Help. I just found out that my best friend as an addiction for sleeping tablets called Stilnox. She doesnt only take them to help her sleep but she takes them evey day soon after she awakes. She takes about 5 a day. I keep tryin to her she dont need them but she is adamant she does and cant stop. I dont know how to help as i dont know much about Stilnox and the effects it has on you. But this is serious as she has been on them of 5 years now. She is on and off depressed and im sure its due to her addiction.

fredg

Hi, Krs,
Your friend isn't going to change anything until she finds out for herself, and admits to herself, that she has a problem.
Many addictions are started by prescription medications! I'm not sure if this particular one is a prescription or not.
The only thing you can possibly do, is try talking her into seeing a Doctor.
If she will, and will explain to him/her what she is taking and for how long, she can get a Professional opinion. You might even suggest you will go with her. I do wish you the best of luck.
Also, here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem
Scroll down to the heading "Side Effects". I don't think I would want to be taking this drug on a regular basis. It is for short-term use only.

phillysteakandcheese

Unfortuneately, you can't force help on someone.

Five years is a long time, and I gather that she's been able to function normally for the most part.

I would try and draw parallels that lead her to see that the addiciton is causing problems. Bluntly stating something logical to her - like you did in your post - might make her take a step back and take a look at what she's doing.

I would also seek a professional's help. There should be some kind of addicition hotline listed at the front of your local phone book. I'd call and ask what I could do to help.

If you think she might also be abusing alcohol or anything else that puts her in immediate medical danger, I would call 911.

Krs

they are prescription sleeping pills, and has a doctor who just gives them to her like sweets. She copes well with day to day life, she works part time, she goes to college part time, she can be happy but she can also be sad, she lets the stupidest things make her depressed i.e a dirty kitchen!

fredg

HI,
Depression is a side effect. She really, really needs to see a different Doctor. Some prescribe medicines like they are going out of style, with no follow up. This particular Doctor might be just wanting to keep her as a patient, getting money for her visits!

jurplesman

Hello Krs,

Stilnox usually is also know as Ambien or Myslee and is a sedative sleeping tablet for short term use only. It is very addictive.

It is commendable that you want to help her, but as other posters have already pointed out it is very difficult to help a drug addict. She herself has to want to be treated for drug addiction.

The problem is that most drug rehabilitation programs are not very helpful and generally have a low success rate.

I believe this is because people have a poor understanding as to the biological nature of addiction.

The first step in treatment is the gradual withdrawal from the addictive drugs under the supervision of the doctor. There are some nutritional tricks that will help people withdraw from drugs. See:

Treatment of Drug Addiction.

Drug addicts have been found to be hypoglycemic, meaning that they have a problem of metabolizing sugars in food into biological energy called biological energy (ATP). This energy is required for the body to produce the feel good neurotransmitters such as serotonin.

Therefore it is essential that an addict adopts the Hypoglycemic Diet, whilst withdrawing from drugs.

The hypoglycemic syndrome can be tested with the four hour Medical Test for Hypoglycemia. It can also be tested with a paper-and-pencil test called the Nutrition Behavior Inventory Test (NBI) .

If you score high you are likely to be hypoglycemic.

Once withdrawn the person needs to be treated for the biological disorder that brought him/her to take drugs in the first place. Most addicts are found to have a pre-existing hypoglycemic condition, that is partially of a genetic nature ( it may run in the family) and partially acquired due to for instance a high life-long sugar consumption. There are many other medical conditions that can contribute to depression and wild mood swings that the person tried to treat with drugs.

For an explanation of the biochemistry of addiction see:

Alcoholism is a Treatable Disease.

The same prinicples apply to most forms of addiction.

Of course once the biological aspects are being addressed it helps to do a course in psychotherapy, specifically dealing with a negative self-image and the development of social skills.

This therapeutic program for drug addiction has been more fully explained in my book "Getting off the Hook" (see below).

jeffatl

Very dumb last night. I guess I woke up in the middle of the night, so I took another to go back to bed..............stupid indeed.

cheechthecheechy

well, a hard and fast rule for stopping addictions, is to get the person to understand their problem. Accept it, realise they have a problem. Much like how i was addicted to buying canteen food, even though i wasnt hungry (dont laugh, its true).

The hardest part is realising that u ahve an addiction when the cravings start. Tryt break her routine, or get her distracted, so she wont think about the pills.

valinors_sorrow

I am wondering where the mind is of the friend taking the pills these days since its been some time since the first post here. Can she talk to the prescribing doctor about feeling addicted. Can she consider getting a second opinion from another doctor? What is she capable of doing... because that will determine where she seeks help.

cheechthecheechy

well, she could be taking the pills because she needs them mentally or physically. She prolly started of taking them because they helped her sleep, when she was moody or sick. Then she started to use them whether she needed them or not. Now she prolly relies on them.

Best to get her in touch with an addiction councillor or something. they will guide you through the whole process i guess.

Good Luck!