No More Sleeping Pills!
October 19th, 2006 (Sleep)
Coming off sleeping pills does not mean that you have to go cold turkey, especially if you have been taking them for some time. First of all, nobody should try to wean himself off a medication without the advice of a doctor. If you are on a combination of tranquilizers and hypnotics, experts advice to come off them one at a time. Individual cases will dictate which comes first in the weaning sequence.
The time it takes to reduce medication depends on the type, dose, and length of hypnotic consumption (months or sometimes even years), as well as individual factors. Not everyone will stick with the full process, but even partial reduction is still an achievement.
Rebound insomnia tends to occur in short-acting hypnotics, but is not such a problem with the longer-acting ones. That said, most people should expect some difficulty for a week or two after coming off sleeping pills, and it could be months before sleep readjusts to a level they are really satisfied with.