Insomnia Medication Side Effects
I seldom have a sleepless night but remember an occasion when I
had difficulty falling asleep. Being awake when I should have
been asleep was very annoying. Since I work at night, the
problem may have been too much sunlight coming in through the
window when it was time to go to bed. In the winter time the
light isn't bright enough to bother me.
Light influences the production of a hormone that regulates when
we get that sleepy feeling. Too much light tends to make us wake
up. Unfortunately, light is only one of the factors that
influences our ability to fall asleep. Stress, caffeine use and
a host of other factors can also contribute to a case of
insomnia.
Insomnia can be described as the inability to fall asleep, the
inability to stay asleep or waking up too early. There are three
categories of insomnia . Chronic insomnia is long term and
happens most nights for a month or longer. Two to four weeks of
poor sleep constitutes short-term insomnia and the transient
form of insomnia lasts but a few nights.
Benzodiazepines could be prescribed to help one fall asleep on a
short term basis. Long term use of sleeping pills can become
addictive.
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine used for insomnia and anxiety
relief. Lorazepam also goes by the names Lorazepam Intensol,
Loraz, Alzapam and Ativan. In Canada you might find the names
Nu-Loraz, Novo-Lorazepam or Apo-Lorazepam.
There are a number of side effects that a Lorazepam user might
wish to be aware of. Among them are clumsiness, drowsiness and
dizziness. Other possible side effects include, decreased sex
drive, difficulty urinating, nausea, constipation or diarrhea.
There are more potential side effects, ask your pharmacist for
more information.
The human body can be viewed as a system made up of other
systems. There are a number of systems that work together to
make up the miracle of human life. Whenever introducing an
external force to one of these systems in the form of a drug,
the potential to interfere with or cause problems in other
systems always exists. For this reason, you should work closely
with your doctor or pharmacist when taking any medication. If
you are fortunate to have a doctor who is willing to entertain
alternatives, this will broaden the arena of options that are
available to you.
Keep in mind that many drugs are synthetic imitations of
substances that occur in nature. Sometimes a doctor who is
willing to utilize these natural alternatives can be of great
benefit.
Consider that this article is for information purposes only. It
is not intended to give advice. It is also not intended suggest
treatment, diagnosis or prevention of any health condition.
Consult your primary care physician for any health related
issues you may be facing.