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Q. My 88-year-old husband was prescribed Ambien for insomnia. After the first dose, he fell while getting up to go to the bathroom, gashed his head and had to go to the emergency room for stitches.
A year later, I gave him a half-dose (again prescribed) and within minutes, his legs collapsed on him. I had the hardest time getting my 6-foot 5-inch giant into bed.
Ambien? Never again!
A. Your experience reminds us that sleeping pills may pose a serious risk for older people who have to get up at night to go to the bathroom. This is a dilemma because many seniors suffer from insomnia.
Even over-the-counter sleep aids that contain the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine (Advil PM, Nytol, Sominex, Tylenol PM, etc.) may contribute to unsteadiness and urinary retention. Older people should be careful with sleeping pills like Ambien. Other side effects may include reflux, next-day memory impairment, dry mouth and dizziness.
We are sending you our Guide to Getting a Good Night's Sleep with a discussion of the pros and cons of many sleeping pills and non-drug solutions.
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I will be 63 soon. The stress of the economic downturn seems to make staying asleep more difficult for me. I have discovered that half a Benadryl or its generic diphenhydramine help me get back to sleep if I awaken in the middle of the night. Even my pill adverse wife takes one on occasion. I do not know what the effect on seniors would be, but since the recommended dosage is one pill every 6 hours or so I don't believe a half pill at bedtime will bother most people. Check with your doctor if you have never taken it.