WHY CAN’T I JUST TAKE SOME SLEEPING PILLS?
EACH year, more than 12 million NHS prescriptions are written for sleeping pills. And this number is matched by sales of over-the-counter remedies. I’m not a fan but nor am I totally against them: when I travel a lot, particularly if it involves crossing time zones, I take a sleeping pill called Zopiclone to help me get over the first couple of nights of jet-lag.
The only side effect I’ve noticed so far is that they leave a slightly metallic taste in the mouth, but I would never take them long term. I asked my GP wife, Dr Clare Bailey, to answer some common questions about these medications. Here’s what she said…
Q: Is it ever a good idea to take sleeping pills?
A: By sleeping pills, most people mean benzodiazepines, such as Temazepam and the Z drugs, such as Zopiclone. These can be helpful in the short term for treating acute anxiety or distress of the sort that follows a bereavement or job loss. And they can help with jet-lag. Like all medications, there are potential side effects and they become less effective over time.
Q: If I start taking them, will I become addicted?
A: Modern sleeping pills are less addictive than the old-fashioned barbiturates, but they can become habitforming. That is why we rarely give repeat prescriptions, saving them for short-term use.
If a patient is going through a more prolonged period of stress, affecting their sleep, I might suggest they take a low dose of amitriptyline – a drug at higher doses used for anxiety and depression. It leaves some people feel a bit dopy or ‘hung over’ first thing in the morning and it can have irritating side effects such as a dry mouth. It can also interact with other medications.
Q: I’ve heard about a medicine called melatonin – is this worth getting hold of?
A: Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that tells your brain that it’s time to switch off and go to sleep. In the UK it is a prescription-only drug available to people who are over 55, and there are people who shouldn’t take it, such as those with high blood pressure. Although it can’t be bought over the counter here, it is readily available in the US as a supplement.
Q: What about overthe-counter remedies? Do they work?
A: Nytol, a sedative antihistamine, seems to be reasonably effective, though it may cause daytime sleepiness as well as having side effects such as dizziness, palpitations or allergic reactions. Tryptophan can be taken in moderate doses as a supplement to improve sleep, but it has been found in some cases to interact with other medicines such as antidepressants. It can also cause side effects such as sweating, anxiety, nausea and vomiting.