Don't Want To Be Dependant On Pills.

[Deleted member 28403]

I can't sleep, as I get nightmares, but sometimes I really need sleep. For me normal dose of sleeping pills doesn't work at all, so for me to get sleep I need to take a double dose. 2 times 5 mg. I don't want to be dependant on those for my sleep. I am afraid of medications and barely ever took pills.

Should I keep taking pills occassionally or try to normalize sleep another way?

Help

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I think I also remember you mentioning drinking in one thread?

Are your pills RXed for you to take a double dose? It sounds like something you need to see a doctor for. Sleep problems/nightmares are common and have many ways of helping with that, have your searched the forum? You may also want to look at your pills at a temporary thing while your nightmares get better with therapy.

 

[Deleted member 28403]

Drinking is not a problem to me. I do it only a couple times a year and last time was 2 months ago. The thing is that I hear stories of people crazed due to pills. I am confused.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

You are 14 years old and AA is real.

I hear stories of people crazed due to pills.

What sort of pills are you taking?

 

[digger]

I hear stories of people crazed due to pills

The same pills that you're on?

Does your prescribing doctor know that you are taking more than the prescribed dose? It might be a good idea to go back to them and ask if they can recommend anything else, or at least to discuss the safety of the higher dose you are taking.

 

[darrenS]

i cannot take sleeping pills, they really mess me up in a short time, my phsyc suggested either Prazosin or Clonidin (not knlonipin) both are blood pressure medications with no side effects , they actually work very well, they take about 4-7 days to start working , but they work

 

[Deleted member 28403]

Ayesha, please use full tems as I've been spending time googling meanings of everything you say in shortened shape.

As said before, I am not alcoholic, I don't drink alcohol often, it just really frees me. And those pills are not prescribed, they are something parents randomly gave me to get me to sleep, but they are bought often enough to be in the first shelf.

@digger

No, I took sleeping pills a few time but got really paranoid about me getting hooked.

@Ayesha

The things I heard are those of anti-depressants and stuff. I am quite confused with stuff atm.

 

[digger]

No, I took sleeping pills a few time but got really paranoid about me getting hooked.

I'm a bit confused now, sorry. Are you referring to prescribed sleeping tablets here, or the ones that your parent have bought over the counter for you?

And those pills are not prescribed, they are something parents randomly gave me to get me to sleep, but they are bought often enough to be in the first shelf.

Regularly taking more than the recommended dose of anything is not generally a good idea. What do your parents think about you taking more than you should be taking?

 

[Deleted member 28403]

Well, they gave me a double dose as normal didn't work, at all. The biggest problem on me on this is paranoia

 

[digger]

The biggest problem on me on this is paranoia

Maybe you've already done so, but if not, perhaps researching the drug you are taking might be helpful and help you make more informed decisions and conclusions about it. It might mean you decide it's not something you want to continue with as a result. Then again it might set your mind at ease about it.

What is the name of the drug? Some other people here might be familiar with it and might be able to reassure you.

Generalizing about hearing stories about 'people crazed due to pills' and applying it direct to your own situation is not helpful. You're an intelligent kid. Do some research on it. Sort out the facts from the stories. Yes there are drugs people get dependant on. Yes there are drugs which might cause more problems than they cure. There are also a lot of stories of meds helping people though.

 

[Chava]

First, you shouldn't be taking pills not prescribed for you. Also, did you take them from your parents or did your parents give them to you? Either way, stop doing it that way and see a doctor about the sleep problems. That all being said, I take prescribed sleeping pills and I take more than the recommended dose for women, but it's the dose prescribed by my doctor and she's okay with it because they don't make me crazy. They do work horribly for some people though. Medication is a pretty individual thing and best to work with a doctor.

Anyway, especially if you are concerned about the low dose not affecting you, it sounds like you have legitimate sleep issues. Or this is not the right medication for you. It's worth seeing your doctor and getting your own medication if that's what s/he thinks will help. Can you ask your parents about seeing a doctor instead of taking their medication? As for not needing them or getting dependent, just stop taking them, especially if they do not work...don't take more of anything without checking with a doc, and especially if it's not prescribed to you to begin with. Meds can be really touchy with ever-changing adolescent minds and bodies...really important to have a thoughtful and smart doc.

If you don't take them, you might not sleep well, but only you can gauge to what degree that affects your daily life. Having a routine in the evening, staying out of bright light or away from computer/I-pad screens for the last hour or two helps. So does exercising earlier in the day. Good luck. I know not being able to sleep (and/or nightmares and other sleep issues) really stink.

 

[joeylittle]

@otakujome, I am pretty sure what we are calling "over the counter" is the same as "first shelf" - so, medication that can be purchased without a doctor ordering it.

Pills don't make you crazy. There are many anti-depressant drugs that have a side-effect of making you sleepy, and those are often prescribed in low doses to help with sleep.

Depending on sleeping pills for sleep does get dangerous long-term; there is less risk of that happening with drugs that have a main job like anti-depressant or blood pressure medicine, and a side effect of tiredness.

If you have tried doubling the dose of your first-shelf sleeping pill and it is not working, you need to see a doctor for something different.

You can also google "sleep hygiene". There are things that make it much, much easier to get to sleep. I take a drug to help me sleep, but if I don't also practice good sleep hygiene, the drug won't work. The thing that might be most important for you is that you need to stop looking at computer or phone screens about 2 hours before bed.