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  • AADD Moderators: andyturbo

Best OTC (non-prescription) medications for sleeping disorders?

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Vagabond696

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Long story short; I've been struggling with sleep deprivation for a solid year now, due to my job changing from 8hr shifts to 12hrs due to COVID. I'm doing the night shift, 7pm-7am, so my sleep schedule does a flip every few days.

I have sleep apnea (and use CPAP) and have struggled with insomnia for most of my life. Now I also have shift work sleep disorder and an expensive amphetamine habit.

Since we live in a nanny state, it can be difficult obtaining almost any decent sleeping medication in Australia. So I'm wondering if anybody knows of any OTC meds that ACTUALLY work? My doctor has been a bit uppity about my valium script lately, so I've resorted to promethazine and doxylamine, which are okay, but surely there's a better option?
 
Was gonna say those drugs. You could try diphenhydramine too but I find promethazine best. Doxylamine isn't OTC in UK so never had it.

You could try herbal routes like valerian or passion flower.I
Ifya doc is prescribing valium I doubt this stuff will be effect. You could ask him for something considered less abuseabke like quetiapine or zopiclone.
 
I would first explain your situation to the doctor and say you know that your already on a benzodiazepine and read that zolpidem tartrate and zopiclone are good alternatives.

If no luck I can only suggest the strongest anti-histamines you can get from the chemist.
 
The only real drug is diphenhydramine as stated. (I imagine in places not the US there may be some antihistamines that are OTC that aren't here, so any sedating one really). The herbs mentioned kinda help some, especially Valerian but nothing great.

If it's shift work disorder, consider trying melatonin. Give it a good couple, three week try. Shift work disorders are one of the things melatonin helps the best.

But I'd absolutely talk to your doctor. It's not like you faking it. I am unsure if using a CPA, or sleep apnea in general is fully compatible with all hypnotic, but you gotta ask if you want improvement
 
axe battler said:
Yeah ask for zopiclone or if he won't give you anything abuseable, seroquel (quetiapine)
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I highly doubt any gp will prescribe an anti psychotic for insomnia tbh

From my experiences in Australia if they choose not to prescribe a schedule 4 sleeping tablet they will chuck you a melatonin script to get you out and on your way.
 
andyturbo said:
I highly doubt any gp will prescribe an anti psychotic for insomnia tbh

From my experiences in Australia if they choose not to prescribe a schedule 4 sleeping tablet they will chuck you a melatonin script to get you out and on your way.
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If you have any kind of psychiatric history or are on a mental health plan for depression or anxiety they increasingly will prescribe seroquel for sleep. Just as they are rapidly reducing scripts for benzos. I got a new GP the other day who flat out refused to prescribe benzos or z-drugs even though my psychiatrist has been giving them to me for years. She said it’s seroquel or melatonin from here. Full stop. The practice refuses to prescribe benzos or opioids under any circumstances.
 
I'm in Australia. Hence posting in the Aus forum...

Yeah my GP did the melatonin bullshit then I showed up a month or so later looking like death so shes taking me semi seriously now. Melatonin is a waste of time and money for me. I've had sleeping problems my whole life and am lucky to wake up "refreshed" once a year. Generally I contemplate suicide within 5mins of waking then drag myself through the day. Uppers are the only thing that shakes this fatigue. I'll try asking about Zopiclone and Stilnox, but I doubt a doctor who told me to replace speed with caffeine has the capacity to fully understand my situation.
 
Vagabond696 said:
I'm in Australia. Hence posting in the Aus forum...

Yeah my GP did the melatonin bullshit then I showed up a month or so later looking like death so shes taking me semi seriously now. Melatonin is a waste of time and money for me. I've had sleeping problems my whole life and am lucky to wake up "refreshed" once a year. Generally I contemplate suicide within 5mins of waking then drag myself through the day. Uppers are the only thing that shakes this fatigue. I'll try asking about Zopiclone and Stilnox, but I doubt a doctor who told me to replace speed with caffeine has the capacity to fully understand my situation.
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Have you ever considered going to a sleep clinic? I never have but I’ve heard good reports from people who have tried it for drug-resistant insomnia.
 
Atelier3 said:
If you have any kind of psychiatric history or are on a mental health plan for depression or anxiety they increasingly will prescribe seroquel for sleep. Just as they are rapidly reducing scripts for benzos. I got a new GP the other day who flat out refused to prescribe benzos or z-drugs even though my psychiatrist has been giving them to me for years. She said it’s seroquel or melatonin from here. Full stop. The practice refuses to prescribe benzos or opioids under any circumstances.
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Wow thats shocking. Admittedly I was answering based on my dr shopper days 5+ years ago. Things change so fast..
 
andyturbo said:
I highly doubt any gp will prescribe an anti psychotic for insomnia tbh

From my experiences in Australia if they choose not to prescribe a schedule 4 sleeping tablet they will chuck you a melatonin script to get you out and on your way.
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Although, on the contrary, all I had to say to a GP was that my psychiatrist Dr XYZ at ABC Hospital put me on low dose quetiapine for insomnia (which is the truth btw) and it works very well, no problems with it, been using it sporadically for years, blahdy blah blah, and they usually write the script.
 
Atelier3 said:
Hard to Dr shop these days too. You’ll get flagged putting in scripts at different chemists for the same drugs from different doctors almost immediately now.
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Yes, absolutely 100% this. It fucking sucks.......but at the same time I SUPPOSE it's a good thing... :rolleyes::sneaky:
 
Atelier3 said:
Have you ever considered going to a sleep clinic? I never have but I’ve heard good reports from people who have tried it for drug-resistant insomnia.
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Yeah that's how I got diagnosed for the apnea. The cpap helped with the insomnia until covid hit, then this ongoing messy sleep cycle sent everything backwards tenfold and now I can't get out of bed at all some days. Meth bowls for breakfast have become very regular.
 
Vagabond696 said:
Yeah that's how I got diagnosed for the apnea. The cpap helped with the insomnia until covid hit, then this ongoing messy sleep cycle sent everything backwards tenfold and now I can't get out of bed at all some days. Meth bowls for breakfast have become very regular.
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Meth every day often leads to paradoxical tiredness. If I go for a week or more of daily smoking I take afternoon naps on it.
 
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