Dan Kaufer, MD, neurologist, and director of the UNC Memory Disorders program, notes that there are three classes of medications that can have severe cognitive side effects. These include benzodiazepines, opioids, and antihistamines.
Benzodiazepines like Restoril temazepam are often prescribed as sleep aids. These drugs can significantly impair memory and are not generally effective for long-term use as the body quickly builds a tolerance to them. Over-the-counter antihistamines like Benadryl diphenhydramine may also be used for insomnia. These seemingly harmless drugs can cause confusion in older adults because they block acetylcholine, a brain chemical that affects short-term memory and attention.
A sleeping pill overdose can be deadly and is actually a common method of suicide. It can occur when a person takes a very high dose, especially if they use the drug frequently and it builds up in their system.
An overdose is also more likely when someone mixes sleeping pills with other depressants like opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol. The following signs might indicate that a person with a sleeping pill addiction may have overdosed and needs immediate medical attention:. An overdose on sleeping pills essentially shuts down the entire body, including the respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. If an overdose is not treated quickly, the person who overdosed may fall into a coma.
Slowed or stopped breathing can cause hypoxia—a lack of oxygen to the brain and body that can cause permanent brain and muscle damage. This may be indicated by bluish lips and fingernails.
According to Dr. Robert Epstein, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, many people who opt to stop taking sleeping pills will have a withdrawal response that prevents getting good sleep without them.
Sleeping pill withdrawal symptoms may include:. People often turn to sleeping pills because they are struggling with insomnia and are suffering physically and psychologically from a severe lack of sleep. Doctors tend to prescribe sleeping pills to people who have severe sleeping disorders, but for many others with less severe sleeping problems, there are alternative treatment methods that are effective.
Here are some healthy sleep tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that may reduce or eliminate your need for sleeping pills:. Call to speak with an admissions representative at Nova Recovery Center today. We can provide the right support and treatment you need to overcome your sleeping pill addiction. Nova Recovery Center offers a large range of substance abuse treatment services: detox, residential, outpatient and sober living.
We Accept Many Insurances. Call to verify your benefits. Not quite ready for a call? You can fill out the form below. Nova Recovery Center is dedicated to helping you or your loved one get help. Please call or fill out this form for a confidential consultation. One of our understanding, dedicated advisors will contact you about your options. Begin healing today.
Take our sedatives use disorder assessment. Other side effects that can be associated with specific pills, such as Diphenhydramine and Benzodiazepines which can cause:. Overdoses are a common medical problem in the United States. When combined with other drugs or alcohol, they can be deadly. The anesthetic and tranquilizing properties of these drugs can lead to a pain-free death, and this is what links most suicide cases with sleeping tablets.
However, many suicide attempts end up causing physical harm but not death, leaving someone who was already experiencing difficulties with more problems. Combining doses of sleeping pills with other drugs or with alcohol can lead to serious side effects up to and including death. It is important that you follow all instructions with the medicine and the advice of your physician. However, considering alternative methods that do not require drugs is a better long-term solution.
Alcohol and sleeping pills can really send you into a deep slumber. You are likely to feel drowsy and clumsy. This will definitely slow down your reaction time. There are specific tablets that are known to have long-lasting effects on the body. You might have taken your sleep medication yesterday in the evening, but if you drink alcohol today in the evening, you stand a chance of experiencing poor concentration and coordination. And you will definitely worsen the situation if you take pills immediately after drinking.
According to most studies, mixing alcohol with drugs especially non-prescription is illegal and risky to your health. The effects, even when consumed separately, can be very devastating. A mixture of the two can be deadly. They can work together to depress your central nervous system. There is a possibility of your breathing and heart rate to radically slow down, and even lead to your death.
Cross-tolerance is another issue. Alcohol and pills all tell the brain to go to sleep, and the cells counteract. If you develop a tolerance for one of the two, then you will develop a tolerance for all of them. According to some studies, the smallest dosage of sleeping pills that can cause death is 10 grams. As for tablets of milligrams per pill, it is mostly recommended to consume no more than eight pills of milligrams with twenty-four hours.
You are most likely to die if you take 24 to 30 pills at the same time. An overdose can kill you because it leads to liver damage and shuts down your internal organs. The situation can escalate rapidly if sleeping pills are taken along with alcohol.
Even seemingly insignificant use increases the risk of cancer. At higher doses, the risk of developing cancer or dying from any cause increases substantially, rising to up to six times the risk of those who never take sleeping pills even when the dose is taken as prescribe.
Improving sleep hygiene can improve your ability to sleep without drugs. Other strategies that are effective include mental health therapy, developing stress management skills, a meditation habit, and other relaxing activities. Given the high risks associated with sleeping pills, it makes sense to explore other options.
0コメント