Sometimes, when buying certain drugs, you can read in the insert to them that this pharmacy has a pronounced sedative effect. Oh, those pharmacists and doctors! How difficult it is to understand them, because they are used to expressing themselves in Latin. Sedation - what is it? And we will tell you about this in detail now, and at the same time we will tell you about sedative drugs and when and in what cases their use is indicated. In fact, everything is very easy to decipher, even if you do not know Latin. So…
Sedation - what is it?
In Latin, there is such a word - "sedatio", which can be translated into Russian as "sedation". The fog is starting to clear, isn't it? Sedative drugs act on a person as a sedative, relaxing, and sometimes hypnotic.
They are distinguished from tranquilizers by a milder effect, the absence of strong side effects, they are usually well tolerated by most people and there is no addiction to them. Today, many people need such medicines. And not only adults, but even children.
When to use sedatives
Sedative drugs, the list of which will be presented in this article, are sold in all pharmacies. But I wonder why they are needed in such quantities, maybe you can somehow do without sedatives? You can, of course, but you don't have to!
There is a well-known expression that states that all diseases come from the nerves. History is silent about who was the first to make this statement, but, apparently, that person knew exactly what he was talking about. In any case, modern medicine agrees with this statement and does not recommend anyone to be nervous and annoyed for a long time. But people are so arranged that they cannot always cope with their own emotions, and constant nervous tension caused by various stressful situations, together with insomnia, torment modern people in the most ruthless way.
And far from always, light sedatives that are sold in pharmacies without prescriptions can not always help. In some cases, the help of a qualified psychologist or psychotherapist is required, and stronger medicines are required, which the doctor must prescribe.
But if a person is just nervous because of some kind of conflict at work or in the family, from overwork, during exams, etc., then most likely you can do without a doctor and independently purchase certain sedatives, reviews about which inspire him with the greatest optimism and confidence. Especially now there are really a lot of them. Just do not rush to buy the first expensive newfangled product that comes across, which will be advised in the pharmacy. Because often new imported drugs advertised on closer examination turn out to be renamed analogues of cheaper domestic drugs.
Traditional herbal sedatives
Soothing preparations based on herbal ingredients are known to almost everyone. Which of us at least once in our lives has not had a chance to drink the good old valerian! Alcohol tincture of valerian officinalis is available in most home first aid kits just in case of a fire, so to speak.
Sedative drugs based on valerian are produced by the pharmaceutical industry not only in the form of tinctures, but also in tablets. All this can be successfully used as a mild sedative for various neuroses, stressful conditions, insomnia, neurasthenia. It would seem that everything is fine - drink yourself a tincture or pills and calm down. But with valerian, not everything is so simple.
The fact is that in case of an overdose, this drug causes a strong depression of the nervous system, a person begins to feel depressed, drowsiness, performance decreases sharply, etc. So do not think that the more herbal preparation, the better. It is necessary to observe the dosage indicated in the leaflet that is attached to the medicinal product.
The next leader among traditional sedatives is motherwort and soothing preparations from it, also sold in the form of tinctures and tablets. Both have the ability to regulate the state of the nervous system and soothe. These drugs help with neuroses and insomnia. True, some people may have an individual intolerance to motherwort. In this case, it cannot be used. It is also not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Combined herbal sedatives
There are herbal sedatives that are relatively new, at least compared to common valerian and motherwort. Tablets and solutions for oral administration - Novopassit and Persen, which are available in tablets and capsules - Persen-forte, are considered good effective means. These preparations are combined, i.e., containing several active medicinal components in their composition.
The composition of the drug "Novopassit" includes extracts of hawthorn, hops, St. John's wort, passionflower, black elderberry, valerian and the chemical guaifenesin. The composition of "Persen": lemon balm, valerian, peppermint and a number of additional substances: corn starch, magnesium stearate, lactose, talc, glycerol, sucrose, etc.
In pharmacies, you can now buy other herbal combined sedatives without prescriptions, a list of which you can see below:
- Drops soothing "Gerbion".
- Balm "Muscovy".
- Tablets "Dormiplant".
- Elixir "Klosterfrau Melisana".
- Landyshevo-valerian drops.
- Solution "Nobrassit".
- Syrup "Passifit".
- Patrimin tablets.
- "Fitorelaks" in tablets.
List of sedative drugs based on chemicals
The medicines that will be discussed are available in the pharmacy network for free sale. Most of these preparations (along with the chemical component) also contain plant extracts. Let's take a closer look at these sedative drugs.
1. Drops "Valocordin" - they also contain valerian, belladonna, lily of the valley and menthol.
2. "Valoserdin" - also drops. Ingredients: phenobarbital, ethyl bromisovalerianate, oregano oil, peppermint oil.
3. "Ipronal" - in this sedative drug, the active ingredient is proxybarbal.
4. Drops "Cardolol" - they include: the substance phenbarbital, peppermint oil, ethyl ester of alpha-bromoisovaleric acid.
5. "Corvalol" - drops. As part of the drug: peppermint oil, phenobarbital, ethyl bromisovalerianate.
6. "Lavocordin" - another drop with a sedative effect. In addition to phenobarbital, peppermint oil and ethyl bromisovalerianate, they also contain hop oil.
Other herbal sedatives
A lot has already been said about valerian and motherwort. Now let's talk about other herbal remedies that have a sedative effect on the human body. What are these medicines? These include, for example, peony tincture. It is not as popular as the above drugs, but it works very effectively for insomnia and increased nervous excitability.
