Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Sleep Aids And Side Effects
If you are considering taking sleep medication, always consult your doctor and explain your situation in detail. Tell them what kind of sleep issues youve been having, when they started, and how frequently you experience them. This information can help them prescribe an appropriate treatment plan to relieve your sleep issues.
Regarding medication side effects, consider asking your doctor these questions:
- Are there other things in my life that could be contributing to my sleep issues, such as stress, diet, exercise, or a poor sleep environment?
- What types of sleep medication would be safe for me?
- How often should I take this medication, and at what time of day?
- How should I take the medication? Should I drink water or eat food at the same time, or before?
- Are there any activities I should avoid after taking the medication, such as driving?
- How long should I take this medication?
- Is there a generic version I can take that may be more affordable?
- What side effects can I expect from this medication?
- What side effects should I be concerned about, or cause me to stop taking the medication?
- Are there any food or substances I should avoid when taking this medication, like alcohol or grapefruit?
- Was this article helpful?
Articles On Sleep And Pain
There is no perfect treatment for pain and sleeplessness. It all depends on your particular case — the kind of pain you have and the other medications you take, for instance.
The first step for anyone with sleep problems is to improve their sleep habits. This helps set the stage for a good night’s rest.
You might also benefit from medication. Some drugs ease pain, which can help with sleep. Other medicines are available to just aid sleep problems. Many people need both. But don’t treat chronic pain and insomnia on your own. Over-the-counter drugs are not intended for long-term use. Instead, talk to your health care provider so you can get a personalized treatment plan.
Here are some of the drugs that help people with chronic pain feel better and get some rest.
Treatment For Polydrug Abuse
When an individual cant control use of sleeping pills and opiates, it is time to get treatment support. Programs that are based on research and an understanding of the chronic disease model of addiction are those most likely to be able to help a person recover from this type of substance abuse and gain the tools and skills needed to avoid relapse to use.
In addition, by working with a rehab program that is familiar with the challenges of polydrug abuse and treatment, the individual using both sleeping pills and opiates at the same time has a stronger chance of stopping use of both drugs while managing the issues that the medicines were prescribed to treat to begin with.
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Be Careful Or Avoid This Common Class Of Painkillers
At the drugstore, the most common alternatives to acetaminophen are ibuprofen and naproxen .
Both of these are part of a class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . Many people are familiar with these medications. But in fact, older adults should be very careful before using NSAIDs often or regularly.
Unlike acetaminophen, which usually doesnt become much riskier as people get older, NSAIDs have side-effects that are especially likely to cause harm as people get older. These include:
- Increased risk of bleeding in the stomach, small bowel, or colon. Seniors who take daily aspirin or a blood-thinner are at especially high risk.
- Problems with the stomach lining, which can cause stomach pain or even peptic ulcer disease.
- . This can be especially problematic for those many older adults who have already experienced a chronic decline in kidney function.
- Interference with high blood pressure medications.
- Fluid retention and increased risk of heart failure.
Experts have estimated that NSAIDs cause 41,00 hospitalizations and 3,300 deaths among older adults every year.
Recent research has also suggested that NSAIDs cause a small but real increase in the risk of cardiovascular events .
Despite this fact, NSAIDs are often bought by seniors at the drugstore. Perhaps even worse, NSAIDs are often prescribed to older adults by physicians, because the anti-inflammatory effect can provide relief from arthritis pain, gout, and other common health ailments.
What Should You Do If Your Dog Ate Melatonin
Melatonin given in the right dose for your dogs weight and size will not hurt him. It is actually recommended by some veterinarians for natural treatments of various conditions. If you have human melatonin at home and your dog happens to eat some, depending on the dose your dog may experience side-effects.
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Important Information About All Medicines
Never take more than the prescribed dose. If you suspect that you or someone else might have taken an overdose of this medicine, go to the accident and emergency department of your local hospital at once. Take the container with you, even if it is empty. This medicine is for you. Never give it to other people even if their condition appears to be the same as yours. If you are having an operation or dental treatment, always tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are safe to take with your other medicines. Do not keep out-of-date or unwanted medicines. Take them to your local pharmacy which will dispose of them for you. If you have any questions about this medicine ask your pharmacist. |
Further reading and references
Is It Too Late To Take Melatonin
Care needs to be taken with the timing of melatonin supplementstoo early or too late and it can just exacerbate the problem. Working with a specialist in behavioral sleep medicine generally is required. If youve considered treatment for insomnia or another sleep disorder, now might be a good time to look into it.
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Why Do I Need To Lock Up The Opioids
Sometimes people take opioids prescribed for someone else. For example, a teen might take a younger sibling’s medicine or someone might take a friend’s opioid to manage pain, anxiety, or sleep problems. They might think that prescription opioid medicines are safer than street drugs because health care providers prescribe them.
