Problem Of Sleeplessness As Possible Cause Of Prescription Drug Addiction
Everyone has his or her own natural sleep pattern. This means that a person falls asleep at more or less the same time each night and wakes up around the same time each morning. For some reasons, a person's sleep pattern may be disrupted. Some people who get affected this way try to remedy the situation by turning to drugs.
There are concerns, however, that a person who takes sleeping pills faces the risk of becoming addicted to the drugs. The kind of sleep medication, daily dosage and duration of use are factors that can make addiction to a drug possible.
Most sleeping pills are known to contain some barbiturate. Once a person becomes used to taking such pills to solve his wakefulness problem, it becomes increasingly hard for him to get some sleep without them. The drug pentobarbitone or pentobarbital, for example, is a barbiturate that is used as a sedative. If this drug is prescribed to someone having a problem with his sleep pattern, he may develop a physical dependency and become addicted to it in a relatively short time.
There is great preference for barbiturates as sleep medication among many people with sleep problem. This is because barbiturates are effective in making them fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly. Note, however, that barbiturates do not have a wide margin of safety; they especially pose greater danger to the user if taken with alcohol.
Perhaps the greatest danger of barbiturates is their effects on the user's brain. Those who rely heavily on these drugs may become sluggish and irritable. They may experience tremor and become mentally confused. Some people who use barbiturates for several nights may experience vivid nightmares.
Once the barbiturate user reaches the point of having become addicted to the drug, he is likely to experience serious withdrawal symptoms on trying to discontinue its use. The symptoms may include anxiety, delirium, and hallucinations. While trying to break his dependence on the drug, the user may even experience epileptic seizures.
Dealing with your problem of sleeplessness doesn't have to lead to another more serious problem, such as in becoming addicted to a prescription drug. Instead of barbiturates, your doctor may prescribe any of the benzodiazepine drugs as sleeping medication. These drugs are safer to use and are less addictive.
Two other medications, which are even milder than the benzodiazepines, are the chloral hydrate and diphenhydramine drugs. These medications are often prescribed for those with sleep problems because they are relatively safe and well tolerated by most people.