If sleep problems persist, over-the-counter medications for sleep may help, such as Tylenol PM, Excedrin PM, and Sominex. Remember that even decaf coffee still contains caffeine. People who are very sensitive to caffeine may need to stop all caffeine use after noon to achieve restorative sleep. Caffeine is essentially “the world’s most popular drug.” Know the caffeine content of foods (like coffee, tea, energy drinks, cola, and chocolate) so you can limit it. Exercise stimulates your body and mind and alcohol, which may help you fall asleep, disrupts the sleep cycle and lowers sleep quality. Avoid exercise and alcohol in the evening.Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and not too hot or cold.“You’ll get more restful sleep at night.” “This can be tough, but it’s important if you want to regulate your sleep.” Go to bed and wake up at same time each day.This helps you associate your bed with sleeping. Use your bed only for sleeping and sex.It’s worth trying.”įor those with frequent problems sleeping, a first step is to practice the basics of “good sleep hygiene”, which consists of these practices: Discuss trying a different medication “If Prozac makes you sleepy, Paxil, a similar medication, may not have that effect.“Meds are not ‘one size fits all.’ Taking a slightly lower dose may still give the benefit without the side effect.” Talk to your physician about decreasing the dose.Take the medication in the evening, when drowsiness will be more beneficial and less noticeable.Many of the medications used by people with SCI cause drowsiness, including antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac, etc.) antihistamines (Benadryl, etc.) anxiolytics (Valium, Xanax, etc.) pain medications (Vicodin, Morphine, etc.) and spasmolytics (baclofen, tizanidine, etc.). Tell your doctor- things can be done to manage these.” Speak up! “If you start to have side effects, you and your family are going to be the first ones to notice.
#Similar to ambien over the counter trial
Although it can be frustrating, some trial and error may be necessary before finding the right medication and dose. There is usually more than one medication available for any problem, and if one doesn’t work out, another slightly different one may be better. Non-drug treatments such as lifestyle modifications may reduce side effects when used in combination with a drug.“Often they can switch you to a slightly different drug.” Principles for Managing Side Effects Page recommends telling your doctor if the side effects are intolerable. Everyone reacts to medications a little differently, and each individual must decide if the benefits of any particular medication outweigh the undesirable consequences. “They act all over the body.” When you take morphine for pain, for example, the processes that work to relieve the pain also make you sleepy and can cause constipation.Īll medications have side effects. “Medications aren’t as specific as we’d like them to be,” Page said. It’s our main source of information about whether these drugs are effective or useful in SCI patients.” Side EffectsĪ side effect is any unintended consequence-usually undesirable-of a medication or therapy. “That’s why it’s important for you to tell your physician about the experiences you’re having with a drug. “In SCI, we have to rely more on smaller clinical trials, and even a method that’s less scientific-‘expert opinion’- which is physicians’ experience using a medication and seeing how it affects patients”, Page explained. Once a medication is approved for a condition, physicians can prescribe it for any problem-which is a common practice in SCI, because it’s so hard to get a sufficient number of study subjects with SCI to participate in a large-scale clinical trial.
“This is the gold standard of evidence, and it is what the FDA requires for a drug to be sold in this country.”
When studies are properly conducted, any differences in outcome between the two groups at the end of the study can be attributed to the drug. “This means that we use the best evidence available to make decisions about treating individual patients.” The most desirable evidence comes from large randomized controlled trials, in which subjects are randomly assigned to receive either medication or placebo, and effects are compared between the two groups. “In this country we practice what’s called ‘evidence-based’ medicine,” said Debra Page, Clinical Pharmacist in Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at Harborview Medical Center.
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