A recent Norwegian study* published in The Journal of Sleep Medicine showed clinical evidence of no improvement of sleep quality between test subjects taking Ambien and Lunesta, compared to the control group who took only placebos. Yet over $ 4.5 billion worth of these medications were perscribed to Americans in 2009.
Both Ambien and Lunesta belong to a classification of drugs called “sedative hypnotics”. And true to their name they place the brain into a sedated, hypnotic state. The problems related to these drugs are that when the brain is locked into this state, it’s difficult for it to achieve the restorative sleep cycles needed to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. And of all the reported side effects, the pain of trying to get off these meds seems to be the most difficult. Patients complain of major irritability, loss of memory and a multitude of sleepless nights. Those who try tapering off on their own readily fail, throwing up their hands and out of exhaustion, resume their dose.
Another prescribed sleeping pill that’s popular with doctors is Seroquel. It was originally developed as an anti-psychotic. It’s also dispensed for bi-polar disorder and also for insomnia. Seroquel works very well for inducing sleep, but again, the side effects and withdrawals can be more severe than even sedative hypnotics. One past client reported being so sedated that she slept through her alarm clock three mornings in a row, losing her job as well as her professional reputation.
When a prospective client comes for Sleep Recovery Training to get off sleep medications, we will first screen them for a number of conditions that do not initially qualify for our program. Chief among them are Obstructive Sleep Apnea, (OSA) and Major Depressive Disorder, (MDD). If these conditions exist the client is referred to a medical specialist for proper treatment. However, once these conditions are ruled out, we contact the clients primary care doctor and request permission to start the training and sleep medication reduction program.
Once approved, we proceed with training. After approximately 5-6 sessions, the taper off process begins. In the duration of about 15-20 sessions, (twice per week) 87.7% of our clients become sleep medication free* and continue to wake up feeling fully rested.
*Scientific studies available upon request.
* HIPAA released client references also available.
Copyright 2011 Sleep Recovery Centers, Inc. All rights reserved.
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January 27, 2010
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