a good over the counter sedative

Hi everyone im looking for something I can buy over the counter in the uk as a sedative. Ive just come off paxil because of side effects. Dr has given me venlafaxine which I didn't realise at time is effexor and ive had this before and had terrible insomnia so had to come off. All these drugs are so hard to get on and off of I really just want something now to take to calm me if things are too bad, just knowing ive got it if I need it is often enough to get me through. Im spending loads on different herbal supplements that just don't seem to work, even benadryl doesn't work for me and my dr won't give me anything like xannax. Any ideas would be much appreciated.xx

Marie

Good Morning !  A couple of questions for you if you do not mind sharing; do you take your Effexor in the morning and is it the Extended-Release Capsules?  I have good luck with XR medications as they keep a steady dose of the medication in your system so you don't have the effect of the immediate release sensation that some people feel when taking this medication.

OTC meds have never been much help to me, however, I do take an RX medication daily for anxiety, Buspar. Bus-par is a medicine which is used in anxiety. It comes in 5 mg - 10 mg but you take this drug daily not on an as needed basis.  I have been on it for several years now and started out at 10 mg twice daily.  My dose was increased about a year ago to 20 mg twice daily. 

Many people say it doesn't work but I suspect that may be because they don't feel it kick in like you do when using a benzo.  It is worth checking out with your Dr.

Kindly,

Kitt

Thanks all feel like im going mad at the moment the morning anxiety was so bad yesterday I got up took paracetamol for the headache valerian and 5htp then felt dizzy and zonked out all day. Don't know if its still effects of coming off paxil only finished a day ago, the effect of the mix of things I took or just me and thats how I will be without paxil! Sc my dr wont give me a bendodiazipine for some reason and stkitt I even asked about buspar as I had read about it on here and she didn't know what it was but after looking it up said oh no no no its a very old fashioned one and we are not even going there ! Ive not taken the effexor as im too scared now as i know i took it a few yrs ago and just couldn't sleep at all all night. I cant keep having weeks of all these horrible side effects getting on to only have to get off again! Pls help if you can marie x

Hello I am new to this forum and my name is lucky I'm sorry but I have to disagree with the recommendation to take a benzodiazepine
This is one very addictive drug believe me I know what I am talking about and you do not want to mess with this medication , stay well clear it's marketed under various brand names and ther are forums around the world of people who are addicted trying to get off this medication
The withdrawal symptons include anxiety depression panic attacks dizziness tingling numbness etc etc and worst of all you can have seziures if withdrawn if you suddenly stop taking the drug , you also need to increase the dosage all the time as your body develops a tolerance to it and find you will suffer withdrawal symptons even while taking your medication , maybe some people may not become addicted but most become addicted withi in a short period of time because in the begging they work very well on anxiety but you need to keep increasing the dose to the same effect .
I know you dont want to here this but the only way to cope is with your own mind and face the anxiety and then carry on with your daily life you have to feel the anxiety and panic and ignore it in time you will learn that the unpleasant symptons you are experiencing are just your mind fooling you , presuming you have been checked by a doctor then trust them you will not have a heart attack or die and so what if you have a panic attack who cares what people think .

Sorry but I suffered terribble withdrawal coming off these drugs and if I can save one person going through what I did then I don't care
Thanks for reading lucky

Marie,

I am sorry to read that your Dr. is only seeing things in black and white.  My Psychiatrist, one the  best in MN, prescribed Buspar as often one of the older medications will work better than a high dose of a new SSRI for some people.

BuSpar (buspirone) is an anti-anxiety medicine that affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.

BuSpar is used to treat symptoms of anxiety such as fear, tension, irritability, dizziness, pounding heartbeat, and other physical symptoms.

BuSpar is not an anti-psychotic medication and should not be used in place of medication prescribed by your doctor for mental illness.

Benadryl is sometimes given to people with insomnia or, more rarely, anxiety, because it has a sedative effect in most people.  Many people become so sleepy they just can't function at all and simply fall asleep and in a smaller number of people, it doesn't even make them sleepy. Benadryl is an antihistamine  and is usually used for allergies but has fallen out of favor somewhat because it makes many people sleepy and there are newer drugs that don't. 

Other meds with immediate calming effects that are used in anxiety are the benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan, Valium, etc. They bring on a calm and sometimes drowsy state. Many of us here in the forum are on (or have been on) benzos - they are still one of the mainstays of the medical treatment of anxiety. I am the first to admit benzos have the propensity to cause addiction.

Beta-blockers sometimes make people drowsy, but they are generally only used for people who have lots of symptoms with heart rate and situational anxiety, they don't generally produce a calming effect per se.

Some people claim BuSpar, which is an anti-anxiety drug but not a benzodiazepine, has a calming effect.

SSRIs eventually have a calming effect though they generally make people more nervous when starting the meds; that can be overcome by adding a benzo until the SSRI takes effect.  

I don't think Benadryl is a long-term solution to your problem, but if you are only going to use it at bedtime for a little while with your Drs. approval than you may like it to help you sleep. 

Vistaril is used as a sedative to treat anxiety and tension. Vistaril (hydroxyzine) is available OTC in non-prescription doses which I believe is 25mg. You could ask your Dr. or the Pharmacy re using OTC Vistaril and the dosage recommendation when treating anxiety.  This would be a better choice than Benadryl IMHO but please remember I am not a physician - I am a peer who has used all of these meds at one time.

Remember - One man's medicine  is another man's poisons.

 

I wish you the very best and do not be afraid to seek out the opinion of another physician.

 

Kindly,

Kitt