Sleeping tablet recommendations for an elderly lady please

[Marie2023]

Hello, my elderly mum suffers from terrible insomnia. She has tried Zopiclone and Mirtazapine but neither worked for her. Would really appreciate some other suggestions. Many thanks.

She should speak to her GP

Yeah…. None.

speak to the Gp.

generally sedatives are to be avoided ( cause falls apart from addiction issues etc ). Needs investigation of why not sleeping and the cause sorting.

It was the GP who prescribed the tablets she’s taken. Unfortunately they didn’t work, which is why I am asking for suggestions on here.

Has she gone back to the GP? In what way are they not working and is this from her, or is there cognitive impairment and expectation they'll sedate her overnight and she's up and wandering?

None. Sleeping tablets are only recommended for v short term use and are generally to be avoided in the elderly due to increasing the risk of falls.

Has she tried the standard sleep hygiene things - making sure she gets daylight every day, exercising, a bedtime routine and no distractions?

Melatonin

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/insomnia/

So hard . I know as I have been battling to get dosage right with my uncle. He takes Dalmane and has done for a long time. It is one of the older types so may not be recommended now.

Trazodone? I found it helpful for my sleep issues, although I'm not elderly

I second melatonin. Can be bought safely and legally from online pharmacy from the US.

The GP is against prescribing Melatonin, for some reason. I will look into the other suggestions, thank you.

I would ask about low dose amitriptyline. Started for something else and works wonders for a night’s sleep. At low dose can continue indefinitely. Obviously via GP.

I had sleeping tablets from the doctors including zopiclone but actually found the non herbal nytol more effective

A dry herb vape and cannabis. Also helps stimulate poor appetite.

You can import melatonin from America. You only need a small dose like 4 mg it's actually detrimental to take large doses. They are really no big deal and I can't see why the GO won't prescribe. Melatonin decreases as you get older.

Has she already tried non prescription routes?

A variety of things that help me -

Blue Nytol (available over counter at pharmacy, old fashioned anti histamine that can promote sleep)
Green Nytol (herbal based)
Any of the herbal teas (lavender, hops, chamomile, valerian, etc - called Sleep Easy, Snore and Peace, etc - try a variety to find one she likes

Dr Vogels Dormesan
Dr Vogels Passiflora

Meditation

Accept that we sleep more fitfully as we age and relax into being awake for a period in the night (in the Middle Ages they had a specific term for it). Just lie and be calm and rest / read a book for half an hour. I think the anxiety about not being asleep can be really counterproductive and almost worse than not sleeping. But easier said than done.

www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

Sleeping tablets are not a good option as they do not allow for all the necessary stages of sleep.
I can recommend gettig out in the sun, outside, in the morning. This is a strong signal to the body clock.
I also use a red light therapy device in the evening.
Both these things helped me.
Also think about checking her diet, and possibly adding a good vitamin and mineral supplement as deficiencies can also affect sleep.

Yes to add to what cheese says, quite a few threads on her discuss Magnesium as being important for sleep. Worth having a read of them too

Piriton

My mum would occasionally have Nytol when she needed a good night's sleep.

Probably either the cost or it is not on the local formulary.
It is generally well tolerated and has little in way of side effects.

It’s legal to buy in the US, it’s illegal to have in the UK without a prescription.

Phenergan

Saved my sleep

https://www.chemist-4-u.com/phenergan-25mg-tablets-56s?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo-yfBhDARIsANr56g6GUtAJaNq2SlbOKrAsr01zu9cCM2KBoRRLIKgkDuYeDaFF3QZDHUMaAkVBEALwwcB

It’s legal to buy in the US, it’s illegal to have in the UK without a prescription

It's perfectly legal to buy online.

Melatonin can be prescribed by GP over a certain age, I think 65. They can't prescribed for those you get because it is not licenced for under that age. It is safe, but there is no money to gain to try to licence it.