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TwitThisHow to Use Sleep Meds Effectively
The four most important things for you -- and your doctor -- to know about a sleep medication is how quickly it starts to work, how long it lasts, what side effects it has, and whether or not it interacts with any other medication you may be taking.If you have trouble falling asleep, any medication you use should work fast and dissipate quickly, says Dr. Epstein. If you have trouble staying asleep or waking at the crack of dawn, any medication you use should last through the night, but not so long that you wake up groggy.
Benzodiazepines. That said, the sleep meds that are the most thoroughly tested and are the best tolerated belong to a family of chemicals called benzodiazepines, says Dr. Epstein. They basically knock you out, and some also reduce anxiety and seizures.
Non-benzodiazepines. A second group of sleep meds are the non-benzodiazepines. They're the new kids on the block that are advertised every third minute on American television -- Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata. They work quickly to get you to sleep and don't last very long.
Melatonin. A third group, the newest, are the melatonin agonists. Only one is FDA-approved for sale in the United States so far, but more are on the way. The one that's been approved -- Rozerem -- works quickly, doesn't hang around, and the sedating effect is pretty mild. Essentially, it allows you to shift your biological clock. There's also over-the-counter melatonin, adds Dr. Epstein, but there's little information about its safety. Since it's an over-the-counter drug, its effectiveness and quality are not regulated by the FDA.
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