into a natural method. Over the counter sleep drugs are being used by many people who have an especially tough time sleeping. It is important, however, not to become dependant on these drugs. An FDA warning on sleep drug risks is very alarming as it shows that many people become dependant upon these drugs if they aren’t careful.
Medications for curing sleep problems are of two classes; benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepine are usually used for treatment of insomnia but can also be used for other sleep disorders such as in the case of the drugs Dolmane, Ativar, Restoril, Doral, Xanax, Halcion and Prosom. These types of medication are only to be taken for a short period of time. Continuous usage will very likely cause dependence and addiction to the product. Other side effects include a terrible hangover!
Non-benzodiazepine medications are said to be safer and can cause less dependence. Examples of these are Ambien, Sonata and Lunesta. They help to reduce the struggle of falling asleep without increasing the risk of dependence. It is still important, however, that you don’t rely on these pills all the time. They may still have different side-effects and characteristics that may be harmful to your long-term health. Ambien is a sleeping pill which is an excellent aid to better sleep. It affects you later on in the night and helps you to sleep more soundly. Sonata is also a good medication used by people who have difficulty dozing off. Finally, Lunesta is approved by the FDA for patients who are not able to get any sound sleep and is also a lot safer than the Benzodiapines.
Compared to the Benzodiazepines, non-Benzodiapines allow a patient to have a worthwhile sleep and, at the same time, avoid a lot of the risk associated with the Benzodiapine medications. They also don’t cause hangovers for patients using them! There is less risk of dependence and addiction to the drug and less harmful side effects.
Aside from all these other typed of medication for sleep problems, there are still a few others which should be mentioned. Rozerem is another medication that is approved by the FDA. It targets the brain and controls the sleep-wake cycle of the body. Because it targets the person’s brain and is found to be safe for older adults, it has also become very popular. Still, this product is not for use by people with severe cases of sleep Apnea or hepatic impairment or by anyone sensitive to such medications. A number of other medications are benadryl, atarax, and zopiclone. A person can also use chloralhydrate-oral but the FDA warns individuals of its adverse effect on the body.
Always be informed about the warnings of each drug so that you will not go wrong in using any of them. Also, don’t overuse any drug! Anything taken over its recommended dosage is not good. Sleep medications can be a great benefit to those suffering from the many disorders out there today. Still, always remember that an overdose of any drug can pose more danger to one’s health and should be properly prescribed by a doctor.