Often, antidepressants for insomnia are the only means to avoid the more severe mental illnesses that accompany sleep disorders. The lack of rest at night is a frequent symptom, as well as a “faithful” companion accompanying depression.
Frustrated night sleep does not allow to fully restore vital energy. Because of this, a person is overworked, his mental activity goes down, his immunity weakens. There is irritability and guilt (it is often not clear why).
Insomnia, what is it?
Insomnia (synonyms: dissomnia, insomnia, asomnia, agripnia) is called a painful condition, in which a person can not sleep or sleep soundly all night. If people do not get a healthy sleep that has a healing effect, it strongly affects not only their performance, but also their daily lives in general. Insomnia often indicates a mental disorder or the presence of depression.
Important! During depressive states, a person may feel a sense of hopelessness, worthlessness or depression. These factors and do not allow to fall asleep. The brain is overexcited and recalls many moments experienced. Such experiences cause fear and distort the perception of sleep.
For insomnia, a person tosses for a long time in bed and cannot sleep or falls asleep quickly, and then wakes up during the night periodically, because he has a shallow sleep. In the morning, naturally, he feels tired, becomes inattentive, overwhelmed and irritable.
This condition is often accompanied by headaches. A shudder can “run” all over the body, and shaking hands. During the day drowsiness arises, I want to sleep in any place and in any posture. In the evening, there is great fatigue, and at night it is impossible to fall asleep again. Often, sleep disorders are manifested by snoring, walking and talking a sleeping person.
Chronic insomnia often leads to nervous breakdowns, mental illnesses, reduced performance, impaired health, accidents, problems both at work and in the family. Insomnia “can” even lead to cessation of breathing.
Communication of disturbed sleep and depression
Studies have shown that approximately 80% of people with depression suffer from insomnia. With this disorder, the person usually wakes up sharply in the early morning, as if from an alarm clock or jolt. However, it is often difficult to fall asleep, and sleep at night is disturbing, often filled with nightmares. Sometimes even when he wakes up, it seems to a person that he did not sleep at all.
The dream phase of a person suffering from depression comes earlier than in healthy people. In this case, dreams arise in the first half of the night. This often indicates a hereditary predisposition to depression. At the same time, the inability to fall asleep during the day may be manifested, and vice versa, severe sleepiness.
It is known that the late stage of night sleep is the deepest. It is extremely important for good health, and in severe depressive state, this stage is often not at all. In diagnosis, the most accurate criterion for such a condition is the reduction or complete absence of the fourth phase of sleep.
Insomnia is the most common sign of depression. However, sleep problems can also cause endocrine diseases, pathologies of internal organs, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and neurological diseases. In case of insomnia, the immune system and mental activity are severely damaged. Therefore, if this unpleasant condition torments more than five days in a row, you need to contact a specialist.
What are antidepressants and their types
Antidepressants are called psychotropic drugs that are used to treat patients in the depressed state. They help improve mood, relieve symptoms such as melancholy, irritability, anxiety, apathy. Allow to normalize mental activity, appetite, as well as the duration of sleep.
They are also divided by the mechanism of action – indiscriminate, selective and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Antidepressants adjust the processes occurring directly in the brain, consisting of nerve cells – neurons. They, in turn, consist of soma – directly the body and a series of processes through which they communicate. Information between them comes through a mediator. It is a biochemical substance. The following three neurotransmitters are associated with depressive state: dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine.
Important! The use of antidepressants allows you to adjust the brain by adjusting the concentration of these three neurotransmitters.
Such drugs are used not only for treatment, but also for the prevention of depression or neurosis, they are used in the treatment of panic conditions, dysthymia and enuresis. Quite often, antidepressants are prescribed for insomnia. Some of these drugs should be considered separately.
Amitriptyline
This is a synthetic drug that is a tricyclic antidepressant. Used to treat depression, nerve disorders and other psychological disorders. Amitriptyline is also available under other names: Amizole, Triptizol or Amirol.
The active ingredient is amitriptyline hydrochloride. The tablets of the active ingredient may contain 10 or 25 mg. Each manufacturer adds its own excipients. Most often it is magnesium stearate, talc, starch or lactose monohydrate.
Amitriptyline has antidepressant and anti-ulcer effect, blocks the mediator acetylcholine, as well as various manifestations of serotonin. At the same time, the accumulation of additional neurotransmitters improves the state of the psyche and ensures the disappearance of depression.
However, the selection of the dose of the drug is individual, since this drug group has an “antidepressant threshold.” Each patient takes the medication differently. The initial effect is manifested after two weeks with a constant use of funds.
The number of contraindications and side effects in Amitriptyline is large, in connection with which the possibility of its use is significantly limited. Due to the different threshold of sensitivity of patients to the drug overdose is possible. Therefore, the medicine is taken with caution. Discontinuation of the drug may be accompanied by excitability, headaches, diarrhea and nausea, with gagging.
Amitriptyline is a very effective antidepressant that helps to cope with insomnia effectively. However, there is a sufficient amount of negative feedback due to the large list of side effects. It should be remembered that Amitriptyline can not be used in conjunction with alcohol.
Atarax
The active ingredient of the drug is hydroxyzine hydrochloride. It is a derivative of diphenylmethane. This tranquilizer, which, in addition to the sedative, has an antihistamine, as well as an antiemetic effect, blocks the cholinergic receptors. The drug does not cause the effect of addiction, as well as mental dependence. The onset of the clinical effect of the use of Atarax occurs no more than 30 minutes after administration.
Tranquilizers are called sedatives that help eliminate fear, anxiety, and emotional stress. The use of Atarax can improve attention and memory, relax muscles, reduce the severity of allergic manifestations. At the same time, in patients suffering from insomnia, the duration of sleep is prolonged, and nighttime awakenings disappear.
The list of contraindications is small, but side effects are possible. Responses in the majority positive, including treatment of small children. The analogue of Atarax, having the same active ingredient, is hydroxyzine.