ABOUT MEDICINES
If your insomnia fails to yield to any of these measures, by
all means see your physician. He can help. He can do so by determining whether
any physical problem may be causing the trouble; if so, he can correct it. He
may prescribe some medication to relieve a minor discomfort which is keeping
you awake. Or, if necessary, he may prescribe medication de- signed to help you
reestablish sound sleeping habits. If he does prescribe such medication, follow
his instructions carefully. Taken indiscriminately for extended periods,
sleeping pills can be dangerous-in many ways.
Habitual use can lead to the development of tolerance, which
means that larger doses will be required. There may be side effects-hangover
reactions next day, skin rashes, other undesirable reactions. Many pills that
put you to sleep do not provide normal sleep. They may cause trouble, with extended
use, because they actually inhibit the REM stage of sleep during which dreaming
occurs. Laboratory studies have established that people kept from dreaming tend
to become irritable, anxious, and hostile. People who take pills that interfere
with dreaming though they promote sleep may find that they have horrible
nightmares when they try to stop taking the medication, a reaction that may
cause them to return to habitual use. Barbiturates in particular, when taken
indiscriminately over long periods, have a serious potential for physical as
well as psychological addiction.
Some experts report that barbiturate addiction can be more
difficult to cure than narcotic addiction. If the drug is stopped suddenly, the
user may experience such symptoms of withdrawal as cramps, nausea, headache,
delirium, convulsions, and in some cases sudden death. Withdrawal has to be
medically supervised, usually in a hospital, over a period of several weeks,
and it may take several months for the body to return to normal. Barbiturates,
when used in precise fashion, under medical supervision Sleep / 99 f or a
limited period, can be valuable. There are other sleeping medications, non-barbiturates,
which the physician can prescribe, ranging from an old and effective standby,
chloral hydrate, to newer agents such as other medicines are sometimes used.
Tranquilizers, or relaxing drugs, some people over a crisis
Relatively safe when taken in small doses, you can also be
addictive and otherwise dangerous when misused. Antihistamines are ingredients
in some products which are available without prescription as sleep inducers.
Antihistamines, often used for Allergies and relief of some
cold symptoms, have drowsiness as a side effect. These compounds should not be
used as sleeping pills on a regular basis unless a doctor so recommends. Also
available without prescriptions are compounds containing such Ingredients as
scopolamine and bromides. Scopolamine and bromides can the toxic and may be
particularly hazardous for people with certain health problems. It comes down
to this: A sleeping medication, when properly prepared.
