Sleeping pills

Sleeping pills are sedative hypnotics and are prescribed for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Sleeping pills are only prescribed as a short-term solution for sleep as many of them have the potential to lead to misuse, abuse and addiction. Some examples of commonly prescribed sleeping pills include:

• Ambien
• Sonata
• Edluar
• Lunesta

Though they do have legitimate uses, sleeping pills also come with significant risks for abuse.

• 21% of people who abused sleeping pills had thoughts of suicide related to their drug use
• 9 million Americans regularly use sleeping pills to help them sleep at night.

Symptoms of sleeping pill abuse include:

• lightheadedness
• depressed breathing rate
• reliance on sleeping pills every night
• not experiencing the same effects from the same dose
• preoccupation with bedtime in order to take medication
• taking medication just to feel euphoric effects
• cravings to use sleeping pills during the day
• running out of prescription early