Quick advice about sleeping tablets please! Which are most efficient over the counter?

[IndecentFeminist]

My is hugely anxious and not sleeping well. If she could sleep, I'm sure it would help.

Which sleeping tablets are effective?

My mum, that was meant to say 😬

Either night nurse or sominax help me

I have found night nurse helpful.

Benadryl do the job. Or Kalms nights.

Is she on any other medication at all?

Night nurse is not a sleeping aid, it contains a cough medicine and paracetamol and is inappropriate to take just to aid sleep, it is for treatment of coughs and colds.

Nytol, phenergan night or sominex are all over the counter sleeping aids.

Nytol is reasonably good, although if you use it for more than a couple nights running it loses its effectiveness and just makes you feel groggy.

Asdas own are the best - DH and both DSs and me have all used them at some point and they are the only ones that have worked for us all, and they are cheap!

Kalms nights. My DH finds Melissa's Dreams good.

How old is your mum? Melatonin might help and can be prescribe for the over 55 I think.

I’ve never found over the counter ones to be any good I’m afraid.

She would be better seeking help with the anxiety that’s causing the insomnia

Nytol one a night works but I’ve recently found that magnesium also works well, both as a spray and tablets.

I’ve suffered with insomnia for years and was surprised how effective a natural treatment can be after using a smorgasbord of pills for years.

Apparently most women are magnesium deficient so it’s two birds one stone.

Nytol - either the original 25g or the one-a-night at 50g both work really well. I've never found they lose effectiveness at all - they work equally well every night I've ever used them. That may not be the case for everyone though, as others seem to have found. No withdrawal symptoms either (horrible ones or any kind!) although again I know that's not the case for everyone. I believe Sominex may have more withdrawal issues though (again anecdotal, nothing proven).

Basically, when you think about how harmful full-blown sleeping pills are I don't see something like Nytol one-a-night a problem at all as long as you have no other health issues that might cause an issue. Some chemists (Lloyds is one) will tell their counter staff to tell you they're only for short-term use when you buy them, but Boots staff don't say anything! Nor do independent chemists - again, in my experience.

I've used Nytol on and off for the last 2 years due to bereavements and the stress that goes with that. I honestly can't fight the sleepy feeling after 20 minutes when I've taken one, even when I've used them for a few weeks in a row. But the best thing is if you wake up in the night for the loo you can get back to sleep easily instead of tossing and turning. That used to be my sleep ruined for the night, but now I can get back to sleep quickly and then wake up when the alarm goes off. I'll take that, thank you!

Good luck finding the one that works for you, OP.

Nytol (antihistamine one, not herbal) is brilliant.
My GP recommended them a few years ago (I had a 'regular' sleeping tablet prescription, about ten annually, so I don't think I had a serious addiction, but there you go!).
I don't take them regularly, but useful to break a pattern of not sleeping, and then being anxious about not sleeping...

Lloyds chemist do a sleep aid product that is generally cheaper than nytol Lloyds

I have several pillow sprays, mostly Lavender, but recently bought one from Avon which is Lavender and Chamomile - amazing.

Nytol - the blue packet

Nytol one a night
But best is melatonin 10mg

Nytol and Boots are exactly the same.

I've tried them all and rate Sominex the best otc medicine. But she could and probably ask your GP for a short course of something like Zopiclone or Temazepam.

I also think sominex but not the herbal ones - they do two types and the herbal didn’t work for me

Nytol is diphenhydramine, an old fashioned antihistamine which makes you drowsy and works wonders. Brings you to sleep progressively so you don’t feel like you’re in an induced coma. Makes your mouth dry, but nothing a glass of water on waking up won’t cure.

Benadryl is the same thing as Nytol.

Be very careful of any prescription drugs of the benzo class (diazepam, Xanax, Ativan, Valium etc). These are addictive and can also affect your personality.

I have several pillow sprays, mostly Lavender, but recently bought one from Avon which is Lavender and Chamomile - amazing.

Yes that one is fab, a lot of the over counter sleeping tablets don't work for me, but that Avon stuff definitely helps.

I buy melatonin gummies. They’re really nice and i find I don’t get any grogginess with them. They work really well x

sominex in the blue packet is pretty good for an OTC

chamomile tea drunk over the afternoon and the evening really helps with anxiety too, and stops it building up too much

I use Phenergan 25 mg tablets, 56 in a pack lasts me 2 months. I have been buying them from an online pharmacy during lockdown. They don't leave me with any hangover & cloudy head next morning.

Phenergan works really well