Allergies Medication

You keep hearing of so many new and different sleeping medications in the market. Each one is touting its benefits and superiority over others. You want to make sense of all that information so you'll know how to talk to your doctor or get one over the counter.

Allergies Medication

Firstly, here's how sleeping medications are broadly grouped based on the sleeping problem being treated.

Allergies Medication

Sleeping medication to help you fall asleep Sleeping medication to help you stay asleep Sleeping medication to help you when you can't sleep and are depressed at the same time

Allergies Medication

Next, you then need to know the 4 classes of sleeping medication that fall under the groups above. They are:

1. The "Z" Drugs:

They are the newest, most talked about and most expensive class of drugs used today. This class of sleeping medication is the non-benzodiazepines or "Non-Benzos" and sometimes called the ''Z'' drugs. They are popularly used because they achieve comparable efficacy with lesser side effects compared to the older generation of drugs i.e. the benzodiazepines.

Lunesta (eszopiclone) Sonata (zaleplon) Ambien (zolpidem) Rozerem (ramelteon), the newest kid on the block

However, all of this sleep medication may cause severe allergic reaction, facial swelling and complex sleep-related behaviors such as sleep-driving and preparing and eating food while asleep. Bizarre sleep-walking has caught much attention of the public. In one of these cases a patient woke with a paintbrush in her hand after painting the front door to her house. Another case involved a woman who gained 23 kilograms over seven months while taking zolpidem. "It was only when she was discovered in front of an open refrigerator while asleep that the problem was resolved," according to the report.

All the non-benzodiazepines can be used to help you fall asleep. Lunesta and Ambien CR (extended release) can additionally help you stay asleep.

2. The "Benzos":

Benzodiazepines are the oldest class of sleeping medication and formerly the most commonly used treatment for insomnia. Due to the issues of inappropriate use (abuse), dependence, side effects such as memory or movement impairments, and next-day "hangover", these sleeping medications are now prescribed with greater caution. This explains why the "non-benzos" are today's favored and first line treatment of insomnia.

Dalmane (flurazepam) Doral (quazepam) Halcion (triazolam) Prosom (estazolam) Restoril (temazepam)

Even so, benzodiazepines remain a viable treatment option as some practitioners feel they offer better value than the newer more expensive non-benzodiazepines. As it is, proprietary or "branded" drugs like Dalmane and Restoril, sell in generic versions for only 30 to 50 cents each.

''We tend to use the old benzodiazepines,'' one medical practitioner explained. ''They appear to be as effective as some of the newer ones, and they're infinitely less expensive.''

Halcion (triazolam) is popularly used to help you fall asleep while Restoril (temazepam) and estazolam (a benzodiazepine derivative) are used to help you stay asleep.

3. The Antidepressants

You would have heard of antidepressants being used for their sedative side effects to treat insomnia.

Desyrel (trazodone) Elavil (amitriptyline) Sinequan (doxepin)

In fact, the inexpensive antidepressant trazodone is the most commonly prescribed sleep medication for the treatment of insomnia in the United States (NIH conference 2005). Yet, the FDA has not approved it officially for insomnia treatment. This is possibly due to lack of long-term studies. As with all antidepressants, there is an inherent small but significant risk of suicidal thoughts or worsening of depression.

Antidepressants i.e. Pamelor (nortriptyline), Desyrel (trazodone), Elavil (amitriptyline) are drugs that help you when you can't sleep and are depressed at the same time.

4. The "Over-the-counter" Sleeping Medication

The main ingredient of over-the-counter sleeping medication is an antihistamine. Antihistamines are mainly used to treat allergies. There are 2 types of antihistamine compounds i.e. doxylamine and diphenhydramine. Again, it is their sedative side effects that make you sleepy.

Unisom (Doxylamine compound) Sleepinal (Doxylamine compound) Benadryl (Diphenhydramine compound) Nytol (Diphenhydramine compound) Sominex (Diphenhydramine compound)

It must be noted that other popular brands like Tylenol PM and Advil PM combine the antihistamine with the painkillers acetaminophen and ibuprofen respectively. You may be taking on additional risks with painkillers you don't need. Generally, while these OTC sleeping medications can have a mildly positive effect on short-term insomnia, the infamous next-day drowsiness can be common and severe. Not to mention tolerance to the sleep medication can easily develop in just a few days.

LASTLY, just be mindful of this fact: Sleeping medication is usually used for short periods of time (7-10 days, maximum 2 weeks). This is because they may lose their effectiveness over time. Don't use more or longer than you need to. Insomnia or sleeplessness is usually a symptom of an underlying problem.

Allergies Medication