so can anybody recommend some non-prescription sleeping pills/medicine? getting insomia lately but i rather not go see a doctor, i have tried melitonin (sp) but doesn't work too well for me, so if anyone can tell me a good over the counter pill that would be awesome. please no alcohol/illicit drugs.
Take a Tylenol PM or something else that has both pain and sleeping medication. Whenever I took an OTC sleeping medication, such as Nytol, I always woke up with a bad headache.
Two things you can do to help you sleep without meds is to get more excercise, as long as it's more than two hours before you plan to sleep; and to use your bedroom for sleep only... no TV, video games etc. You will train yourself that going into the bedroom is sleepy time. It's helped me but has not cured my insomnia... I've never really tried anything over the counter so I can't help ya there.
JD is the best sleep aid I found. Seriously, I stopped drinking caffene after lunch and I almost never have insomnia anymore. As lpbman said, exercising more also helps a lot.
tylenol pm worked the first time i tried it, but the few times i've tried it since have been iffy. one pill and it doesn't really knock me out, 2 and i'm groggy well after i wake up. luckily right now i've fallen into an actual sleep pattern for probably the first time in 6 years. i've been going to sleep around 1-3 am each night and trying to wake up b/t 10-12 each morning, whether i have class or not. usually i would be waking up at like 1 or 2 on non-class days, which would lead to late sleep times and thus little sleep on class days which just perpetuates the problem. it's been going on for about 2 weeks now and i actually just like down and go to sleep in 30 or so minutes these days. it's very nice, especially for someone like me who has always had trouble sleeping.
All of these medicines use diphenhydramine as their active ingredient. This, incidentally, is also the primary substance in antihystamines like benadryl (the basic one, not the cold and flu one). The drug was developed as an antihystamine, and the sleep inducing effects are incidental. It knocks you out through some incidental anti-choleregenic mechanism. There is a very steep curve for developing tolerance. Skip for a day or two and it will be right back to full strength. When you take more than one you begin to suffer from anti-choleregeinc side effects like headaches, dry mouth, and a few others. 2 Benadryl = 1 NyQuil.
If melatonin didn't work, have you tried valerian root? Also, I know of a certain "herbal" remedy that will do the trick, but the side effects include paranoia and the munchies. Most of my sleeplessness comes from anxiety. If I manage my stress, my sleep cycle is fine. Maybe you need to attack it from that end of the spectrum.
Man, are you trying to just knock yourself out? Just because a pill's just one pill doesn't mean it's any better for you than a pill and something else. If it's strong enough to just knock you the hell out, then it's some pretty harsh stuff. You might as well just take some Tylenol PMs and a dose or two of Nyquil...that's all been tested in conjunction with one another many times.
of course, which is probably the best you can hope for without a prescription. the problem is i only go to it every few weeks or so. i shouldn't have any real tolerance for it. incidentally, the dosage calls for 2 pills to be taken, but it's a little too strong. my mom also says she only takes one pill (she doesn't take them to sleep) b/c the effects from two last too long. edit: the best sleep i've ever gotten from a pill is valium. i have tinnitus (ringing noise in your ear that doesn't stop) and when i first got it sleeping was hard. my mom gave me some leftover valium my sister had been prescribed for something and it was great. i was only taking a 5 mg pill, and even dividing it in half, but it just makes you so calm and peaceful and made falling asleep very nice. even better than a nyquil induced sleep (it knocks you out but is kind of weird as you are getting tired). i only had about 10 nights worth of it and spread out the use pretty well. if it was healthy i'd get some and use it every night.
2 dramamyne. It is a motion sickness med. The dosage is one. 2 knocks you out. If that fails a BIG crown and 7 never fails me.
you a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad boy I second the tylenol pm choice. it has managed to help me get to sleep before.
I know this violates your "non-prescription" rule, but I dont travel overseas without my Ambien. Get in line for plane, take one Ambien, wake up in Budapest.