New Medications For Insomnia

Among the new medications for insomnia is melatonin. This is the actual hormone in the body that helps you sleep. This takes approximately 30 minutes to take affect for sleep. So take it a half hour before you are planning to go to sleep. It is not recommended with certain health conditions though such as schizophrenia and depression. It has been used in the United States for a while now and Britain is now using it too.

There is also a drug called Circadin, which is a synthetically made melatonin that is available for people age 55 and over. This is quite effective on primary insomnia, which is a type of insomnia not brought on by any kind of medical problems or abusing substances. Many people in Britain are reported to suffer from this kind of insomnia.

Most over the counter (OTC) sleep aids only offer relief to insomnia temporarily at best. Their main ingredient is an antihistamine. They also have side effects ranging from difficulty in concentrating to dry mouth. They can even cause constipation. These OTC sleep aids are never recommended for severe insomnia. If you have it you need to consult a physician.

If someone is also suffering from depression sometimes due to the insomnia or vice versa then Prozac can be prescribe. Prozac has been reported to help straighten out sleeping problems along with the problems from depression. Other antidepressants can also be prescribed to help with insomnia.

Benzodiazepines are hypnotic prescription drugs used in the treatment of insomnia. You can become dependent on these if you use them over time. These types drugs include such names as flunitrazepam, temazepam, and nitrazepam.

Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata are nonbenzodiazepine prescriptions medications. They are reported to have fewer side effects than the benzodiazepine class of drugs but are not reported to be any more effective. But both groups can cause dependency.

For an alternative medicine source Valerian has been shown to have some success. Valerian is an herbal remedy and when taken an hour before bedtime is thought to calm the GABA, which is a neurotransmitter. It may take a couple of weeks for this to start working. This is a non-addicting treatment too.

There are other things you can do to help combat insomnia too. Some of these are: control how much caffeine you take in. In some cases you need to eliminate it all together. Calcium and magnesium can help with sleep sometimes by naturally calming the body. Relaxation techniques such as meditation may work too.

These are just a few of the old and new medications and treatments for insomnia that are used today. If you suffer from insomnia there are many forms of help out there for you so do not just suffer with it. Search out a cure that will work for you.