I know someone that has trouble sleeping at night and they found an over the counter sleep aid that they really like that help them sleep and they were wondering if long term use of it would cause problems for them.

Diphenhydramine is the most common OTC sleep aid medication - its sold under dozens of brand names, but you most likely know it better as Benedryl - the allergy medication….its an antihistamine.

And people have been known to take it daily for years….

looking for something , i can go to to the local pharmacy , & get over the counter no hassle, something that will knock me out@ night time, cause I seriously cannot fall asleep, & I can’t take it, please don’t tell me to go to doctors & anything to that extent, cause I already have plenty of times, I just want something that will put me out @ night so I can sleep the whole nite no troubles ??

It is so frustrating to not be able to get the healing sleep your body needs, but do you want something that knocks you out or do you want something that works naturally with your body instead of against it? If you want the former then I can’t help you, but if you want the latter you can go to your local pharmacy and buy something called Melatonin. It generally comes in 3mg and 5mg doses. You should take 3mg to 6mg to start, then an additional 3mg to 5mg per hour until sleep is achieved. A study has been done where 500mg was taken daily for five years with no adverse side effects, and while I do not recommend taking this amount, you should be fine if you need to go up to 50mg or so.
In addition to Melatonin, you can drink Chamomile tea. Your local grocery store should carry Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea, or Sleepy Time Extra. You can safely drink this in addition to the Melatonin with good results. Sweeten with local honey and lemon to taste, and *no* table sugar.
As with any medication, you need to exercise caution when using these products. Do not drive, operate machinery, or make potentially life-altering decisions until you know how your body will be affected.
You also need to make sure you are eating good, whole foods, fresh veggies, and reduce your fat intake. Get good exercise daily. Find natural ways to relieve your stress, and when you want to sleep, do so in a dark room rather than falling asleep with the t.v. or other light source on.
If the sleeplessness is temporary, these changes should do the trick. If it lasts more than two weeks then you probably need to see a holistic doctor for further diagnosis.
You can also go to www.naturalnews.com and search insomnia. You will find a wealth of reliable information there.
Good luck and sweet dreams.

Is it bad to take over the counter sleep aids every night like Simply sleep, advil pm, or benadryl? I have been taking them nightly and my stomach has been sick for the past 3 weeks since I’ve been taking them. Do you really think these sleep aides could contribute to sickness? Is it bad to take them nightly?

most probably yes, your stomach may became irritated. However, being an OTC drug doesn’t mean you can take it for a long time.
You should be aware of being dependent on these sleeping pills.

"….Is it bad to take them nightly?"
They should be taken at bedtime

I’m not going to lie here. I’m addicted to Tylenol Pm or any of the over the counter sleeping aids. I can sleep good at night. I take them because I like how my body feels. The drowsiness, and waiting game excites me. I have been taking 2-6 pills during a whole day. I’m sort of depressed now, so the pills helps me escape.

How are these pills harmful.

I would like to commend you on being honest about being addicted to the pills. I think however you should consult a physician about being depressed.

As to the damage of using Tylenol, it has many effects mainly the liver. Please when or if you see your physician let them know about your addiction to tylenol. So that they will be able to fairly treat you

i ripped the sticker off the bottle so i dont remember what the specific drug is for the over-the-counter sleeping aid, but i got it at safeway lol
its too late ive already done it. i hope i wake up in the morning.
Im alive! thanks for al the help you guys.

OTC Pills and ativan won’t cause anything drastic, at most you’ll just be sleepier. Unless you take the whole box…then watch out.

So I never knew there were over the counter mild sleep aids such as "TYLENOL’s simply sleep" until I decided enough was enough with my forever on-going insomnia. JUST FOR THE RECORD!!! It’s not a pain reliever, it is not TYLENOL (Acetaminophen) it’s the same as BENADRYL (Diphenhydramine). For more technical information on this drug please go here:

http://www.tylenol.com/product_detail.jhtml?id=tylenol/pain/prod_ss.inc&prod=subpss#

Anyway, I went through periods of taking it every night, tried to stop and noticed I sleep so much better with it. I just sleep better when I take this. I can go to bed at a decent time and without it I’ll be up till 5/6am. So what if I take it every night like say for the rest of my life? Is that bad? Will I do harm to my liver and other organs in the long run? I already have been using the stuff for like two years. Should I stop now & just live a life without a good night’s rest? Am I just an addict?
Even though I feel fine and I’m healthy as a horse?

What will eventually happen is that it will stop working for you, that’s what happens with all sleep aids, over the counter and prescription. They work for awhile, then eventually your body becomes immune to it at that dose and you would have to increase the dose for it to be effective. But of course increasing the dose isn’t really an option because that can be dangerous. My friend started using a similar product to the one you use, and when it stopped working she went to another one, then another, and so on. She even started using some prescription sleep aids, and eventually all of them stop working. It’s really best to stop this and maybe have a sleep study done to see why you are having trouble sleeping. I know it’s not easy when you don’t get much sleep, I’m not much of a sleeper myself. But it really is best to not resort to sleep aids unless it’s only every once in awhile.

thank you for absolutly nothin(the first 2 answers)

stop taking so much junk. it’s poison. if you can’t sleep - you need to get exercise, eat right and regulate your sleep pattern to a consistent 7-8 hrs per night.

get off the poison, dude.

Hi there! Does anyone know of any over the counter sleep aids that I could try? For as long as I can remember, I’ve had trouble sleeping at night. It’s really starting to take a toll on me, and I want to try other things before trying prescriptions.

First of all, I’m completely healthy. I don’t have any anxiety or depression or any other health concerns. I don’t think my lack of sleep is stress related either. Because even during stress free times, I can’t sleep.

I just have difficulty shutting my brain off or something. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t. I’ve tried Tylenol PM. Doesn’t work.

I don’t have trouble staying asleep. Once I’m asleep, I stay that way. It’s just the getting to sleep that is hard.

there are very few choices when it comes to otc sleep aids, as most of them have one of two drugs in them to cause drowsiness.

the first is Diphenhydramine, which is found in things like TYLENOL PM, Nytol, Sominex, Sleepinal, Compoz. This drug is simply benadryl, an antihistamine.

the second is Doxylamine, which is found in things like Unisom, Nighttime Sleep Aid. this drug is also used in conjunction with other medications to treat the symptoms of the common cold, sinus problems, and other illnesses as determined by a doctor.

if you had no luck with the tylenol pm, perhaps a medication such as the ones above with doxylamine in them would be more effective.

however, if you need a sleep aid for more than 2 weeks, or another otc medication that you try is ineffective, contact your doctor for assistance.

I was wondering…?

you shouldn’t use sleeping pills without a prescription.
You should never mix medicines without consulting a pharmacist or doctor.
You should not use more of any medicine than the packaging or prescription says to use.

I need something to help me fall into a deep sleep.

Nyquil.

Don’t abuse it.