Understanding Sleep Aids and Minor Tranquillisers

Sleep aids and minor tranquillisers are medicines that work as sedatives, which means they slow your brain and body down. They can affect things like breathing, heart rate, and how alert you feel.

They’re usually prescribed for intense anxiety or ongoing insomnia. Common types include:

• Benzodiazepines for anxiety and sleep problems
• Non-benzodiazepine sleeping pills
• Non-benzodiazepine medicines for anxiety

They might be called hypnotics or anxiolytics. While people often call them ‘sleeping pills,’ some also come as liquids or injections.

How Could These Medicines Help?

They don’t treat the cause of the problem but can bring short-term relief by:

• Reducing feelings of intense anxiety
• Helping you get to sleep

Who Can Prescribe Them?

These medicines can be prescribed by:

• Your GP
• Psychiatrists
• Specialist nurse prescribers
• Pharmacists with extra training
• Dentists

When Might They Be Used?

You might be prescribed these medicines if you have:

• Severe anxiety or insomnia that stops you functioning day-to-day
• Tried other treatments, like CBT, without success

This follows advice from NICE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British National Formulary.

How Long Are They Safe to Use?

Guidelines say they should only be used for a short time because:

• They stop working as well if taken for too long
• There’s a risk of becoming dependent on them

Talk to your doctor about how long you should stay on them.

Possible Side Effects

Side effects vary depending on the medicine and the person. Your pharmacist or doctor can explain what to expect, and you can check the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your prescription.

Driving and Using Machines

These medicines can slow your reactions and make you drowsy. That means driving or operating machines can be unsafe while they’re in your system.

Legal Rules

Many of these medicines are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This means there are strict rules about prescriptions and possession. Having them without a prescription, or giving them to someone else, is a criminal offence.

Controlled Substances

Most benzodiazepines, and some others like zopiclone and pregabalin, are classed as controlled substances.