Ask a doctor on the topic of Neurology

Stop taking sleeping pills!!

April 30, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good morning everyone,
I was prescribed sleeping pills by my neurologist 6 weeks ago due to severe pain and insomnia after surgery (Noctamin). I have been taking the medication for almost 6 weeks now. I have noticed in the past few days that it is no longer as effective as it was in the beginning (I still have pain). However, I do not want to exceed the dosage (I have always taken 1 piece of 2mg).
Now I realize that I am dependent on it, yesterday I could hardly sleep with half a piece. I am very tired today and cannot concentrate.
I want to stop taking the medication, at the beginning I only slept a maximum of 5 hours and it was not restful sleep either.
How can I do this? I asked my doctor and he told me to halve the dosage in the first few days and then reduce it further by 1/4 until 0.
Is this possible? I work and I am very tired during the day. But I do not want to take the medication anymore. I need advice and help.
I have tried other natural products, but they did not help either.
Please help me.
I will talk to my neurologist about this.
Thank you in advance for your response.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good morning,

Since Noctamin is a relative of Valium, the rapid development of addiction is not surprising. Increasing the dosage would also be pointless, as it would not be sufficient after 4 weeks at the latest (that is the problem with addictions).

Your doctor has given you exactly the right advice. Taking another chemical substance would also make you dependent, so tapering off is the only sensible option. However, it is pointless to try to combat pain with sleeping pills, so you should investigate why you still have pain and then treat it appropriately. Then you will be able to sleep better!

A sick note would only be a solution in case of emergency.

All the best!

Warm regards, Dr. Höllering