January 27, 2007
What are the Effects and Side Effects of Sleeping Pills?
Sedatives and tranquilizers, or sleeping pills, are widely used today as sleeping aids and as calming drugs, but they are also prescribed for other purposes. In most cases, they are used to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia. They are also prescribed to induce anesthesia and to control seizures and muscle pain. Sometimes they are also used in palliative sedation to relieve pain and suffering especially in terminally ill patients, but this is a very controversial indication for sleeping pills.
Like any other medication, along with its desired effects, there are also side effects of sleeping pills. The most common side effects of sleeping pills are drug tolerance and, eventually, dependence when used for prolonged periods of time and the resulting withdrawal syndrome, which could lead to death, among dependent users. This is the reason why most sleeping pills are regulated and cannot be purchased without a doctor’s prescription.
Generally speaking, the side effects of sleeping pills are not that different from each other since they have similar drug actions. The side effects can be physical or mental or both. The physical side effects of sleeping pills commonly reported by patients usually include uncoordinated movements and weakness. Because of this, patients are usually discouraged to drive vehicles and operate machineries for it could lead to accidents. Other reported adverse effects are loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, stomach upset, mouth dryness, and headaches.
The side effects of sleeping pills involving mental and behavioral changes in addition to drug dependence include hallucinations, commonly auditory hallucinations, confusion, increased irritability, nervousness, tremors, drowsiness, and, ironically, trouble with sleeping.
However, side effects of sleeping pills may differ from the specific type of sleeping pill used, the amount taken or the dosage, and the condition of the person taking the drug. Some sleeping pills are mild, some are fast-acting, and some stay in the body longer. Other sedatives have more unfavorable effects on older patients or on people with kidney or liver problems than on people with no other medical issues.
Sleeping pills are usually contraindicated for older people and for those who have emphysema and other lung problems, heart problems, myasthenia gravis, glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, severe liver or kidney diseases, obstructive sleep apnea, mental problems, and people with a history of substance (drug and alcohol) abuse. These medical conditions are likely to potentiate the effects of the drug and increase the side effects of sleeping pills.
However, there are times that these conditions are not checked or the sleeping pill is taken in by mistake resulting in the above-mentioned side effects of sleeping pills. In cases of sleeping pill overdose, especially benzodiazepines, flumazenil (Anexate) may be given as an antidote to reverse the unpleasant effects.
Sleeping pills are also contraindicated for pregnant mothers because of the drug’s ability to cross the placental barrier and accumulate there. Therefore, the baby is the one likely to experience the side effects of sleeping pills that are taken by the mother. When babies of sleeping-pill-using mothers are delivered, they exhibit manifestations of irritability, restlessness, breathing problems, and feeding problems. They are basically the same manifestations as that of an adult who had developed side effects of sleeping pills.
