Are Sleeping Pills Harmful?
I was wondering if it is harmful to take an over the counter sleep aide with asprin in it. Last year I fractured my growth plate in my ankle, and when that healed I stress-fractured it in the same spot, so I often wake up when sleeping from the pain of moving it. The first day of school is tomorrow and, I usally have trouble sleeping the night before. I was considering taking Advil Pm to get rid of the ankle pain and let me sleep better. Will the medicine force me to sleep longer? ( I usally go to bed at 11 and wake up and 6:30.) Or will I become dependent on it and need it every night? Thank you in advance for helping me!
Answers:
This is a question better asked to your dr.
The one thing I can mention is Melatonin. You can get it over the counter and it's a natural chemical found in warm milk. It's also usually made in the body. I've been giving it to my Autistic son to help him sleep and develope a sleep pattern, via dr.'s suggestion. It's worked great. He started it when he was three, then after a week he had a sleep pattern down and only needed it once in a while. He's 11 now, and is back on it for the same reason.
Melatonin is non habit forming and is able to be used with other medications, I believe, but again.talk to your dr.
With my son I use 1/2 a pill. That takes about 1 1/2- 2 hours though before he gets sleepy, but no "hangovers"
The whole pill, which takes 1 hour to work for him, sometimes leaves a tad of a slight hangover. If you use Melatonin you may have to play around with the doseage a tad. And for some people, Melatonin works great, but in some it doesn't. I've heard both stories. It works well for me and I get a great deep goodnights sleep.
I sometimes take tylenol pm and it hasnt been addictive for me. I recommend taking it the latest around 8p.m. I found that if I take it later than that I feel groggy when waking up. But its a good product and non habit forming. I'm not sure about advil pm but its probably similar to tylenol.
Try not to get used to them because on the long-run they may be harmful for the brain and you'll get headaches a lot.
All sleeping pills have side-effects. Although antihistamines can be obtained without a prescription, they also have side-effects, including drowsiness, dry mouth, stomach pain, or nausea
Side-effects experienced when ceasing taking prescription sleeping pills can be:
Continued Dizziness
Trouble Sleeping (which can continue for several nights)
Urge to Keep Taking the Drug
Irritability
Nervousness
Cramps, Nausea, or Vomiting
Tremors or Twitching
Hallucinations
These symptoms are especially likely if the medicine has been taken for a prolonged period of time (i.e. longer than one week). In this situation it would be advisable to taper off gradually, since stopping abruptly is likely to result in more severe withdrawal symptoms
Long-term studies on the effects of sleeping pills don’t show encouraging results. In fact the one major conclusion from all studies is that insomniacs are better off without sleeping pills than they are with them. One study alone that surveyed over 2,000,000 people, found that chronic use of sleeping pills are as deadly as cigarette smoking.
The case against sleeping pills is compelling. The following information points out some important reasons why sleeping pills should not be considered.
Those who use sleeping pills have significantly higher mortality rates than those who do not
Sleeping pills (& even the newer generations) do little or nothing to improve chronic insomnia and cause long-term chemical dependency
Sleeping pills reduce brain cell activity during the day, affecting short-term memory as well as causing a hangover effect
Sleeping pills accentuate the GABA neurotransmitter, which keeps the nerve cells in the lung tissue from firing. This is why an overdose of sleeping pills will cause asphyxiation and over 1000 overdose related deaths each year
GABA actuation is also responsible for impaired physical ability. Each year, thousands of traffic deaths, accidents and falls (especially in the elderly) are attributed to sleeping pills
Sleep Apnea Patients should never take sleeping pills. Sleeping pills increase the pauses and length of pause in breathing. Someone with sleep apnea could suffer brain or ocular damage from the lack of oxygen or even death
Anyone over the age of 40 should be cautioned against sleeping pills, and anyone over the age of 65 should never take sleeping pills. Studies show that almost all people over 40 have some symptoms of sleep apnea, and anyone over 65 would be clinically diagnosed with sleep apnea
Sleeping pills create a hypnotic dependency similar to alcohol and lower inhibitions and fear of pain or consequences. This is one reason why sleeping pills contribute to accidents and why chronic sleeping pill users are less likely to worry or take care of themselves
Sleeping pills are highly addictive. Sleeping pills are similar to barbiturates and are extremely difficult to stop using
Although sleeping pills do not improve daytime functioning, people still prefer taking them because of the barbiturate feel-good effect they produce. As with many addictive drugs, they may not be helpful, but we feel good when we take them
Side Effects of Sleeping Pills
Unfortunately sleeping pills do the same things to us during the day that we want them to at night. That is they impair our consciousness, judgment, memory and intelligence. Ironically, insomniacs think sleeping pills make them sleep better, when they actually make them feel worse. This is because of the misperception that sleeping pills are supposed to help us sleep better. In comparison studies against placebo, patients receiving placebo did better than those with sleeping pills, although those with the sleeping pills erroneously believed they were doing better.
