Another Sleeping Pill Thread.

[Scully]

I went to a local pharmacy due to having terrible back trouble which I can live with, however sometimes getting to sleep can be difficult as the pain sometimes keeps me awake.

Anyway to cut a long story short I went to a pharmacy to purchase diclofenic and asked if they had anything to aid sleep, the pharmacist proceded to give me several little(5mm) light yellow crumbly pills scored but with no other markings. After asking the name of the pills she replied they have no name in English and told me in Thai they are simply called sleeping pills

I know its a long shot but I was wondering if anyone else had purchased these sleeping tablets and if they know their name. They are very effective but I am worried that they may be a benzo type drug and habit forming rather than an antihistarmine. I looked at mims web site with no success probably due to the large amount of counterfeit drugs in Thailand.

This was not a air con professional pharmacy more a back street type place but I am interested if anyone else has purchased this type of medication and if it is normal practice to hand out drugs without logos or milligram content.

As I said I know its a long shot however I cannot be the only person to have bought these pills and I would'nt normally ask, its just they really are effective and give me a good nights sleep. If I knew the name and content I would purchae from a reputable pharmacy.

ps. I have had this problem for many years and don't wish for lectures or advice on sleeping habits although over the counter back pain medication advice would be welcome (tramadol and diclofenic is the best I can take unless there is any better advice as I don't like to take a lot of paracetamol or ibuprofen for long periods of time due to liver damage).

Thankyou for any replies

[crazydrummerpauly]

I would take a Thai-speaker to the back-street supplier of the drug and simply ascertain

whether the little yellow pill is an Analgesic, or specifically a sleeping-pill ( given that many

drugs, like old-fashioned anti-histamines, have a slight sedative effect ). Surely the main

question is: are you sleeping better cos the pain is being decreased, or because you are

being ko'ed by an opioid or barbiturate. In my long experience of all the 'pams' (benzodiazepine

varieties) all straightforward 'sleeping pills' are habit-forming - doesn't matter much which one.

So once you've establised whether you've been given a sleeper or an analgesic, you have at

least part of the answer. Personally, as a chronic tinnitus sufferer of many years (LOUD),

i gave up caring about whether any prescription-drug was habit-forming or not - it's a short

life, and too many nights listening to a dentist's drill in one's head instead of sleeping puts

a different light on the whole problem of dependency. Psychologically, if you need something

extra to get to sleep - apart from the fatigue daily-life brings and the effect of melatonin on the

brain as the light fades - then you are dependent on that thing. But dependency schmendency,

it's all about balancing gain and loss - perfection is rarely available - i made a decison to risk

some dependency and other unknown costs of taking the 'pams' ( temazepam, diazepam,

lorazepam ...) for the seriously valuable gain of getting away from an ever-present cause of

depression. Whether you get to know the precise name and make-up of the little yellow pill

or not, a decision about balancing cost and gain will almost certainly still be on the agenda.

Please don't see this as a 'lecture' ! ( It's just a sharing of a related problem.)

[Scully]

Thanks for your reply pauly I do speak a little Thai and I asked her what it was called in Thai and she simply replied sleeping pills in Thai.

I have taken diazepam before for sleep and it works very well but my back pain can last for two months then be bearable for the next two as its a reacuring pain. I don't want to become hooked on benzos as withdrwawal by all accounts is hel_l and after two months this is quite probable, I just need a pill to take for the two months of pain to help me sleep.

Thanks for your reply.

[Sheryl]

The only drugs approved for over the counter sale in Thailand which would aid sleep are all variants of antihistamines. The best one, in terms of inducing sleep, being Atarax which is also a minor tranquilizer. Atarax itself is white but there are numerous generic equivalents.

They either sold you an antihistamine (there is a common brand that is yellow) or else sold you something illegal.

In either case I would not patronize a pharmacy which does not properly label its medications. Many of these small backstreet shops are not staffed by trained pharmacists, as well as not having proper storage conditions for their meds. Avoid them.