But prescription opioids can lead to serious side effects, addiction, and overdose. Keeping the opioids locked up will help make sure they’re taken only by the person they were prescribed for.
Tylenol And Liver Health
Taking too much Tylenol can cause severe liver damage, and even death. While many people double the dosage of other drugs without consequence, doing so with Tylenol can kill you.
The liver helps the body filter other drugs, including over-the-counter and prescription medications and alcohol. This means that, if you damage your liver by taking too much Tylenol, the risk of side effects associated with other drugs also increases. Talk to a doctor before taking Tylenol, or avoid the drug altogether, if:
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You have or think you might have liver disease.
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You have a history of alcoholism, regularly binge drink, or drink every day.
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You have or think you might have gallstones.
Reduce the risk of using Tylenol by:
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Never taking more than the recommended dosage. The maximum you can take in 24 hours is often less than you would take by following the dosing schedule. So err on the side of caution and take less than the recommended 24 hour dosage.
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Do not take multiple products containing acetaminophen at once. Some prescription painkillers have acetaminophen in them.
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Dont drink alcohol while using Tylenol or taking melatonin.
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How To Sleep Better With Chronic Pain
Rely on your natural sleep rhythms as much as possible instead of sleep medications and painkillers.
Chronic pain and insomnia are an unhealthy combination. According to the National Sleep Foundation, chronic pain disturbs the slumber of one in five Americans at least a few nights per week. But you can start to break the vicious circle of pain and insomnia by maintaining sleep-friendly behaviors, known as sleep hygiene.
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Getting The Most From Your Treatment
- Do not take melatonin for longer than your doctor advises. It can be prescribed for up to 13 weeks for adults over 55.
- Do not drink alcohol while you are taking melatonin because it will reduce the medicine’s effectiveness in helping you to sleep.
- Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your progress can be monitored.
- There are some general recommendations that may help promote good sleep. Try to reduce the amount of caffeine you drink, especially in the afternoon and evening. Try to avoid eating heavy meals or drinking alcohol before bedtime. Exercise early in the day, rather than in the evening.
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Can Prednisolone Affect My Current Medicines
Prednisolone can cause fluid and salt retention and so may oppose the effects of the following medicines:
- antihypertensive medicines used to treat high blood pressure
- diuretics, eg furosemide.
Prednisolone may increase blood sugar levels and so may oppose the blood sugar lowering effects of antidiabetic medicines. People with diabetes may need an increase in their dose of insulin or antidiabetic tablets.
Prednisolone may enhance the anti-blood-clotting effect of anticoagulant medicines such as warfarin. If you’re taking warfarin with prednisolone your blood clotting time should be regularly monitored, particularly after starting or stopping treatment with prednisolone and after any dose changes.
The level of potassium in your blood is more likely to fall too low if you take prednisolone with other medicines that can lower the amount of potassium in your blood, such as:
- acetazolamide
- beta agonists, eg salbutamol, salmeterol, terbutaline
- carbenoxolone
Do Painkillers Cause Sleep Apnea
Painkillers can and do increase the risk of Central Sleep Apnea where the brain fails to signal to the breathing muscles in some patients, for the reasons listed above. How often? Low estimates put the prevalence of CSA among chronic opioid users at 24%, but more recent studies place those numbers closer to 50% and as high as 90%. That certainly points to opioid-induced sleep apnea. Whats more, patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea where breathing is interrupted due to airway tissue collapse have their own risks to contend with. Studies have shown that patients with either type of sleep apnea experience more sleep apnea events per hour than patients not using opioids.
This makes an already serious disorder even more dangerous. During an apnea event, your brain and blood lose the oxygen you need. When these events increase, oxygen desaturation can be so severe that potentially deadly seizures and cardiac events could occur.
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Will Medication Make My Birth Control Pills Ineffective
I am on birth control pills and I was sick so I took sudafed and Tylenol. I had unprotected sex and now Im worried I might be pregnant. Should I have used a condom because of the medication I was taking?
Cold medicine like Sudafed and pain relievers like Tylenol wont mess with your birth control pills. If youre taking your birth control correctly, you can feel confident that its working to protect you from pregnancy.
A lot of people worry that certain medicines or supplements theyre taking will make their birth control work less well. But the only over-the-counter medicine that can make your birth control pills less effective is St. Johns Wort. Antibiotics wont change how well your pill works, either, with the exception of the antibiotic rifampin.
There are certain prescription medicines that can make the birth control pill work less well. Also, the pill can decrease or increase the effectiveness of some other medicines. Thats why its important to tell any nurse or doctor you see about all of the medicines you use, including birth control. Always let your nurse or doctor know about all the drugs and supplements you take before they prescribe anything new for you.
Tags:antibiotics, birth control pills, medication, painkillers
Herbal And Complementary Medicines
Herbal remedies such as valerian, lavender, passiflora, chamomile, hops and catnip are widely promoted to promote sleep health. Research to support their efficacy is limited.
