Question by Giraffe Bites: sleeping pills?
what are some good over the counter sleeping pills?
one of my roommates used to be a coke addict so his body isn’t used to sleeping. since he kicked his drug habit, he’s had to take sleeping pills every night to go to sleep. he built up a tolerance for tylenol PM and a few others.
what are some over the counter sleeping pills that work wonders?
:: he doesn’t have insurance so prescription meds and doctor visits are out of the question ::
Best answer:
Answer by Denie
Try Benedryl or Melatonan. Sleeping pills make my legs hurt.
Add your own answer in the comments!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I would encourage your friend to set aside a weekend to try to sleep without anything. He should exercise heavily early in the day, avoid all caffiene and alcohol, dim the lights near bedtime, do some relaxation exercises (yoga, stretches, etc). Turn the alarm clock so he can’t see it, and try to sleep. If he can’t sleep, he should get up, drink a bit of warm milk, sit quietly, then try again. No matter what, he should get up the next day at a decent hour and repeat this until he begins to sleep naturally.
There is a herbal medication I took called LunaSom (kind of a play off Lunesta and Unisom) Any way it works for me. It is a blend of Melatonin, Valerian, Chamomile. and White willow bark. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2732073&cp&kw=lunasom&origkw=Lunasom&sr=1
There is also several types of teas for him to try like Chamomile tea there are some others too just go to the tea isle at the grocery store and read the boxes to see what will help.
Some of the natural herbal remedies that are actually hormones and are Tryptophan & Melatonin. Personally, I prefer Tryptophan–This is available at some pharmacies, but usually at health food stores. Health food stores are great for the more natural remedies—including the herbs valerien root and skullcap which both relax you.
Most over the counter sleep meds contain the antihistamine: Diphenhydramine. These include Sominex and Nytol. It is also the same ingredient that is the PM part of the TYLEONL PM Diphenhydramine is the main ingredient in Benadryl. Try to find the store’s name brand for this to save some money. He may just need a higher amount. 50mg. is the max that he can use.
Is he popping them by the handful or something? Tylenol PM is an antihistamine and doesn’t have tolerance issues (typically) if taken according to the directions.
Tell him to go see his doctor about the issue. All of the OTC medications are typically antihistamines.