Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Precautions for Sleep Aid Medications: Prescription and OTC’s

Precautions should be taken for people who use prescription and OTC sleep aid drugs. Those who are more vulnerable to harm, are children, elderly, pregnant women, and extremely ill people. Since sleep medications do not cure insomnia, they may cause worse situations if taken for a long period of time.

Recommended guidelines and precautions to follow if you are using sleeping pills:
  • Talk to your health care provider before you start these medications and if you have any questions or concerns.
  • Read the Medication Guide, when available, before taking the product.
  • Follow directions closely and as instructed by your physician. Do not change frequency or increase the dose prescribed by your health care provider. Complex sleep-related behaviors are more likely to occur with higher than appropriate doses.
  • Inform your doctor of all medications you are consuming. Drug interactions can occur between both prescription, nonprescription, and herbal supplements; and cause dangerous effects.
  • Be sure to discuss other medical conditions and symptoms with your physician. Certain drugs might cause side effects.
  • Do not discontinue the use of these medications without first talking to your health care provider; stopping abruptly can cause rebound insomnia, severe withdrawals, and other symptoms.
  • Only take sleep medication when you are ready to go to bed. You need at least 7-8 hours of sleep to have a full night’s rest.
  • Avoid drinking alcohol, it will disrupt your sleep and interact with your sleeping medication.


Related Links:

http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=316
http://helpguide.org/life/sleep_aids_medication_insomnia_treatment.htm#guidelines
http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Restrictions-And-Precautions-One-Needs-To-Follow-When-Using-Insomnia-Medications/283194


References:

“Guidelines for Taking Sleep Medications”. Buy Sleeping Pills UK. 2009.
sleeping-pills.org.uk. 1 Oct. 2009.
http://www.sleeping-pills.org.uk/sleep-medications-Guidelines.html

“Prescription Sleep Aids”. Deprivation of Sleep. 2009. Deprivationofsleep.com.
8 Sep. 2009.
http://www.deprivationofsleep.com/prescription-sleep-aids.html

Hussar PhD., Daniel A. “ Precautions With Over-the-Counter Drugs”.
The Merck Manuals-Online Medical Library. April 2007. Merck & Co., Inc.
5 Sep. 2009.
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec02/ch018/ch018b.html

Schroeder, MS, RD., Karen. “Sleep Medications” Third Age. 1 July 2008.
ThirdAge Inc. 19 Sep. 2009
http://www.thirdage.com/sleep/sleep-medications-0

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:56 PM

    AS a older person working nights it is often
    hard to recover from the previous night. So,In
    the mornings when I get off I take a sleep aid.
    The problem with this route is the ability to
    sleep well and get up for your shift. It's next
    to impossible to recover and feel rested for your job. I'm always sleeper and weak,because the sleep aid didn't run it's couse. So, I decide I will have to quit my job in order to have some normalcy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. most common things people tend to do is increase the dosage without talking to their physician, just stop taking them or take them with alcohol...if people really want to improve their sleeping pattern then they should always follow these recommended guidelines...
    this was very informative! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:34 PM

    Im just always sleepy...unless im not working!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AMBIEN OUTRAGE
    www.ambienoutrage.com
    If you've had an adverse affect using Ambien.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I woke up in the hospital after taking Ambien. When I awoke, I was handed a ticket for a DUI, I'm still in the process of fighting it, it's been very expensive. After hearing of my accident, a few friends and family told me that I had called them in previous nights of the accident, so I must have been sleepwalking even before the night of the accident. I don't remember any of it. Ambien is a scary drug.

    ReplyDelete