Good sleep is the most important process that helps to maintain health, high performance, well-being and mood. Many drugs for healthy sleep are sold without a prescription. All these medicines make it easier to fall asleep and bring peace and harmony to life.
Classification of OTC hypnotics
Non-prescription drugs sold in a pharmacy are designed to solve certain problems - soothe, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Some of them can be “assigned” to oneself. For example, these are herbal medicines with sedative, sedative and hypnotic effects. The second group is a synthetic analogue with melatonin, normalizing the quality of sleep, regulating the process of sleep and wakefulness. The third group - homeopathic remedies with herbal ingredients. They normalize sleep, calm, promote fast falling asleep.
How to choose a sedative
There are a number of reasons why a person spends a night without sleep. If this is the only case, there is nothing dangerous about it. No need to take medicine, the human body is able to recuperate by itself.
For health only chronic lack of sleep is dangerous. Because healthy sleep is vital to the brain. Otherwise, nervous exhaustion, blood pressure drops, rapid heartbeat, problems with the gastrointestinal tract may occur: constipation or diarrhea, exacerbation of the ulcer.
Treatment of insomnia can not be started independently. The reason is not even that the medicine is harmless and get used to it, but because a person often needs completely different medicines. According to statistics, in 89% of cases, insomnia is accompanied by anxiety disorders and depression. From depressive state, the doctor will prescribe antidepressants, and if you are anxious, you will need sedatives.
If you went to the pharmacy for sleeping pills, we advise you to carefully read what is written on the packages and jars, and choose what is right for you.
What to look for when choosing:
- Preparations from the group of barbiturates have an extensive list of contraindications, so only a medical professional can recommend them.
- Melatonin medications do well with insomnia. They calm, normalize sleep and general condition.
- Another useful group is herbal and homeopathic remedies. The drugs act gently, not addictive.
Important! Any sleep disorder should be treated under the supervision of a physician and not to abuse drugs that are released without a prescription.
Over-the-counter drugs for good and quality sleep
Doctors recommend sleeping pills only when it was not possible to determine the cause of insomnia. In this case, physicians should also prescribe a specific medicine, as there are drugs that are only suitable for one-time use, and there are medicines for a long-term administration.
Strong remedies for insomnia without a prescription
Medicines containing melatonin are dispensed at a pharmacy without a prescription. They will help to normalize sleep, calm nerves, improve mood.
| Drug name | Active substance | Act |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic analogue of the pineal gland | ||
| Melaxen (pills) | Melatonin | Normalizes, improves the quality of sleep, adapts the body to the change of time zones |
| Circadin (pills) | Melatonin | Regulates the process of sleep and wakefulness, normalizes night sleep, reduces stress reactions |
| Donormil (effervescent or regular tablets), analogue of Sondoks | (Doxylamine) Doxylamine | Relaxing, hypnotic effect, reduces sleep time, increases sleep time |
| Carvalol (Valocordin) (drops, tablets) | Phenobarbital | Normalizes sleep, soothes |
It is important to know! Combination drugs Corvalol and Valocordin belong to the group of sedatives, sleeping pills, but they contain phenobarbital (an addictive and addictive component).
Light drugs that do not cause addiction
Choosing light OTC drugs to normalize sleep, you need to keep in mind that there are more than a dozen of such tools. Before you buy a sleeping pill yourself, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the composition and characteristics of exposure.
| Drug name | Active substance | Act |
|---|---|---|
| Herbal preparations | ||
| Novo Passit (tablets and solution) | Valerian, Melissa, St. John's Wort, Hawthorn | Soothing, sleeping, anti-depressive |
| Dormiplant (pills) | Combination of lemon balm and valerian | Sedative, sleeping, improving sleep quality |
| Melisana Klosterfrau (Elixir) | Essential oils of ginger, elecampane, lemon balm, clove, angelica | Hypnotic, sedative |
| Persen night (capsules) | Melissa, peppermint, valerian | Sleeping Pills, Calming |
| Phyto sedan (filter packages) | Origanum, Valerian, motherwort, sweet clover | It has a mild effect, makes it easier to fall asleep. |
| Homeopathy | ||
| Edas-306 Passambra (syrup)
| Passion flower red-white, backyard meadow, valerian, sugar, water | Sedative, decreased excitability, normalization of sleep
|
| Glycine | Aminoacetic acid + excipients | Eases sleep; normalizes sleep. |
Important! Dependence on drugs can be both psychological and physical. The addiction can develop to any drugs, and quickly enough.
Preparations for children, old people, pregnant women
Medicines that improve sleep, as well as support the health of pregnant women and the elderly, should contain herbal ingredients, which have been proven by scientific research. Instead of synthetic analogues, effective valerian, mint, lemon balm and other soothing herbs. They are part of the following drugs: Dormiplant, Persen, Novo-Passit, Alora syrup.
Warning
Mankind has become accustomed to, that health problems can be solved not at the doctor, but at the pharmacy, where almost everyone will sell without a prescription, except for sleeping pills. Although there is an exception - sleeping pills with a herbal composition. These are medicinal products in which are present: mint, valerian root, motherwort, and other herbal ingredients.
Most people consider them safe. But this is not true. For example, valerian is not indicated for people with liver disease, and older people with tachycardia may experience heart failure after discontinuation of the drug with valerian.
Even ordinary chamomile, hop cones, passionflower, lemon balm, which are part of soothing over-the-counter drugs, are not well tolerated by every person. Not recommended joint intake of herbal hypnotics with other sedatives.
Therefore, if there is a need to take sleeping pills, then you need to take the medications that the doctor ordered. And doctors recommend using a sleeping pill for a short course (not exceeding 21-30 days) and not daily, but taking a break (2 to 4 times a week). It is not often to take sleeping pills, as many drugs in this group cause unpleasant side effects.
Sleeping pills lose their effectiveness over time, as the body gets used to it, and a person becomes dependent on these funds.
Expensive and cheap medicines
Not all expensive drugs sold in a pharmacy to combat insomnia are designed to solve certain problems - to soothe, reduce nervousness, improve the quality of sleep. The cheaper the product, the less additional components it contains. But at the same time, these drugs have a slightly pronounced therapeutic effect. Not always expensive medicine is effective. According to doctors, drugs that are well proven in the treatment of nervous disorders and sleep disorders in terms of quality-price ratio - Melaxen, Persen, Novo-Passit and Glycine.
Compatibility with alcohol
During the treatment of insomnia, you need to give up bad habits. Especially it is necessary to abstain from alcohol, it is really dangerous. Some sleeping pills with him are absolutely not compatible. Such an explosive mixture will give an additional load on the liver, stomach and heart.
The danger of addiction and how to avoid it
Beginning to take sleeping pills, know that there are 4 “not” rules:
- Do not exceed the dosage recommended by your doctor if the medicine has not affected you.
- Do not drink alcohol simultaneously with sleeping pills - their combination can cause coma and even death.
- Do not use sleeping pills for more than four weeks in a row.
- Do not abruptly stop taking sleeping pills, its dosage should be gradually reduced so that after it is canceled, sleep does not worsen.
Important! If insomnia does not go away for more than one month and it has a bad effect on well-being during the day, interferes with focusing on work, then it is necessary to start treatment by contacting your local doctor, but it is better to visit a somnologist.
