3 Things to Know Before Taking Sleeping Pills

Do you have trouble sleeping? Millions of people do, and for many, prescription sleeping pills are the answer. But before you pop that first pill, there are a few things you should know. In this video I discuss three important factors to consider before taking sleeping pills.

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Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[mmmcdaniel]

I think a great follow-up to this would be to talk about how people would get off of sleeping medication they may have been taking every night for years. Depending on the medication there may be significant rebound insomnia as you mentioned. So if you made a video abouthow to transition into getting the body to once again become drowsy and sleep without that assistance I think a lot of people might find that helpful.

[GarzaB]

What a “World Class” on sleeping medications and OTC options! Thank you again for another spectacular video.

[hissyfitz]

Have been an insomniac my entire life due to trauma; it’s horrific. Have been prescribed trazodone, ambien, Lunesta, Belsomra, Klonopin, & seroquel. I never took them every night & all failed eventually. Seroquel had awful side effects for me & at that point I wasn’t trusting my psychiatrist anymore… I was also on EMSAM at the time which has amphetamine metabolites, definitely counterproductive to getting some healthy sleep. When COVID hit, my insurance coverage changed & EMSAM was no longer affordable. I carefully weaned myself off entirely & for the past 2 years have been on NO prescription medications. Cannabis helps a little & since I’m retired & spouse is working from home I simply welcome sleep whenever it may come. Death is welcome too; not suicidal; simply exhausted. 😢

[brisebastiano]

Seriously love how much information she gives in such an easily understandable way🙌 the health system is so broken, none of us are raised being taught any of this, bless her for taking the time to share her expertise to help those of us who have spend so much of their lives stressing out over the pros and cons of different medications!

[Yaya-cltu]

What a timely video. I am 44 and began experiencing difficulty staying asleep about three years ago. I had no issue falling asleep but would wake up near nighty at 2 am could not go back to sleep; it was a torment. I started taking OTC sleep aids (Tylenol- Simply Sleep, ZZ quill etc.) two years ago every single night. I fear the impact it will have on me long-term, and my doctors are aware of my use. Although the meds claim not to be habit forming, I think they absolutely are.

Great video, as always!

[TBIhope]

I've been sleeping terribly for about five years following an accident (I fell off a cliff and was in a coma for three months). I've actually been really upset and worried about my sleep debt. What you said is very reassuring.

[timothydoyle]

Thank you so much. 90% of everything you said in this video I have been telling my wife. She would take 2-6 10mg of over the counter sleep bills almost nightly to sleep. I knew it was not good for her body. I shared this video with her. Thank you thank you.

[sannyvain]

Thanks for this information doc ! I’ve battled with insomnia for about 10 + years, now I’m finally catching up on sleep, now that I take my meds and exercise. Truth is I was always afraid of sleeping because I thought I’d pass away in my sleep like my grandparents did but it just made my stress level increase . Now I can finally rest

[lyrasilvertongue]

Love this! I started on Ambien nightly after issues with PTSD. Of course, this was after trying melatonin and histamines which stopped working. I stayed on Ambien nightly for 8 years! I tried to stop so many times, but couldn’t function through the rebound insomnia. Tapering never helped.

I finally stopped taking Ambien cold-turkey about three months ago. I spent 8 weeks sleeping only 2-4 hours per night. I thought for sure I would wreck my car, hallucinate, or fall asleep at work, but now I’m sleeping closer to 5 hours per night. My next plan is sleep restriction.

I’m convinced that long-term use of a sleep aid made my body forget its natural circadian rhythm. The hardest part is learning how to slow my thoughts and awareness enough to fall asleep on my own. Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter how tired you are, if you’ve forgotten how to enter the mental realm of sleep, you won’t be sleeping.

