"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

What to do when medicine makes you sleepy

This may be so simple as adjusting food plan, avoiding alcohol, or taking medication at a distinct time of day.

Photo: iStock

Common criminals

Common culprits for causing sleepiness include antidepressants. Found in antihistamines, sleep aids, or allergy medications. Antiemetics, that are used to manage nausea and vomiting. Antipsychotics and anticonvulsants, which could also be used to treat seizures or depression. drugs to treat hypertension, including alpha-blockers and beta-blockers; Benzodiazepines and other sedatives, commonly used for anxiety or insomnia. medications for Parkinson's disease; muscle relaxants; and opioids and other prescription pain medications. Many over-the-counter medications also can make you drowsy, resembling treatments for insomnia, allergies, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Dangers of being drowsy?

Feeling sleepy throughout the day can interfere along with your quality of life, possibly impair your performance at work or prevent you from participating in daytime activities. Drowsiness also can increase your risk of falls, which may result in injury and disability, and it could actually affect your ability to drive safely.

If you take several medications that could cause drowsiness, the unintended effects can increase and develop into worse.

what are you able to do

If you might be starting a recent medication that could cause drowsiness, Dr. Carr recommends that you just avoid activities that require alertness, resembling driving, until you realize. How the drug affects you.

In some cases, your sleep will decrease over time, as your body adjusts. Call your doctor in case your medication is causing excessive drowsiness or affecting your ability to drive or work. “Relieving drowsiness may simply be a matter of adjusting the diet or changing the medication that is causing the drowsiness,” says Dr. Carr.

She also recommends having healthy sleep habits to get night's rest. Limit medications which have drowsiness as a side effect. Limit other substances that could cause fatigue, resembling alcohol; And check with your pharmacist about whether it's possible to take this medicine at night, if you're already preparing for bed.