Off The Meds Again, This Time For Good.

[Deleted member 20280]

I was recently prescribed *Chloral Hydrate/Betain* to try and combat my severly increasing insomnia issues. Chloral Betayne is a powerful sedative that is prescribed in some of the severest cases of sleep deprivation. Like mine was becoming.

A very potent medication at minimum, that being 707 ml per night for sleep, I was prescribed 3 x 707 ml per night I literally do not sleep sometimes for weeks at a time. First dose worked a treat, out within 15 minutes, next night took 2 hours to drop off, followed by 4 then a week later back to 5-6 nights awake culminating in a complete week after one nights broken sleep, ending up me having to see a DR.

I attend and they see the state of my arms, hands and particular notice paid to the severity of the blistering and Peticial Bleeding. The bruises showed cracking under ultra-violet light as well. Concern arrises as to where these injuries have come from. So I check on Chloral-Hydrate on http://www.drugs.com/sfx/chloral-hydrate-side-effects.html.... Imagine my surprise to see those listed as less common, the top 2.....

Usual Adult Dose for Insomnia
500 mg to 1 g 15 to 30 minutes before bedtime.by my calculations I was on double the recommended dose as well being I was in fact taking 2017 ml 15-30 minutes before bedtime. !!

Additional dosage information:

• Renal Dose Adjustments
• Liver Dose Adjustments
• Precautions
• Dialysis

Imagine my dismay at then discovering the reason I have been in so much pain is the fact that no renal adjustments were taken at all......

Well British Medical Society..... Let's see where this law suit gets you cobber !

 

[joeylittle]

@Mr Laurie, you weren't looking at the right info on drugs.com. You were looking at chloral hydrate. If you were prescribed cloral betaine, then this is the info you want: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/24801, or this: http://www.drugs.com/uk/welldorm-tablets-707mg-leaflet.html

Betaine is an amino acid. Cloral Betaine is a preparation of chloral hydrate that is metabolized differently. The 707mg of cloral betaine (one tablet) is equivalent to roughly 414 mg chloral hydrate.

They did dose you correctly, according to the literature - standard is one to two, no more than four. It's usually only a short-term med.

It sounds like you had some nasty side effects, though, which I am sorry for - those are never great. But the side effect info for chloral hydrate isn't really correct, because the cloral betaine is not the same thing.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

Well I ended up in casualty with heart palpitations and kidney pains, I have self discharged because I am a silly stubborn old man, Thankyou for your clarifying comments @joeylittle and considering the lady in bay four was in full pulmoary arrest, my own issues paled into insignificance in comparrison, I do however have every intention of following this up slow time with my own GP, later this morning.

 

[joeylittle]

following this up slow time with my own GP, later this morning.

Oh absolutely - I don't mean to say you didn't have pain, or that they didn't take a thorough history when they prescribed you the Chloral Betaine - just that it's better to know that you weren't given an over-dosage, is all.

I hope it goes well for you at the GP, and that if you have to come off this one, that there's some other solution for your insomnia. Sleep is so important :)