Lily-of-the-Valerian Drops is another great product from our medical industry. The name speaks for itself - there are two plant components in the medicine: lily of the valley and medicinal valerian. In general, this is a good remedy, but it has a number of contraindications, such as endocarditis, myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, and hypersensitivity. Drops from lily of the valley and valerian can also cause side effects in the form of nausea and vomiting, arrhythmia, diarrhea, headache, decreased attention, myasthenia gravis and allergic reactions. Both peony tincture and lily-of-the-valerian drops are sedatives available without prescription in any pharmacy. Nevertheless, you need to be careful when taking them, carefully read the instructions and start with the smallest doses.
Bromine-containing sedatives
Bromine-based drugs with a sedative effect are widely known. The history of their use has a century and a half. You could say it's a classic. Brominated sedatives are sold without prescriptions. You can read a list of them below:
- Drops "Bromenval" (except for sodium bromide, contain valerian, hawthorn, menthol).
- Bromcamphor tablets.
- Solution "Potassium bromide" (used for children) and tablets.
- Lily of the valley-valerian drops with sodium bromide.
- Oral solution "Sodium bromide".
- Combined preparation, which is a solution, which includes both potassium bromide and sodium bromide.
- Tablets "Adonis-bromine".
How bromides affect higher nervous activity, our great compatriot studied in the 19th century - He and representatives of his school came to the conclusion that bromine has undoubted sedative properties and helps well with irritability and insomnia. But you need to know that too long use of bromine-containing drugs can cause a condition called bromism, which is accompanied by memory impairment, severe lethargy, and sometimes skin itching and rashes.
When a child needs help
- Excessive tearfulness and excitability (in young children).
- A difficult adaptation period when the child begins to attend kindergarten or school.
- Excessive nervousness during exams.
- Tantrums and stressful situations.
- Sleep disorders.
- Transitional age.
Of course, these are not all reasons, only the most common ones are listed here. Attentive parents will always notice in time that their child needs medical help, and will contact the doctor to prescribe children's sedatives. You should not start giving children medicines from an adult home first aid kit, especially this warning applies to very young children. Homeopathic medicines are well suited for babies. A separate chapter is devoted to them in this article.
Side effects and contraindications
It is unlikely that there are drugs in the world that would suit absolutely everyone and do not give any undesirable reactions. Even herbal sedatives have contraindications. Frequent side effects are allergic reactions, and in case of an overdose, for example, alcohol tinctures, there may be dizziness, confusion, etc.
Of course, each drug has its own characteristics, which can be found when buying from a pharmacist in a pharmacy. Women who are waiting for the birth of a baby, nursing mothers should be especially careful. Pregnant women tend to be nervous and worried, so they often need sedatives. But the choice must be very responsible, so as not to harm either yourself or the child.
Sedatives for pregnant women
Glycine is considered to be a safe sedative. It is often prescribed to pregnant women. It should be borne in mind that this drug has a cumulative effect, i.e., in order to feel its effect, you will have to take pills for more than one day. But it has a very mild effect on the body.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, expectant mothers should be especially careful with taking medications. Herbal preparations "Novopassit" and "Persen" are acceptable, but only on the recommendation of a doctor. Medicinal and motherwort tablets can be drunk only after the sixteenth week. But the use of tinctures for alcohol is not allowed. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe homeopathic remedies that have a sedative effect. What these drugs are, you can read in the next chapter.
What can homeopathy offer?
Homeopathic remedies are considered absolutely harmless and designed for almost any person. That is why homeopathy is good, that there is no harm from it, and in some cases there is much more benefit than from traditional drugs. All homeopathic remedies are subject to mandatory full clinical studies, so they can be trusted.
Among them are sedatives for children. "Passiflora Edas-11" (Russia) is suitable even for newborn babies; children from the second or third year of life are given Rescue Remedy uvula granules (Russia), Valerianahel drops and Kindinorm granules (Germany); granules "Babysed", "Naughty" of Russian production (for children from 6-7 years old). I just want to warn young mothers that they should not independently prescribe sedatives to irritable or whiny babies and babies, even if they are harmless. For crumbs, any drug therapy should be prescribed by a doctor.
Well, how can homeopathy please adults? Avena Comp, Nevrosed, Calm and many others have a sedative effect.
And what does traditional medicine offer?
Finally, let's talk about mild sedatives, which traditional medicine offers in abundance. All of these recipes can be used both as supplements to taking pharmaceutical drugs, and separately in order to get a sedative effect. Here is what age-old folk wisdom advises for insomnia:
1. Hot foot baths before bed. They well calm the nerves, relieve fatigue and promote early falling asleep and sound sleep.
2. General baths with the addition of coniferous infusions of fir or pine, mint leaves, calendula flowers, oregano, lemon balm and lavender to the water.
3. In case of poor falling asleep, you can breathe infusion before going to bed or smear whiskey with lavender oil.
4. A small pillow (sachet), sewn with your own hands and stuffed with a collection that includes peppermint, geranium, oregano, fern, pine needles, bay leaf, rose petals and a pinch of valerian roots, placed at the head of the bed, can best contribute falling asleep.
5. from herbs, which has the effect of sleeping pills. To prepare it, you need to take equal parts of hop cones, rosemary, peppermint, lemon balm, St. John's wort and valerian root. Pour one tablespoon of the resulting mixture with a glass of boiling water and let it brew for 15-20 minutes. Then the solution is filtered and drunk in sips throughout the day.
6. Honey water. It is said that this remedy perfectly helps the body to relax and fall asleep. And to prepare such a sleeping pill is very simple: you need to add honey (a tablespoon) to a glass of warm water.
Finally, in order to relieve nervous tension, you can buy various dried herbs that have a sedative effect (melissa, hawthorn, valerian, hops, motherwort), prepare a collection from them, brew it and drink it instead of tea during the day.
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