I have difficulty falling asleep and wake up early. Is it safe to take sleeping pills? Will I become addicted?

Many of Huazi's friends complained about insomnia, some had difficulty falling asleep, and some woke up early after falling asleep. They went to see a doctor, who recommended sleeping pills, but they were worried that taking sleeping pills would lead to dependence and they would not be able to quit after becoming addicted, so they asked Huazi what to do?

Huazi said that their concerns are justified because sleeping pills are basically psychotropic drugs. If used for a long time, they may cause mental dependence, so it is not recommended to use them lightly, but they are not "drugs" that cannot be quit.

1. Insomnia is very common. People will feel anxious when facing pressure, and life is full of pressure, so insomnia is a common phenomenon. Among Huazi's friends, more than half of them have experienced insomnia, including Huazi himself.

If you only have insomnia for a few days, it is not recommended to take medicine. As long as you find the cause of insomnia and actively fight it, you can quickly restore normal sleep through exercise, rest, and extra sleep, and it will not interfere with your health.

However, if you encounter severe insomnia symptoms, such as insomnia lasting more than 2 weeks, you can only sleep 2 to 3 hours a day, and you experience dizziness, headache, palpitations, irritability, dry mouth and other symptoms during the day, which interfere with your normal work and life, it is recommended to use medication under the guidance of a doctor.

2. Correctly view the mental dependence of sleeping pills. Many people worry about what to do if they become addicted to sleeping pills. Addiction means that our body becomes dependent on the stimulation of a certain substance. When we lose this substance, we will experience extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. The most common addiction is caused by various drugs.

The addiction caused by real drugs is extremely difficult to quit and will cause harm to the body, but sleeping pills are different. Although mental dependence will occur when using sleeping pills for a long time, as long as the interval and dosage of medication are arranged reasonably, after quickly helping us to restore a normal sleep state, we can gradually stop taking the medication and quit, and it will not cause harm to the body.

3. Which sleeping pill is safer? Although scientific use of sleeping pills will not cause harm to the body, side effects may still occur during the use of sleeping pills. Choosing the right sleeping pill can minimize side effects.

The sleeping pills people used initially were barbiturates, but they have serious side effects when used for a long time, so they are basically no longer used. Aldehyde drugs were also used as sleeping pills, such as chloral hydrate. But because of the serious adverse reactions and drug dependence, they are rarely used now.

The most commonly used drugs now are benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, estazolam, etc. They have sedative, hypnotic and anti-anxiety effects, and have a wide safety range and less respiratory depression. This type of drug has a relatively long duration of action and is more effective for people with poor sleep quality, who are prone to waking up early and cannot fall asleep after waking up.

The new generation of sleeping pills are non-benzodiazepine drugs, such as zopitant, zopiclone, eszopiclone, etc. Compared with benzodiazepines, they take effect quickly, can induce sleep and maintain sleep time well, and have fewer aftereffects after waking up. They are mainly used for patients who have difficulty falling asleep.

4. Medication must be used under the guidance of a doctor. Sleeping pills are psychotropic drugs. Such drugs can cause psychological dependence and are prone to abuse. Therefore, they are not allowed to be sold in ordinary pharmacies and can only be purchased and used in medical institutions with a doctor's prescription. Sleeping pills are usually taken once before bedtime, but people with anxiety disorders may need to take the drug several times a day to control symptoms.

The duration of action and metabolic pathway of each drug are different, and the doctor needs to choose the appropriate sleeping pill according to the different conditions of each patient. During the medication process, you must strictly follow the doctor's instructions and must not increase the dosage, take the medicine more often, or shorten the interval between medications without authorization.

To sum up, people who often suffer from insomnia can quickly restore normal sleep and relieve pain by using sleeping pills scientifically and reasonably under the guidance of a doctor. After the symptoms of insomnia improve, the medication can be gradually discontinued, and it will not cause long-term dependence. However, during the medication process, you must strictly follow the doctor's instructions. If you have any questions about the medication, consult a doctor or pharmacist in time. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.