“Is it considered safe to be on sleep medicines for over eight months?”
My mother is having trouble getting the right amount of sleep and is on Venlafaxine 37.5 75 mg, Arip MT 5 mg, Pacitane 2 mg and Lonazep 0.25 medications. She has been taking these medicines for over eight months, but I'm starting think this is far too long to be on these medications because of their side effects. Could these create any problem for her?
3 Answers
nope.
The medicines described above are generally used for anxiety, depression, seizures, or motion disorders. They are not typical sedative medications and are usually given long-term. The underlying illness that causes their use is generally a long-term illness and one would expect that the medications therefore would be needed for a long time. Depression and anxiety can be lifelong illnesses. Insomnia in that setting is simply a symptom along with many others and controlling it is a reasonable thing. Unfortunately, all psychiatric medicines can have side effects and need to be monitored.
I highly recommend to follow closely with a sleep doctor. When long-term medications are needed, they should be monitored carefully so there are minimal side effects.
