Posts Tagged ‘antidepressant side effects’
Antidepressant Medications Can Lead to Hot Flashes, Night Sweats and Insomnia
Posted on: November 29, 2013
Hot flashes and night sweats can create a sudden feeling of warmth and often a breakout of sweating in the upper half of the body. These flashes are experienced by 80% of women around the time of menopause, and also by men due to a lessening of testosterone in middle age. Hot flashes are normally brought on by a reduced function in the brain’s temperature regulation, caused by changing hormone levels. Night sweats that occur while sleeping can cause overheating and frequent awakenings.
Another source of hot flashes can be medications. According to WebMD, “Taking certain medications can lead to night sweats. Antidepressant medications are a common type of drug that can lead to night sweats. From 8% to 22% of people taking antidepressant drugs have night sweats. Other psychiatric drugs have also been associated with night sweats.”
The “Sleep in America” poll results from the National Sleep Foundation found that more than half of all Americans (60%) experience a sleep problem every night or almost every night. Interestingly, a ten-year study to discover which drugs are used to treat insomnia was published in the journal “Sleep”. The study found that prescriptions for sleeping medications have decreased by 53.7%, but that antidepressant drugs prescribed for insomnia have increased by a surprising 146%. Examples of antidepressants prescribed for insomnia are trazodone, doxepin, trimipramine, and amitriptyline.
Medications may not always have the desired effects. For example, Drugs.com says the following about an antidepressant drug called Welbutrin — “Nervous system side effects have frequently included headache (27%), insomnia (16% to 33%)….and sleep abnormalities.”
Nature has provided us with some natural sleep remedies and relaxants that have stood the test of time. Regarding mineral deficiency as we age and at the time of menopause, the pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis says, “The amount of calcium in a woman’s blood parallels the activity of the ovaries. During the menopause, the lack of ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone) can cause severe calcium deficiency symptoms to occur, including irritability, hot flashes, night sweats, leg cramps, and insomnia. These problems can be easily overcome if the intakes of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are all generously increased and are well absorbed.”
One sleep remedy increasing in popularity is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs. This natural sleep aid contains highly absorbable forms of calcium and magnesium, the best minerals for sleeplessness and insomnia, as well as for restless legs syndrome, bone strength, aches and pains, and menopause insomnia. The formula also includes vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy carrier oils, making the minerals more quickly assimilated than tablets or capsules. The softgel formulation provides a deeper, longer-lasting sleep and is an effective alternative to medications.
Alex R. of Ramseur, North Carolina says: “Sleep Minerals II has been a blessing for me. It has given me the opportunity to withdraw from a highly addictive sleep medication over time, and has allowed me to sleep while going through this most difficult ordeal. What’s great about it is it doesn’t lose its effectiveness, which is something that happens with sleep medications. I am most thankful for this product.”
For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit this page.
The “Sleep in America” poll results that were recently released from the National Sleep Foundation found that more than half of all Americans (60%) said they experienced a sleep problem every night or almost every night. This ranges from snoring, waking in the night, waking up too early, or feeling un-refreshed when getting up in the morning. This overall increase in insomnia has been bringing people to their doctors, to stores, and to the Internet for solutions that may help them sleep better.
While most people would prefer to take a natural, non-addictive remedy without dangerous side-effects, there is a scarcity of effective natural options, as well as a lack of education and information available to people outside of their doctor’s office. Often medical doctors recommend drugs, but surprisingly, not always the usual sleep medicines.
A ten-year study to discover which drugs are used to treat insomnia was published in the journal “Sleep”. It found that from 1987 to 1996, prescriptions for sleeping drugs have decreased by 53.7%, but that antidepressant drugs prescribed for insomnia increased by a surprising 146%. Examples of antidepressants that might be prescribed for insomnia are trazodone and amitriptyline. According to Health.com, the side effects of these medicines may include sexual dysfunction, weight gain, dry mouth and throat, racing pulse, confusion, disturbed dreams, and an increased risk of suicide.
The authors of the study from the journal “Sleep” said: “Surveys indicate a stable or increasing prevalence of sleep disturbance. There has also been a dramatic shift to use of antidepressants in lieu of sleeping drugs (hyponotics) for the symptomatic treatment of insomnia, despite a paucity (lack) of data regarding their efficacy and the potential for serious side effects.”
Regarding the nutritional approach to the problem of insomnia, Carl C. Pfeiffer, M.D., Ph.D., known for his work in orthomolecular (nutritional) medicine, says, “We have found that if a drug can be found to do the job of medical healing, a nutrient can be found to do the same job.”
Several research studies have shown certain minerals to be an effective natural insomnia remedy that helps people fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Calcium is directly related to our cycles of sleep. In one study, published in the European Neurology Journal, researchers found that calcium levels in the body are higher during some of the deepest levels of sleep, such as the rapid eye movement (REM) phase. The study concluded that disturbances in sleep, especially the absence of REM deep sleep or disturbed REM sleep, are related to a calcium deficiency.
Chronic insomnia is one of the main, central symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Sleep is usually agitated with frequent nighttime awakenings. On the other hand, a high magnesium diet has been found to be associated with deeper, less interrupted sleep. This was shown in a study done by James Penland at the Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota. The study was titled “Effects of trace element nutrition on sleep patterns in adult women.” It’s important to note that a balanced ratio of twice as much calcium to magnesium is key to overall health, and that these two minerals should be taken together for best results.
Jobee Knight, a nutritional researcher and President of www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com in Glendale, CA., is someone who fought her own battle against sleeplessness and insomnia. She decided to put her background to use by searching out effective natural insomnia remedies for relaxation and deeper sleep. The result was Sleep Minerals II, which contains powerful forms of the best known minerals for relaxation and sleep — calcium and magnesium, combined with vitamin D and zinc. The ingredients are formulated in a softgel with healthy oils, making them more quickly absorbable than tablets or capsules and providing a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.
L.C. of Massachusetts says: “Due to some very stressful issues in my life, I hadn’t slept much in two and a half months and I was prescribed sleeping drugs to take. I had become dependent on those drugs and couldn’t sleep without them. I did my research on the Internet and came across Sleep Minerals II. I started taking two before sleeping and now I can sleep through the whole night without drugs. I’m also able to easily fall back asleep if I do get up to use the bathroom in the night. Sleep Minerals II has also helped to alleviate my chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia symptoms.”
Insomnia is a widespread problem. Going back to the “Father of Medicine’s” original words in 400 B. C., we would hear Hippocrates saying to his students: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html
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