I recommend you either:

(1) purchase Atarax from a "proper" pharmacy i.e. one with a.c and an actual pharmacist behind the counter (white coat, name tag and title shown. You want the 25mg, not 10mg, tablets. The dose for sleep (as opposed to as an antihistamine) is 50 - 100mg. Will cause a dry mouth next morning and also some grogginess if you try to get up early, the latter less of a problem if you are able to sleep as long as you need to, tho you may find you need an extra cup of coffee to get going. This drug is akin to Vistaril which is often used in the West, so to read up on it can google "Vistaril + sleep". Note that while it has a wide safety margin (hence the OTC sale in Thailand) its safety for long term continuous use has not been established hence would be best not to use every single night.

or

(2) see a doctor for prescription sleeping med, which will have to be purchased at the hospital pharmacy. They will be addictive and the hospital will not dispense very many at one time, but if the need is only very occasional that may work for you. Otherwise if use is often #1 a better alternative.

[jayinoz]

Many still give out Valium which is very habit forming.... basically if you feeling pretty good and relaxed after taking whatever it is, most probably it is Diazepam Aka Vaium, etc. Small and light yellow ones are 5 mg. Blue are 10 mg and small white are 2mg. Take daily over months and be prepared for Rehab or take indefinately.

If not taken every day, just on a rare occasion then all is good. As long as your body does not build up a tolerance to it then all OK. Take a half yellow tablet occasionally will not effect you unless you start upping the dosage daily.

If you have an addictive personality then stay away. Eg. you been semi addicted to any other drug in your life over a long period of time, incl alcohol, etc.

Chok Dee.

:jap:

[DocJD]

I've seen more than one pharmacy give out antidepressants (of which one of their side effects is drowsiness) as sleeping pills. Regardless, I wouldn't continue taking these pills until you are sure you know what they are.

Diclofenic is a NSAID like Ibuprofen. In other words, long-term use can put you at risk for many systemic problems, particularly renal damage. I'd also suggest giving acupuncture a try. There several studies which show a correlation between acupuncture treatments and relief from pain. Good luck.

[Scully]

Thankyou for all your replies, I sort of took the advice by Sheryl and went to my regular Pharmacist and asked if he had any sleeping aid. He then produced 10mg diazepam and asked if I wanted anything stronger:o, anyway I checked mims and these tablets are there.

Last night I took one and the effect was totally different from the unknown drugs giving me a great nights sleep with no awakenings. The unknown tablets are now in the bin and I will be taking these valium only when desperately needed.

Thanks again

[lopburi3]

chlorpheniramine maleate

Very tiny round/thick yellow pill and extremely cheap here in Thailand. First generation and I first used in 1971. Do not believe habit forming but did cause severe drowsiness for me so currently use different anti-histamines when required.

[Scully]

chlorpheniramine maleate

Very tiny round/thick yellow pill and extremely cheap here in Thailand. First generation and I first used in 1971. Do not believe habit forming but did cause severe drowsiness for me so currently use different anti-histamines when required.

I did a little research and came to the same conclusion, however I was not sure but thankyou lopburi for confirming it. They do help with sleep but they also give a you a very drowsy hangover.

[lopburi3]

The unknown tablets are now in the bin and I will be taking these valium only when desperately needed.

Be very careful as they can be addictive and nasty "mothers little helper" from the 50's. I had one prior to an operation several decades ago and never again. Stupor city for me.

[mrtoad]

I've seen more than one pharmacy give out antidepressants (of which one of their side effects is drowsiness) as sleeping pills. Regardless, I wouldn't continue taking these pills until you are sure you know what they are.

Diclofenic is a NSAID like Ibuprofen. In other words, long-term use can put you at risk for many systemic problems, particularly renal damage. I'd also suggest giving acupuncture a try. There several studies which show a correlation between acupuncture treatments and relief from pain. Good luck.

Yes, I have been offered both Anti-depressants and Anti-Psychotics by several uneducated / unscrupulous pharmacists. One even tried to tell me quite clearly that it wasn't an anti-depressant.

Anyway as a further point Amitryptaline which is one of the "old tricyclic anti-depressants" is used for treatment of certain types of back pain.