Addition: I’ve been joking with my coworkers about my “early-onset dementia” for about two years. I started forgetting everything, which I attributed to stress. However, over the last few weeks I’ve not had any trouble with forgetfulness. Makes me wonder…

[franki]

If you don't listen to Dr Tracy you are missing out. If you are an addicted to the phone (not speaking about posting about self & others) but for obtaining others perspective with awesome knowledge from u tubers then this is definitely in the top five (5) in this field at least for me. I'm from the mature audience, college educated, more than 2 careers
(unfortunately/fortunately) in only social & behavioral sciences. I have been involved with utube as a consumer since 2015 more so 2017 forward with high data usage mostly because I can & it is an addiction of sorts. Being an avid reader & doer I found it to not always be the best use of time but a life saver for me for reasons I won't bore you with.
My subscriptions are diverse. This one is for HELP and try to gain more knowledge as I have little contact with a therapist & people in general which is my own choice. Rather I chose to isolate to work on me and only me.
I have been here before to some degree and greatful to listen to others with intelligence honestly.
Dr T
Thank you!
TOP RATED...keep up the great work!😉😇🙏😊

[mariaradulovic]

What if all my life is a ''stressful time'' and nothing helps but pills? I'm on sleeping pills for years now and i'm so grateful for them.

[brucedonnelly]

Yeah I used trazodone to sleep for about a year and I had horrrribbbllee dry mouth at night which lead to a couple cavities despite my consistent dental hygiene upkeep!!! I stopped taking it and I realize now I didn’t need it anymore. Just got in the habit of taking it every night!

[Kammler]

-After two straight years with Seroquel I developed Tyskinesia.

-Brotizolam gave me halluscinations after 1 week only.

-Trazadone withdrawl symptoms are hellish.

-After 4 years with Zyprexa Dyskinesia showed up.

Right now on Resperidone. Life is tough on its own.

[ellenperkins]

Insomniac here and have anxiety as well. I've been taking Ambien for well over 10 years. It helps me sleep at least 5 hours per night. I'll take that as opposed to no sleep at all. The doctor is spot on with this video. I wake up groggy, irritable and unable to focus. Lately, my anxiety has been exacerbated by the dry mouth, loss of words and delayed speech. I'm literally at a loss for words which is very unlike me. I speak for a living so this is not good. It's gotten so bad that I'm self conscious when speaking to people and avoid having conversations when i can. I feel like people think I'm having a stroke or something. This is not good.🥺 I'm thinking of going cold turkey off the ambien but I'd like to know if the decline in my cognitive function is reversible? Will the dry mouth go away? Will I ever be able to find my words again?

[May-or-May-not]

I hate sleeping pills. But one thing that saved me was Quetiapine. I take 200-300mg (depending on my cycle) for BP2. And it just fixed my sleeping issues. Now I usually get around seven hours of sleep at night, and I usually fall asleep within half an hour. I still wake up during the night, but I fall right back asleep. However sometimes if I take my pills and then start doing things and suddenly it's one am I will have trouble falling asleep and sometimes stay up all night. I seem to have to go to bed before midnight for it to work well.

[rfrancoi]

SO helpful. Thank you very much. My doctor prescribed Ambien and Tylenol PM; I have been taking it every night. Sleep has drastically improved, but I noticed that I not as "sharp" as I used to be. Now I know why.

[cassiehobbs]

Love Love LOVE Tracey Marks she is good, great tips teaching and good Godly advice!! She has helped me sooo much with my ADHD, discovered after 50! Had I listened to her, I would still be employed. I continue to learn so much from her. I thank God for you, a true blessing to everyone.

[Joreyblake]

I think this is good advice in general, but some people have chronic insomnia and can’t sleep otherwise. Some have exhausted every naturopathic option to get natural rest to no avail, sadly.

[deniskozlik]

Thank you, Dr Tracey, for the digestible breakdown of the sleeping pill use and sleeping problems causation. I found your light therapy, as none medication alternative along with a melatonin supplement grate combination. I've obtained blue light blocking glasses, as recommended. I'm glad that you emphasise anxiety or mental health conditions as possible underlying pathologies in sleeping disorders. Also, I love the fact that you emphasise the individual differences while providing excellent alternatives to manage conditions.

Thank you so much ❤️

[willsmithspimpslaphand]

I was on Mirtazapine with awful side effects but I was able to sleep. I took myself off of it because it quit working and the rebound insomnia was terrible! Can’t wait until it’s out of my body and I can start over. No more sleeping pills.