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IS YOUR MEDICATION KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT?

Certain medications can disrupt your sleep.   Find out if yours is keeping you from a good night of rest.

There is nothing more frustrating than lying in bed, eyes wide open, trying desperately to fall asleep so you can awake refreshed for the next day.   People spend millions of dollars each year attempting to diagnose sleeping disorders or resolving them with sleep medication.   Unfortunately, sometimes medications rather than illness, are the culprit behind sleep problems. A number of drugs are common sleep robbers, while others may cause unwanted drowsiness. Sometimes your doctor may be able to suggest alternatives that do not disrupt sleep.

Here are some of the culprits that could be keeping you out of dreamland:

Antidepressants
Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) disrupt sleep or produce daytime fatigue in about 15% of those who take them. These medications are increasingly used to treat some of the symptoms of narcolepsy, a condition marked by powerful daytime drowsiness and sleep attacks, and a variety of sleep problems, whether or not the person is depressed.

Sedating antihistamines
These medications, commonly taken to relieve cold or allergy symptoms, also cause drowsiness in most people. They are also the active ingredients in most over-the-counter sleep aids and motion-sickness pills. To find out if a medication might cause unwelcome drowsiness, check with a pharmacist. If you are taking a sedating antihistamine and are bothered by drowsiness, your physician may recommend a non-sedating alternative that does not readily enter the brain and affect wakefulness and sleep.

Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers are used to treat high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and angina. These drugs can promote insomnia, awakenings in the night, and nightmares.

Medications containing caffeine
Caffeine, which is in some over-the-counter painkillers and appetite suppressants, is a nervous system stimulant that can induce insomnia. Caffeine makes people feel alert by blocking the action of adenosine, a substance that promotes drowsiness.  
 
Medications containing alcohol
Cough medicines often contain alcohol, which can suppress REM sleep.

Diuretics
Diuretics, which are taken to rid the body of excess sodium and water, can interfere with sleep by inducing urination throughout the night. Potassium deficiency, a common side effect of some diuretics, can cause painful nocturnal cramping of calf muscles during sleep.

The bottom line is, if you are having problems sleeping, take into account all of your activities, schedule, diet and medications.   Ask your doctor about alternative medications that will not interfere with sleep.   This kind of troubleshooting should lead you to finding the right solution so you can visit Mr. Sandman.

Check out this article for more medications that can interfere with sleep.