They are drugs that you take to try to get to sleep or stay
asleep. As a rule, you take them when you get into bed.
They start to work fairly quickly. You should start to feel
tired soon after taking them. This can often be within 15
minutes. This means that you should not take them
before you get into bed. If you do, you might get sleepy
or unsteady on your feet. This will put you at risk of
falling over.
Some tablets that are used to help with sleep have been
specifically created for this. Other types (e.g.
antihistamines) are used to treat other medical problems
and feeling sleepy is just a side effect.
Important Things to Know About Sleeping Tablets
• They can only deal with sleep problems in the
short term.
• You should only use them for more than four
weeks on the advice of your doctor.
• They can cause side effects such as
dependence.
• Taking them with other drugs or alcohol can be
a danger.
• They tend to help more to get to sleep than to
stay asleep.
• If you take them every night, they might not
work as well as they used to.
• There are other things that can be tried if you
are having problems with your sleep.
What Causes Sleep Problems?
There are many things that can make it hard for you to
sleep. Most of us will go through this at some point each
year. The cause can be a variety of things and it doesn't
tend to last long. Even so, if you are very distressed, your
doctor can put you on sleeping tablets for a short period.
However for many people, sleep problems occur daily
over many years. In this case sleeping tablets are
generally not used. The reason is that they won't work as
well when used for long periods. Furthermore non-drug
treatments often work very well in these circumstances
(see Insomnia and Good Sleep Habits).
What Are Some Of The Commonly Used Sleeping Tablets?
• Antihistamines – You don’t need a prescription to get
these from pharmacies. but they’re not designed as
sleeping tablets. They can be very sedating and can
last a long time. You can end up feeling more tired in
the morning which is potentially dangerous, for
example with driving. The effect of antihistamines
such as Restavit and Phenergan tends to wear off
quickly.
Benzodiazepines –
This group includes Temazepam,
Mogadon, Normison and Serepax. You can only get
them on prescription. They are used to treat insomnia
in the short-term (usually 3-4 weeks). In the longer
term they can stop working. There is also the risk of
“getting hooked” on them.
Benzodiazepine receptor agonists –
This group includes Stilnox and Zopiclone/Imovane.
These are like benzodiazepines but they appear to be less addictive.
Antidepressants or antipsychotics –
This group
includes antidepressants (e.g. Doxepin, Endep,
Dothiepin, Avanza) and antipsychotics (e.g. Seroquel or
Zyprexa). They are prescription only. In most cases,
psychiatrists prescribe them when sleep problems
occur with mental health problems
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