When it comes to medications to treat insomnia, there are many options to choose from. They include drugs created specifically to treat insomnia, drugs designed for other uses which also help promote sleep, and over the counter medications. Medicines commonly used as sleep aids include:
- FDA approved prescription sleep medications (hypnotics)
- Antidepressants
- Antipsychotic medications
- Over-the-counter (OTC) Medicines, such as antihistamines, are also commonly used as sleep aids.
Hypnotics
The drugs the FDA has approved to treat insomnia are listed below. They are called Hypnotics because they promote sleep, and they fall into two categories: benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines. All of these drugs work by activating certain chemicals in the brain which affect sleep.
Non-benzodiazepines:
- zolpidem (Ambien)
- eszopiclone (Lunesta)
- Ramelton (Rozerem)
Benzodiazepines:
- estazolam (ProSom)
- flurazepam (Dalmane)
- quazepam (Doral)
- temazepam (Restoril)
- triazolam (Halcion)
The effects of some of these drugs last longer than others. The benzodiazepines, except for triazolam, have a longer half-life, which means they stay in the body for a greater length of time. These drugs are good for maintaining sleep for a longer period of time, but they are also more likely to leave you feeling groggy in the morning. This effect is greater in the elderly population.
The non benzodiazepines and triazolam have shorter half-lives, which means they leave the body more quickly. This helps minimize the chance of feeling groggy the next day.
Antidepressants
Antidepressant medications that are commonly used to promote sleep include:
- trazodone (Desyrel)
- doxepin (Sinequan)
- trimipramine (Surmontil)
- mirtazapine (Remeron)
- nefazodone (Serzone)
Depression can be associated with difficulty sleeping, so in some cases, antidepressant medicines may be used to treat both conditions. In others, antidepressants are used to treat insomnia alone. This is a relatively common practice, and in some surveys, the antidepressant trazodone is identified as the most commonly prescribed medication for insomnia. Many of these medications have other effects besides sedation, as compared to the FDA approved Hypnotics whose primary purpose is to treat insomnia.
Antipsychotic Medications
- quetiapine (Seroquel)
- olanzapine (Zyprexa)
The antipsychotic medications, which are intended to treat psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe depression, have also been used to treat insomnia because of their effectiveness at getting people to sleep.
Even though these drugs can be prescribed for insomnia, most of them haven't been tested for this purpose and there are potentially serious side effects to using them.Over the counter (OTC) medications
- diphenhydramine (such as Benadryl; Nytol; Sominex)
Most of these over the counter medications contain diphenhydramine which is an allergy medication. The problem with these medications is that they also have potential side effects, especially for older people. Side effects can include daytime sedation, urinary retention, dry mouth, constipation, and have been shown to affect ability to concentrate, safely drive, and operate machinery.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Zee
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1 comments:
You can also buy sleep tea if you want to sleep like baby.
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