Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Sleeping Pills?Signs of a Sleeping Pill OverdoseCauses of OverdoseEmergency TreatmentDependence, Addiction, and WithdrawalLong-Term TreatmentFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Are Sleeping Pills?

Signs of a Sleeping Pill Overdose

Causes of Overdose

Emergency Treatment

Dependence, Addiction, and Withdrawal

Long-Term Treatment

Frequently Asked Questions

At a GlanceSleeping pills such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be addictive and may lead to overdose, particularly when taken in excess quantities or combined with other substances.Do not take sleeping pills with opioid medications or other depressant substances, including alcohol.

At a Glance

Sleeping pills such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be addictive and may lead to overdose, particularly when taken in excess quantities or combined with other substances.Do not take sleeping pills with opioid medications or other depressant substances, including alcohol.

Drug overdose deaths in the US have consistently increased since 1999, reaching nearly 92,000 in 2020.Sleeping pills, includingbenzodiazepines, andbarbiturates, are among the chief causes.

In 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a boxed warning on all benzodiazepines to caution people about the serious risks of addiction, abuse, drug interactions, and potential adverse effects.

Treatment for Opioid Addiction

Sleeping pills are depressant medications. They act upon the central nervous system to slow down the body’s function. They are classified as “sedative hypnotics,” and are prescribed to ease anxiety or enable sleep. The two main types of sedatives are barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

Some of the more commonly prescribed barbiturates include:

Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs have supplanted barbiturates as the sedative drug of choice. Z-drugs are a class of non-benzodiazepines used to treat insomnia.Among the most commonly prescribed are:

Symptoms of an overdoseof sleeping pills are similar to those of an overdose of alcohol, which is also a depressant. Slowing of brain function initially affects voluntary functions.

When a person overdoses, the drug can begin to affect involuntary functions, such as breathing and heart rate. Symptoms include:

If you suspect someone has overdosed on sleeping pills, call 911 immediately. Keep the person awake and talking if possible until help arrives. If the person is unconscious, place them in the recovery position—on their side, with one leg forward of the other—and wait for help.

An overdose may be a deliberatesuicideattempt.However, not all suicide attempts succeed as vomiting is common when the drug is taken in excess. If this happens, the person may survive but experience brain injury due to the lack of oxygen.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Accidental overdoses can also happen if a person becomes dependent on sleeping pills but, over time, become less responsive to the drug. In a desperate attempt to get sleep, they may end up taking too many.

Older adults are at a greater risk of overdose from sleeping pills due to decreased drug metabolism rates.

In some cases, a person who has been taking sleeping pills recreationally may begin to inject the drug. They may miscalculate the dosage, which can lead to overdose.

Can You Drink Alcohol While You’re on a Medication?

Emergency Treatment for Sleeping Pill Overdose

People who have overdosed on sleeping pills will be admitted to the hospital and monitored closely, usually in intensive care.

Treatment may involve some or all of the following:

In some instances, the medication Romazicon (flumazenil) will be administered.It acts as a benzodiazepine antagonist to help reverse benzodiazepine binding and inhibit the activity of substances that act on benzodiazepine receptor sites.

Flumazenil carries some risks, however, and routine use is not recommended. It should not be used in cases where there is a mixed/unknown substance overdose or the individual has a prolonged QRS interval or seizure disorder. It is typically used in limited settings, such as to treat accidental benzodiazepine overdoses in children or to reverse the effects of sedation following a medical procedure.

In cases where co-occurring opioid use is also involved, a medication called naloxone can be administered to reverse the opioid overdose.

Generally speaking, people can recover from a sleeping pill overdose if treatment is started early. Unless a person has experienced prolonged oxygen deprivation, the effects of the overdose tend to last only as long as the drug remains in the system.

Sleeping pills such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines can also be addictive. This risk is greater when a person takes more than their prescribed dose or if they combine sleeping pills with other substances.

Dependence and withdrawal can also happen even when people take their medication exactly as prescribed.

People may also experience symptoms of withdrawal if they reduce their dose or stop taking the medication. Around 60% of people who take benzodiazepines longer than six months experience mild withdrawal symptoms, while 40% experience moderate to severe symptoms.

Symptoms of withdrawal may include:

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be life-threatening, so you should only stop taking benzodiazepines under the direction and supervision of your doctor.Your doctor may recommend gradually tapering your medication over a period of time.

If you believe you have an addiction to sleeping pills, treatments are available that can help. The right treatment for you may depend on a variety of factors, including the underlying causes of your sleeping difficulties.

Treatment for substance addiction often focuses on psychotherapy, but medications may also be prescribed to help manage symptoms.Types of therapy that your doctor or therapist might recommend includecognitive behavioral therapy (CBT),motivational enhancement therapy (MET), andgroup therapy. Support groups and12-step programscan also be important sources of encouragement and information about recovery.

Your doctor may also recommend treatments to help you deal with underlying mental health conditions that can contribute to sleep disturbances, such as anxiety and depression. This might involve psychotherapy, medications, and lifestyle modifications.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

How Long Does Withdrawal From Benzodiazepines Last?

