Any advice for husband’s sleeping pills suddenly no longer working?

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I know the answer is go to the gp but we can't get an appointment for 6 weeks and we are desperate.

Dh has been on these pills for years but they have suddenly stopped working. We've no idea why. Inlaws are diagnosing him with every disease under the sun but not actually helping. Dh is knackered from not sleeping enough (he usually crashes out at 6am). I know it's selfish but I'm fed up of not having a functioning husband and looking after the dc and the house on my own. Any advice much appreciated.

What medication is it?

What pills are they?

Most sleeping pills are addictive so you get tolerance to them. They likely weren't doing anything except preventing withdrawal effects.

A change in health, stress, anxiety etc can all cause insomnia.

Definitely GP for the medication & to rule out health problems & then anxiety/stress CBT, sleep hygiene, cutting out alcohol & caffeine etc.

NICE recommending switching to daridexirant (Brand name is Quvivic). Literally a miracle drug for people. Ask to trial it for 3 months, that’s the recommendation.

He's on anatryptaline (think that's spelt right) 150mg.

You mean amitriptyline (an anti depressant)

They're not sleeping pills, they're an antidepressant that can cause drowsiness.

Your not supposed to rely on sleeping pills. They are supposed to be a short term thing

Yes they're an antidepressant but are also used for other purposes such as treating pain, migraine and sleep problems

They soon wear off.

Yes, that's it

He's been on them about 17 years. They always used to work and then suddenly a couple of weeks ago they stopped working.

OP, DH’s pills are not addictive cos they’re an AD not a Benzo.

Try promethazine? Pharmacy- check you can take it first. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/promethazine/about-promethazine/

I wouldn’t stop taking amitryptaline till you see the GP.

That is highly unusual

150 mg is a dosage for depression and anxiety

The dosage for sleep would be more like 20mg.

he will need a medication review and probably a proper sleeping pill. What was he given it for originally? It’s very difficult to get doctors to prescribe sleeping pills now.

they would obviously prefer that we hang around on the Internet all night because we can’t sleep.

editing to add - after years of experience, I think it’s common for medication of this kind to stop working. We used to call it antidepressant poop out syndrome!

I am on amitriptyline. It’s usually prescribed for nerve blocking pain relief (I take it for bladder and lupus related pain). Initially it can make you sleepy but generally this wears off after a few weeks. 150mg is very large dose unless taken for anti depressant purposes (pain relief dosage is 10-50mg), and they don’t tend to prescribe it as an antidepressant anymore as more modern ones are more effective. Why was he originally prescribed it? Unfortunately he’s just going to have to speak to the doctor and see what they can suggest. He mustn’t suddenly stop taking them even if he feels they aren’t working as he will have horrendous side effects, you have to cut down very slowly.

Yes, originally amitriptyline was an antidepressant but they don’t tend to prescribe it for that anymore, it’s now mostly prescribed at much lower doses (10–50mg) as a long term nerve blocker for pain relief for long term chronic pain conditions.

I’ve used amitriptyline for years for insomnia. It’s been the only thing that works for me that’s not an actual sleeping pill which I can’t obviously take long term. However recently after about 8 years on 10mg it stopped being so effective and so GP increased it to 25mg.. bliss and I’m back sleep.
150mg is a hell of a dose ! I’d be asleep for days on that dose ..

That's a heck of a dose, definitely into actual anti depressive territory, not that tricyclics are very popular these days compared to the more modern ones.

Very high dose yes, definitely speak to GP and keep taking until then. Amazed he's been prescribed them still these days

I’ve been taking 10mg for years for sleep. Usually the dose is low to treat insomnia, so I’m shocked he’s on 150mg! I sympathise but don’t have any advice. I understand how miserable this must be for him and how hard it is to get help. The doctors (understandably) are reluctant to prescribe the decent sleeping pills as they can be addictive or you can become dependent on them. It would be worth asking for Zopiclone to be taken for a short period, just to give him a window of relief.

I fund it odd the doctors prescribed them for that long?

Well, it’s an antidepressant? It’s not a sleeping pill.

They tried to give me that for sleep. I said it was like having the hangover without the cocktails. And on no sleep…. I don’t think the doctor appreciated the explanation.

I take 10mg for sleep ( as you can see, I didn't take it last evening as I was out so here we are!)

150mg is a ridiculous dose for sleep and I am surprised he has been able to function this far. I definitely think a review with the GP is needed. Why can't he get an appointment for 6 weeks? Phone up and get an on the day appointment next week. Insomnia is awful and life affecting.

Has his stock of pills been affected by the heat, perhaps? Some medication is a bit sensitive to the extremes of heat we’ve had lately.

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/insomnia/prescribing-information/daridorexant/

What a coincidence. I bookmarked this yesterday! 🙃

I’m a chronic, severe insomniac. CBTi hasn’t worked for me, and I’ve always been too scared to be put on medication for it (due to witnessing psychiatric drug withdrawals as a child). Sleep hygiene and melatonin don’t do much for me.

I’m sold on the orexin antagonist approach. Do you think the NHS would agree to prescribe this as a first medication?

Go to a walk in clinic, a pharmacy or your GP will offer same day emergency appointments if you ring on the day.