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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can A Sleep Disorder With Sleeping Pill Dependence Be Treated?

hi dr. . my sister in law is 41 years oidn she is into deep depration past around 4 years n she is takin30 to 40 sleeping pills every day ......she was under enty depretion medication also that was also not working ..v were planing to put her in rehab centre....now what should v do....
Tue, 21 Apr 2015
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Neurologist,  's  Response
Hello !
I read your question and understand your concern.
I must say that taking 30-40 sleeping pills in a day is a very high dosage and I would absolutely not recommend to stop abruptly these pills, because she has developed tolerance and dependence and she may have severe symptoms if stopped. I would like to know the types of the pills she is taking.
I would recommend first to switch into a long-acting benzodiazepine like Clordiazepoxide in equivalent doses of the pills she is taking (to reduce the frequency of the pill intake ) and then decrease very slowly the dosage.
Another issue to discuss would be the antidepressant. I would recommend to consult with a psychiatrist and to increase the dose or switch into another antidepressant, as it is obvious that she has had no results.
Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy are very important to her addiction to the drugs and I think that she will get a lot of benefits from this.
Carbamazepine would also be helpful in this situation , but I would first recommend to try the above mentioned options.
Hope to have been helpful!
Thank you for using HCM!
Best wishes, Dr. Abaz Quka
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How Can A Sleep Disorder With Sleeping Pill Dependence Be Treated?

Hello ! I read your question and understand your concern. I must say that taking 30-40 sleeping pills in a day is a very high dosage and I would absolutely not recommend to stop abruptly these pills, because she has developed tolerance and dependence and she may have severe symptoms if stopped. I would like to know the types of the pills she is taking. I would recommend first to switch into a long-acting benzodiazepine like Clordiazepoxide in equivalent doses of the pills she is taking (to reduce the frequency of the pill intake ) and then decrease very slowly the dosage. Another issue to discuss would be the antidepressant. I would recommend to consult with a psychiatrist and to increase the dose or switch into another antidepressant, as it is obvious that she has had no results. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy are very important to her addiction to the drugs and I think that she will get a lot of benefits from this. Carbamazepine would also be helpful in this situation , but I would first recommend to try the above mentioned options. Hope to have been helpful! Thank you for using HCM! Best wishes, Dr. Abaz Quka