Perhaps the most shocking condemnation of sleeping pills is that they do not improve daytime function or performance. Since the definition for ‘Quality of Sleep’ is that amount which allows us to operate at optimum levels of energy, sleeping pills are not the answer. Pharmaceutical companies concentrate on reducing the side effects of sleeping pills, not on improving daytime performance. Those who take these pills however, are misguided into believing they will receive a daytime benefit. The chance is very high that they will end up becoming chronic sleeping pill users. New commercials for sleeping pills now caution that, “Almost everyone has some risk of becoming dependant on sleep medication.”
While defending the use of sleeping pills, pharmaceutical companies counter that most of the people who use sleeping pills take them for a few weeks or less. What they don’t say, however is that the vast majority of all prescriptions are repeat prescriptions to chronic insomniacs.
I wouldn't make a habit of taking them. They should only be used occasionally. Most of the "PM" drugs are simply Benadryl with a pain reliever. Benadryl is an antihistamine and can mess with your immune system if taken regularly. You're better off sticking with your nsaids like ibuprofen, but you should take it in moderation also because if it is overused it can be hard on your stomach. Aspirin is pretty safe. Tylenol is hard on the liver if taken excessively. If you do need something, I suggest getting some Benadryl and altering the dose to achieve the desired effect. Less than 50 mg should be taken. You may have the effect you desire by taking as little as 12.5mg. Try it on a night that you don't have to do anything the following morning. Also, there are safer homeopathic methods including taking things made with Hops or Valerian. Chamomile tea is a favorite also.
Good Luck!
Certainly this drug should not cause you to oversleep of become addicted.
Hello, I spent 25 yrs as a nurse. I would recommend that before going to bed to soak your ankle in hot water and then elevate it when you go to bed for at least 20 minutes each. The Advil pm would seem to be ok. Best to check with a pharmacist if you take any other medications. Magnesium tabs will also help you to naturally relax at bedtime. Natural herbs are always better. try during the day to elevate ankle any time you sit for very long periods of time in class etc. Any physical therapist can also give help or your family doctor. Ice always reduces swelling in the evening also. Prayer works to for healing. Herbal teas will also help to relax you . Each person has spcific meds that work best for them. I prefer Tylenol or generic .Also wear an ace support during any physical activity. The gels or creams for pain topically work very well also Best Luck JP
all those pm sleeping aids are extremely harsh on the body and can leave you groggy when you wake and headaches as well. There is a hormone called Melatonin that is more natural and you don't wake sluggish - it's sold over the counter at most drug stores or through health food outlets
big ups to the person who wrote:
Continued Dizziness
Trouble Sleeping (which can continue for several nights)
Urge to Keep Taking the Drug
Irritability
Nervousness
Cramps, Nausea, or Vomiting
Tremors or Twitching
Hallucinations
I had all of the above except for Cramps, Nausea, Vomiting , Tremors . I heard voices in my head . I abused Ambien to wake up early to get to work on time. Bad idea. Don't do it! please, please, please don't. it was like a scary Stephen King novel. i've never been so terrified in my entire life. there are natural ways such as walnut oil before bed (gross but it works for me)
PLEASE get off of them now.
you will build up a immune system to them and then nothing will help you.
try warm milk to help you get to sleep and nothing more then that other then a hot bath just before you go to bed.
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