Frequently Asked Questions"Sleeping pill" is an informal term for “sedative.” Both have the same effects on the body: depressing the nervous system.Yes, it’s dangerous. Since both are depressants, combining these substances can produce unconsciousness, breathing difficulties, seizures, coma, and even death.Using sleeping pills for a long period can cause forgetfulness, mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and liver dysfunction or failure.

“Sleeping pill” is an informal term for “sedative.” Both have the same effects on the body: depressing the nervous system.

Yes, it’s dangerous. Since both are depressants, combining these substances can produce unconsciousness, breathing difficulties, seizures, coma, and even death.

Using sleeping pills for a long period can cause forgetfulness, mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and liver dysfunction or failure.

Navigating the Fentanyl Crisis as a Young Person

13 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.New safety measures announced for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepines.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Overdose death rates.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Remembrance increasingly includes lives lost to overdoses involving benzodiazepines.Food and Drug Administration.FDA requiring boxed warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class.Weaver MF.Prescription sedative misuse and abuse.Yale J Biol Med. 2015;88(3):247-256.Mayo Clinic.Prescription Sleeping Pills: What’s Right for You. 2022Merk Manual: Professional Version.Sedatives.Kleinman RA, Weiss RD.Benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths in the USA: 2000-2019.J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(8):2103-2109. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-07035-6Vukcević NP, Ercegović GV, Segrt Z, Djordjević S, Stosić JJ. Benzodiazepine poisoning in elderly.Vojnosanit Pregl. 2016;73(3):234-238.An H, Godwin J.Flumazenil in benzodiazepine overdose.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):E537. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160357National Institute on Drug Abuse.What is naloxone?Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Brett J, Murnion B.Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence.Aust Prescr. 2015;38(5):152-5. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2015.055

13 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.New safety measures announced for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepines.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Overdose death rates.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Remembrance increasingly includes lives lost to overdoses involving benzodiazepines.Food and Drug Administration.FDA requiring boxed warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class.Weaver MF.Prescription sedative misuse and abuse.Yale J Biol Med. 2015;88(3):247-256.Mayo Clinic.Prescription Sleeping Pills: What’s Right for You. 2022Merk Manual: Professional Version.Sedatives.Kleinman RA, Weiss RD.Benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths in the USA: 2000-2019.J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(8):2103-2109. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-07035-6Vukcević NP, Ercegović GV, Segrt Z, Djordjević S, Stosić JJ. Benzodiazepine poisoning in elderly.Vojnosanit Pregl. 2016;73(3):234-238.An H, Godwin J.Flumazenil in benzodiazepine overdose.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):E537. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160357National Institute on Drug Abuse.What is naloxone?Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Brett J, Murnion B.Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence.Aust Prescr. 2015;38(5):152-5. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2015.055

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Food and Drug Administration.New safety measures announced for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepines.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Overdose death rates.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Remembrance increasingly includes lives lost to overdoses involving benzodiazepines.Food and Drug Administration.FDA requiring boxed warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class.Weaver MF.Prescription sedative misuse and abuse.Yale J Biol Med. 2015;88(3):247-256.Mayo Clinic.Prescription Sleeping Pills: What’s Right for You. 2022Merk Manual: Professional Version.Sedatives.Kleinman RA, Weiss RD.Benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths in the USA: 2000-2019.J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(8):2103-2109. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-07035-6Vukcević NP, Ercegović GV, Segrt Z, Djordjević S, Stosić JJ. Benzodiazepine poisoning in elderly.Vojnosanit Pregl. 2016;73(3):234-238.An H, Godwin J.Flumazenil in benzodiazepine overdose.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):E537. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160357National Institute on Drug Abuse.What is naloxone?Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023Brett J, Murnion B.Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence.Aust Prescr. 2015;38(5):152-5. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2015.055

Food and Drug Administration.New safety measures announced for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepines.

National Institute on Drug Abuse.Overdose death rates.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Remembrance increasingly includes lives lost to overdoses involving benzodiazepines.

Food and Drug Administration.FDA requiring boxed warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class.

Weaver MF.Prescription sedative misuse and abuse.Yale J Biol Med. 2015;88(3):247-256.

Mayo Clinic.Prescription Sleeping Pills: What’s Right for You. 2022

Merk Manual: Professional Version.Sedatives.

Kleinman RA, Weiss RD.Benzodiazepine-involved overdose deaths in the USA: 2000-2019.J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(8):2103-2109. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-07035-6

Vukcević NP, Ercegović GV, Segrt Z, Djordjević S, Stosić JJ. Benzodiazepine poisoning in elderly.Vojnosanit Pregl. 2016;73(3):234-238.

An H, Godwin J.Flumazenil in benzodiazepine overdose.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):E537. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160357

National Institute on Drug Abuse.What is naloxone?

Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK.Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023

Brett J, Murnion B.Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence.Aust Prescr. 2015;38(5):152-5. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2015.055

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