Are over-the-counter sleep medications safe and effective?
Most nonprescription sleep aids, such as Tylenol PM and Sleep-Eze, contain the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH), which blocks histamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps us stay awake. According to James Dillard, M.D., an assistant clinical professor at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, “These medications’ effectiveness may wear off if you take them for more than 10 days straight.” He suggests using them no more than once per week. And because these drugs’ powers take time to kick in, Dillard advises to “take them about an hour before you go to bed.” Be forewarned, however, that these sleep aids may lead to next-day grogginess. What medication do doctors most often prescribe to combat sleeplessness? Ambien (zolpidem tartrate), a nonbenzodiazepine, which induces sleep by depressing activity in the central nervous system, is the sleep aid doctors in the United States most often prescribed. Since Ambien stays in the system for u
