Over the Counter Sleep Aids.

Learn about OTC Pills, Tablets, Remedies and Brands that work!

People have been asking me to do an Over the Counter Sleep Aids review.

Lots of people would like to know effects of OTC Sleep Aids.

What are the different kinds of Sleep Aids?

What effects do they have over time?

Are there alternatives to sleep drugs? These are just a few of the questions i always recieve.

I will attempt to answer these questions on this page.

Insomnia drugs have a long history, and many people have come to depend on them to get a good night rest. Most sleep aids come with many side effects  the next morning, these side effects include the following:

• Dry Mouth
• Blurred Vision
• Loss of Memory
• Dizziness
• Clumsiness
• Constipation

The reason for these side effect is that most over the counter sleep aids have an ingredient called antihistamines.
When it comes to sleeping aids there are two broad categories:

• Antihistamines and
• Herbal Sleep Aid.

First, background information on Antihistamines,Antihistamines contain three ingredients.

• Diphenhydramine hydrochloride
• Diphenhydramine citrate
• Doxylamine succinate

Some others contain other ingredients like pain relievers.
Antihistamines use either diphenhydramine hydrochloride or  doxylamine succinate, either of these two components can be used in producing over the counter sleep aids.

Brands such as : Sominex, Compoz, Tylenol PM, and Unisom SleepGels have diphenhydramine hydrochloride while brands like Unisom tablets, Equate have doxylamine succinate. All these drugs do the same thing, they inhibit the neurotransmitter so as to suppress your central nervous system.

This is the reason most people feel drowsy the morning after taking a sleep aid. Please note that with some individuals these drugs have an opposite result such as nervousness, restlessness and agitation. This is more likely with older and younger people.

These drugs are meant to be used for short-term purposes and addiction can grow quickly. People with transient insomnia or have insomnia as a symptom of illnesses like depression are recommended to use sleeping aids as treatment.

Do they work and what are the best sleep pills?
Research has shown that over the counter sleep aids especially Antihistamines do have good results on patients with short-term insomnia. Though they usually result in side effects the next day like the ones listed above. But when they are adopted for the long-term they usually become addictive and the patient might experience terrible withdrawal symptoms if they try to stop the habit.

Classes of sleeping medications:
There are different types of sleep medications; they are also known as sedative hypnotics. These drugs work by acting on receptors in the brain, so as to slow down the nervous system, thereby inducing sleep. Some of these drugs last longer in the body and soon become habit-forming.
There are three main categories of sedative hypnotics.

Melatonin Receptor Agonist Hypnotic.
This medication is less addictive than the others but has its own share of side effects. This medication mimics melatonin which is the sleep regulation hormone. An example of this class of over the counter sleep aid include:
Ramelteon (Rozerem)

Benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics .

This class of sleep medications has been around for a while, and is still largely used by many people. This class of sleep medications is usually more addictive than others. Though the FDA classifies these as controlled substances, newer ones are trying to lessen the tendency of addiction. This class of sleep medications is usually used to treat anxiety. Benzodiazepines approved by the FDA include:

• Estazolam (ProSom)
  
• Temazepam (Restoril)
  
• Quazepam (Doral)
  
• Triazolam (Halcion)
  
• Flurazepam (Dalmane)

Non-Benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics.
Newer sleep medications fall under this category, because they don’t have the same chemical structure as Benzodiazepine. They are fewer effects and have lesser tendency to addiction. Sleep medications that fall under this category include:

• Eszopiclone (Lunesta)
  
• Zalepon (Sonata)
  
• Zolpidem (Ambien)

Trazodone (Desyrel) and Insomnia.
Trazodone is a popular prescription for insomnia patients especially in the US. Though the FDA has not approved Trazodone as a treatment for insomnia. Studies have shown that tradozone is effective for short-term and not long-term use. Trazodone like all sleeping medications has a great risk of suicidal thoughts and depression especially in children and young adults.
All sleep medications have side effects no matter how little and they differ from person-to-person. If you have transient insomnia you can take them to help in the short term, but if you have chronic insomnia avoid taking over the counter sleep medications and seek medical advice. Doctors advice such patients to take a break from work or eventually change their lifestyle or environment.

Herbs as sleep Medications?
Herbs are more widely accepted as better sleep medications with little or no side effect unlike some of the best sleeping pills.Such medications include valerian root, chamomile, passionflower, humulus lupulus, melatonin,kava kava, lemon balm, lavender, and St. John’s Wort  and so on. Chamomile tea is effective and has gentle sedative properties, though it may cause allergic reactions in people who have plant or pollen allergies. Some research show that valerian might be effective but there is hard evidence to support this. If taken in high doses valerian can cause wild dreams, blurred vision, changes in heart rhythm, and excitability.

Calms Forté.
According to the Calms Forte website, “Calms Forté™ tablets are composed of four botanicals long used by doctors and health practitioners to soothe and quiet irritated nerves and edginess without sedatives or tranquilizers. In addition, Calms Forté™ includes five biochemic phosphates in 3X potency, which feed and strengthen the nerves of the body, helping you withstand everyday stress and strain.”
Calm Forte has many positive reviews and  little no side effect. Calm Forte contains passionflower, humulus lupulus, chamomile, and so many other ingredients. Sometimes Calm Forte has been used to treat attention deficit disorder and general nervousness.

Melatonin Supplements.

Melatonin is a sleep hormone. It is a hormone produced at night during sleep to help regulate the sleep cycle. The deficiency of melatonin affects sleep balance. People who are blind, who live in places with extended light may have trouble sleeping because their body cannot produce enough melatonin. If you have short term sleep issues or suffer from jet lag you can try melatonin supplements as they can augment the lack of melatonin in the body and balance the sleep cycle. Melatonin supplements can also be used by people who want to wean themselves of sleep medication addiction.
Melatonin can come with certain side effects which include:

• Sexual Irregularities
• Mood Swings and
• Depression.

Children and pregnant women should not use melatonin and also patients with the following conditions should avoid melatonin;

• Lymphoma
• Extreme allergies
• Depression
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Auto Immune Diseases and
• Some cancer Patients.

SAMe
SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) is found in the body and is an amino acid derivative. If taken daily for several weeks it can help regulate sleep patterns. It can serve as an anti-depressant and can be used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome as well double as a sleep aid. SAMe promotes sleep by increasing serotonin. Serotonin is a neuro-transmitter that enables sleep and can change ones mood, SAMe works by increasing the serotonin levels. SAMe has no side effects, though if ingested in large quantities you may experience gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea.

Guide to using Over the counter Sleep Aids.
1. Please understand that sleeping medications approved by the FDA are supposed to be used for transient insomnia or people who just have occasional sleeping problems and it is not supposed to be used for a long time.
2. Pregnant women or nursing mothers and people with breathing problems or glaucoma should seek a doctor’s recommendation before using sleeping medications.
3. Please do not take Over the counter sleep aids with other sleeping-pills, sedative, tranquilizer, or another antihistamine.
4. Use Over the counter sleep aids for bedtime only.
5. Over the counter sleep aids are not to be used by children under the age of 12.
6. OTC sleep aids should be taken under a doctor’s guidance or the instructions that come with the drug should be followed to the letter.