OTC and Herbal Insomnia Medications: Pros and Cons

Many insomnia sufferers believe that natural remedies are best as a cure for their problem. And if natural remedies are not enough to alleviate their disorder, then they may well move on to over-the-counter medications. In each of these cases, what they are really trying to avoid is having to take prescription drugs as an insomnia treatment, since they believe that prescription drugs have harmful side effects and can also lead to addiction or dependence.

We shall look at the different over-the-counter (OTC) medications available, their composition and what side effects, if any, they may have. We shall also look at natural remedies and also examine the advantages and drawbacks of taking them. We shall attempt to analyze whether it is, overall, a good idea to take OTC medications or rely on natural remedies, or whether their disadvantages outweigh their benefits.

Over-The-Counter Pills

Over-the-counter medications for insomnia are proven to help you deal with your sleeping but should only be used on a short term basis.? Examples of these non-prescriptive medications that can be bought from drugstores, retail stores, or even grocery shops are Sleep-Eze, Nytol, and Sominex.

It is however recommended that these medications for insomnia should only be used as a short term aid to help you deal with your sleeping disorder because they could worsen the problem.? The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has testified that antihistamine is the most common ingredient of these over-the-counter medications for insomnia and they rely only on the sedating effects of antihistamine to help the person overcome the sleep disorder.

If you have experienced side effects of these non-prescription medications for insomnia like dry mouth, dry eyes, urinary retention, confusion, drowsiness the next day, forgetfulness, and constipation, it is best that you stop using these drugs and consult your doctor.

Herbal Medicines

Since over-the-counter medications for insomnia have proven to be effective yet could bring about harmful side effects, what you may want is to try herbal medicines that are especially formulated to help you with your sleeping disorder.? However, the downside of using these herbal medications for insomnia is that they have not yet been thoroughly examined by the FDA - a regulation that is required for all prescription drugs.

Aside from that, though they are still considered to be over-the-counter, these are still pills that could trigger chemical reactions to your body.?? And of course, since they are herbal and natural medications, their safety profiles are still unknown because they are not thoroughly researched.

The bottom line here is, if you are having sleeping problems, self medication is not the best answer.? The problem may be rooted deeply and really needs special medical attention: that is why it is always best to consult your doctor.