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Sleep is a very important thing for us to maintain health. Patients with insomnia require treatment with hypnotics, but not all of them fully understand the risks of sleeping pills, especially strong sleeping pills.
1. What are sleeping pills?
Sleeping pills means drugs that induce sleep and induce sleep in a manner similar to physiological sleep. Help insomnia patients recharge energy and maintain activities and activities the next day. There are many different types of sleeping pills available today, with different effects and mechanisms of action, including antidepressants, sedatives, and over-the-counter sleep aids such as antidepressants. histamine .
In which, strong sleeping drugs must include:
Barbituric derivatives: This group includes drugs that inhibit the central nervous system. The drug has sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiepileptic effects depending on the dose. The drug has a therapeutic effect for a fairly long period of time from 8 to 12 hours. These medications include phenobarbital (Gardenal) and pentobarbital (Nembutal). However, it is rarely used today because of many side effects and toxic doses that can be 5 to 10 times higher than the therapeutic dose. Benzodiazepine derivatives: Benzodiazepine derivatives have mainly sedative and sedating effects. This is also a strong sleeping pill and can cause addiction, drug dependence when used for a long time. This drug is often indicated for cases of excitement, anxiety, stress, insomnia due to stimulation, also used to limit seizures, convulsions caused by high fever, alcohol withdrawal syndrome .. The active ingredients of this group commonly used are diazepam, bromazepam, clonazepam with some common brand names such as Seduxen, Valium, Lexomil, Rivotril... Other sleeping pills include well-known trade names such as Ambien, Lunesta and Rozerem ... This group of drugs is more commonly used because of its gentle sedative effect, fewer side effects and does not cause withdrawal syndrome like the two drugs above. But if used in high doses, it can also cause toxicity and even death.
2. The harmful effects of taking strong sleeping pills
When using sleeping pills, besides the benefits that the drug brings, these drugs can potentially cause many harms to the body, especially the abuse of strong sleeping pills or extremely strong sleeping pills. Some of the harmful effects of fatal sleeping pills when used include:
2.1 Risk of death in overdose Overdose sleeping pills can lead to a number of harms, depending on the specific drug and dosage used. There are many people who use sleeping pills to commit suicide, because these drugs, if used in too large doses, often 5 to 20 times higher than the therapeutic dose, can cause certain harm to the body. even death.
Although, sleeping pills are now administered and some sleep aids may be safer and reduce the harmful effects of fatal overdoses in users. But the risk of death from an overdose still exists, you need to note that you should use this medicine exactly as directed, do not increase the dose yourself.
2.2. Having serious side effects Sleeping pills can interfere with your normal breathing and be dangerous in some people with chronic lung problems such as asthma, emphysema, other medical conditions. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Common side effects of prescription sleeping pills may include: dizziness, confusion, burning or tingling in the hands or arms or feet, loss of coordination, changes in appetite, Digestive disorders such as constipation or diarrhea, dizziness, prolonged daytime sleepiness, dry throat, dry mouth, weakness, fatigue the next morning, sluggishness, memory impairment, forgetfulness, ...
2.3. Risk of drug dependence Deadly hypnotics such as barbiturates or benzodiazepines can cause drug dependence or addiction if taken in high doses for a long time. This means that if you use it continuously, you will stop and it will cause withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping... This can be reduced if you do not abuse the drug, adhere to the time limit. duration of treatment and need to adhere to the principle of drug discontinuation. Do not suddenly stop suddenly, but need to reduce the dose and stop memorizing gradually.
2.4. Dangers of harm if too much strong sleeping pills are taken When you take too much or a higher dose than prescribed in addition to the large dose that can be fatal, a number of other symptoms can be experienced when taking more than one drug Sleep includes:
Oversleeping and oversleeping. Not being able to control their own behavior. Abdominal pain: Although this is a fairly rare symptom, too much sleeping pills can cause loss of appetite and constipation. Irregular breathing: Using sleeping pills can cause symptoms such as slow breathing or breathing dysfunction. In case if the person using sleeping pills is gasping or stops breathing while sleeping and loses consciousness, it is necessary to perform artificial respiration immediately and quickly bring the patient to the nearest medical facility. 2.5. Some sleeping pills affect liver and kidney function Like many other drugs, taking sleeping pills can also affect liver and kidney function. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the function of these two organs before taking the drug.
3. Note when taking medication to treat insomnia
If you have insomnia before deciding to take the drug, please pay attention to other sleep care measures such as:
Create a quiet, dark sleep environment, avoid stimulation, appropriate temperature. If you sleep in a place where you are not comfortable, sleep problems or even insomnia are more likely to occur. Do not take stimulants before bed. Sleep and wake up at the same time of day. Relax before bed and avoid strenuous activity before bed. Learn how to manage stress: This can be considered a very common reason for people with insomnia, you need to learn how to make yourself reduce stress and relax by listening to music, walking, talk to friends... Gentle exercise every day to improve health and support good sleep. Should be exposed to the sun during the day for the biological clock to work at its best. Avoid eating too full or too hungry before bed, as this makes it harder to fall asleep. Avoid sleeping a lot during the day, no more than 30 minutes maximum. It is recommended to use herbal sleeping pills to help support the best sleep, avoid overusing prescription sleeping pills in the first place. If you use prescription sleeping pills, you should strictly follow the instructions, use from mild drugs to strong sleeping pills. Do not use stimulants such as alcohol while taking sleeping pills, as this is harmful and causes more side effects. When you feel like you're ready to go drug-free and want to stop taking prescription sleeping pills, talk to your doctor about a schedule that's right for you. Avoid abrupt discontinuation as some drugs cause withdrawal symptoms.
Strong sleeping pills can provide immediate benefits to sleep, but they can be potentially harmful if you take them the wrong way. Therefore, before using you need to understand the risk of harm of the drug to avoid unfortunate effects.
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