Sleeping tablets in pg

[doitorelsa]

Suffering from intolerable insomnia, my Dr agreed to prescribe me 7 sleeping tablets. We discussed Temazepam (sp) but when I got them home I sawI had been given Zimovane/zopiclone. Anyone know if this is safe in pg, or do you think this was a mistake? I was on these tablets previously so maybe they were just left over on the prescrip and she forgot to change it. thanks.

i don't think it's a great idea....i'm also a bad sleeper, have been prescribed zopiclone in the past but would not touch it during pregnancy. check whether it crosses the placenta - my guess is it would do but i'm no expert.
the thing is if you're relying on sleeping tablets now, it's only going to get a lot worse and you will need more and more to get the same effect. pregnancy doesn't do great things for bad sleepers (i'm up roughly hourly some nights, just to go to the loo - i'm 35 weeks now) but i feel you just have to accept it as one of the many challenging things being pregnant can involve. (and i say this as someone who knows full well the miseries of awful insomnia )
you don't say what stage of pregnancy you are at, but one of the good things for insomniacs is being preg does make you very physically tired, so you may find that in some respects, you sleep better - even if you're up and down to the loo a lot.

Thanks sotough. This is pg No.2 but I didn't suffer like this last time. Insomnia (and other mental health issues) are something I have often battled with so I am not worried about addiction or reliance, I just want to sleep and be able to work and look after my 3 year old! You're right though, I will phone Doc tomorrow and find out if she meant to prescribe them.

I wouldn't take any pills... Have you tried valerian root (herbal tincture)? Works really well... Maybe give it a shot...

Thanks Lilly, thats safe then? I will get some tomorrow.

noctura from hollandf and barratt is a homeopathic remedy and totally safe too. i think it might have valerin root in it but not sure.

do check on the safety of herbal tinctures as some are really strong and not safe. the pharmacist will be able to advise you.

I googled valerian root, and it doesn't seem to have side effects on pregnancy. I'd say as with everything, use in moderation . There are also some useful yoga postures you can do at night to help you calm the baby/fall asleep and I can send you these if you are up for it...

Just be careful, many things that can make you sleepy slow your heart rate, my pharmacist explained that it's fine for me but could be terrible for the foetus. Although I feel your pain, until the incredible sleepy woman kicked in it was horrible not being able to rely on my usual night time crutches.

Have you tried natal hypnotherapy/hypnobirthing? I was extremely anxious and really had trouble sleeping all through last pregnancy, and listening to the CDs helped more than I would ever have dared imagine...