Don’t Take These Drugs Before Sleeping

Certain medications can disrupt sleep patterns and cause insomnia.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Sleep quality is very important for overall health. Certain medications can disrupt sleep patterns and cause insomnia.

Clinical pharmacist for the VCU Health System, Katie Rocawich, explains which medications to avoid at night and why, as reported on the Eat This Not That page, Thursday (21/7/2022):

1. Guarana

Rocawich says guarana is vines South American fruit producer. The fruit or seeds contain caffeine, and as a supplement are included in energy drinks and nutritional supplements for weight loss, energy, and more.

“Guarana should not be consumed at night, because it is likely to cause insomnia,” he said.

2. Pseudoephedrine/Phenylephrine

Dr Rocawich said, pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE®) are drug free which is used to reduce nasal congestion due to seasonal allergies or flu symptoms. For most individuals, pseudoephedrine causes central nervous system stimulation, which leads to excitability, restlessness and insomnia.

3. Ginseng

According to Dr. Rocawich, both American ginseng and Asian ginseng are nutritional supplements that are taken for a variety of indications including increasing energy, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol and as anti-inflammatory agents. Ginseng should not be taken at night because it can cause insomnia.

4. A type of bush

Rocawich explains, hawthorn is a thorny shrub in the rose family. Extracts from berries, leaves, and flowers are used medicinally to protect against heart disease and help control high blood pressure and high cholesterol. “Hawthorn is a powerful natural diuretic, so unless you want to stay up all night racing to the bathroom, it’s best not to take it at bedtime,” she says.

5. Steroid dosing packs (ie medrol dosepak®, prednisone taper packs)

Dr Rocawich said corticosteroid dose packs are commercially available tapered-dose products that facilitate administration steroid taper for various indications (allergic reactions, inflammatory conditions and others).

Even though they are labeled to be taken in divided doses (including the bedtime dose), corticosteroids are often associated with insomnia. “To avoid this, the entire daily dose can be taken as a single dose in the morning,” he said.