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Many newer and emerging medicines are being tested for insomnia, so in the future more options should be available.
For now its important to remember none of the options listed above is without side effects, and most will cause dependence if used long term, meaning falling asleep without them will be even harder than it was before.
Improve your sleep hygiene, and if that hasnt worked for you, speak with your doctor about whats keeping you up at night. Shell be able to prescribe the best type of medication for you to use in the short term.
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How Do Painkillers Work
Painkillers and CBD are both metabolized by the human body and inhibit certain enzymes before they can take effect. This is why you should be concerned about drug interactions. Well get more into this later.
While the effects of these two substances might come about in different ways, studies show the end results might be similar, but not exactly the same.
In order for painkillers to work, they must target different receptors in our bodies. For the purposes of this article, we will examine receptors targeted by opiates, since opiates are a very popular form of a painkiller today. At a very basic level, the painkillers latch on to different forms of proteins known as opioid receptors.
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These receptors are located on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas within our bodies.
When this happens, the opioids can then prevent pain messages that are otherwise delivered from the body through the spinal cord to the brain.
The end result is an effective blocking of the pain you would otherwise feel hence the name painkiller.
The bad part about most painkillers is the fact that they negatively affect liver enzymes. This results in a liver that is working harder than it needs to when processing substances you consume.
Some clinically prescribed medications, can be quite harsh on the liver and kidneys. These are our bodies internal filtration system, and vital for us to survive.
Can I Take Over
If you’re taking gastro-resistant prednisolone tablets, don’t take antacids at the same time of day. Avoid taking antacids within two hours of taking this type of prednisolone tablet.
Don’t take anti-inflammatory painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen while you’re taking prednisolone, unless they’ve been prescribed by your doctor. This type of painkiller may increase the risk of side effects on the gut, such as stomach ulceration and bleeding.
Remember that many cold and flu remedies and over-the-counter painkillers contain ibuprofen or aspirin and so should be avoided while you’re taking prednisolone. Be sure to check the ingredients of other medicines before taking them with prednisolone, or ask your pharmacist for advice.
It’s fine to take paracetamol with prednisolone. You can also take opioid-type painkillers such as codeine or co-codamol.
Check with your doctor or pharmacist before using steroid creams or steroid nasal sprays while you’re using prednisolone.
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What Should I Do If I Experience Side Effects
If you notice severe or dangerous side effects, consult your doctor immediately.
If you notice more mild side effects, you should still speak to your doctor as soon as possible. They may be able to suggest a lower dose, a different medication, or a plan for slowly weaning off the medication.
Know that rebound insomnia can occur when you stop using prescription sleep aids, especially if you stop cold-turkey. It can also happen as youre gradually lowering your dosage. Rebound insomnia can feel even more frustrating than your original insomnia, as you may experience vivid dreams, nightmares, and anxiety. If you experience this, talk to your doctor. They may suggest lowering your dose more gradually.
How Oxycodone Affects Sleep
Oxycodone is an opioid, which means it is derived from the poppy plant, but it has been clinically modified to have much more concentrated, punctual effects than opiates. This particular opioid is a thebaine extract that is commonly marketed under its brand name OxyContin.
It is notorious for its high level of abuse, being a particularly powerful and highly demanded painkiller. Many people desire this drug for its euphoric highs, especially during recreational abuse. However, what illicit users do not realize is that oxycodone addiction can seriously alter sleep habits. People who abuse this drug may think it relaxes them enough to encourage sleep, and it does generally cause excessive drowsiness however, it can also cause other sleep disturbances, like insomnia.
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Mixing Painkillers And Melatonin
Does anyone know if I can mix vicodin with melatonin?
I have to take vicodin for pain sometimes because of how severe my period cramps are and I have been starting my period in my sleep lately… If I take melatonin now and wake up needed pain medicine can I take vidocin if the melatonin is still in effect?
basically can I mix vicodin and melatonin? I obviously cannot get a hold of my doctor at this time.
Honestly I am not sure if you can, per say.
I used to take one melatonin with my Loratab after a few of my ankle surgeries. Pain killers tend to keep me wide awake. So I would take one with it to help me sleep. I never had a problem. But that is just my experience… not medical advice, lol.
Quoting Nicola =):” Honestly I am not sure if you can, per say. I used to take one melatonin with my Loratab after a few … … So I would take one with it to help me sleep. I never had a problem. But that is just my experience… not medical advice, lol.”
I know. I feel like its safe since its a hormone released in the brain and is unassociated with pain medicine. I am just weird about mixing things but need them both. Ugh lol.
I should call a pharmacy maybe. Thanks so much for the experience! I am sure its safe :]
Yes. When I got my b**bs done the Dr suggested I take melatonin with my pain meds.