The Student Room Group

Why is the NHS reluctant to prescribe sleeping tablets but...?

Privately you can get prescription sleeping tablets very easily and as a routine prescription?I know they can be dangerous but if someone takes small doses and not too often it works wonders.
Because diagnosis and treatment from the NHS is free, and therefore more widely used. So it's more likely that they'll be abused or used dangerously.

Private healthcare is costly and so, with less people using it, the likelihood of someone abusing it is lower, especially when private healthcare can be expensive.
That wasn't my experience at all - my GP was more than happy to give me sleeping pills and even suggested I should take them. They are addictive though and the advice I was given is that you have to use your prescription to basically get your sleep back into a normal pattern, then wean yourself off them. So I got a prescription for 14, told to take 1 a day for 5 days, then 1 every 2 days for 10 days, then 1 every 3 days for 12 days and they worked wonders for me.
Reply 3
Privately they prescribe like 30.Xanax is given out incredibly easily also (you can't get Xanax on NHS) like 30 given out at one time and can be prescribed routinely with no questions asked.
Original post by Anonymous
That wasn't my experience at all - my GP was more than happy to give me sleeping pills and even suggested I should take them. They are addictive though and the advice I was given is that you have to use your prescription to basically get your sleep back into a normal pattern, then wean yourself off them. So I got a prescription for 14, told to take 1 a day for 5 days, then 1 every 2 days for 10 days, then 1 every 3 days for 12 days and they worked wonders for me.
Reply 4
What did they prescribe you?
Original post by Anonymous
That wasn't my experience at all - my GP was more than happy to give me sleeping pills and even suggested I should take them. They are addictive though and the advice I was given is that you have to use your prescription to basically get your sleep back into a normal pattern, then wean yourself off them. So I got a prescription for 14, told to take 1 a day for 5 days, then 1 every 2 days for 10 days, then 1 every 3 days for 12 days and they worked wonders for me.
Original post by Anonymous
What did they prescribe you?

Zopiclone, but to be fair, I'd been on Nytol by that point for a while.
Reply 6
I had that it is quite good.I also had zolpidem (ambien).I take antipsychotics (they are minor tranquillisers) the do their job.I would argue better than sleeping pill as you sleep 12 hours while sleeping pills you sleep 8 hours in my experience.
Original post by Anonymous
Zopiclone, but to be fair, I'd been on Nytol by that point for a while.
Original post by Anonymous
I had that it is quite good.I also had zolpidem (ambien).I take antipsychotics (they are minor tranquillisers) the do their job.I would argue better than sleeping pill as you sleep 12 hours while sleeping pills you sleep 8 hours in my experience.

Zopiclone is rather good from what I remember. It was enough for me really and helped me get back into a proper sleep pattern. I've not had any problems with my sleep since then and that was over two years ago now.
Original post by Anonymous
Privately they prescribe like 30.Xanax is given out incredibly easily also (you can't get Xanax on NHS) like 30 given out at one time and can be prescribed routinely with no questions asked.


Just out of interest, was this an online or a private GP who prescribed these?
Reply 9
Private psychiatrist only idiots but online
Original post by black tea
Just out of interest, was this an online or a private GP who prescribed these?
Original post by Anonymous
Private psychiatrist only idiots but online

That'll be why then. Probs prescribed it so you would keep on seeing them, meaning more money for them
Original post by black tea
That'll be why then. Probs prescribed it so you would keep on seeing them, meaning more money for them


That's not true I see them ever couple months they send me routine prescription by post free of charge I have been seeing them for over a year now.
Original post by Anonymous
That's not true I see them ever couple months they send me routine prescription by post free of charge I have been seeing them for over a year now.


If it was recommended practice, they would have given you sleeping tablets on the NHS too
(edited 4 years ago)
They are a consultant I trust them.If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here they stabilised my depression and are always a phone call away while the NHS psychiatrist didn't prescribe me anything despite feeling incredibly suicidal and being in a very bad place (I waited 5 months to see them too).
Original post by black tea
If it was recommend practice, they would have given you sleeping tablets on the NHS too
Original post by Anonymous
Privately you can get prescription sleeping tablets very easily and as a routine prescription?I know they can be dangerous but if someone takes small doses and not too often it works wonders.

NHS is reluctant to supply anything that isn't necessary because it costs money and resources. They are already stretched pretty thin so they avoid what they can. Especially when things are available over the counter or in shops (paracetamol is a good example) they will try to avoid prescribing it.
Private doctors will give anything that isn't unnecessary cos it doesn't cost them and if anything they get money from it.

You can get various sleep aid stuff over the counter. Talk to a pharmacist about when to take it so you don't over do it. If you have persistent sleep issues see your GP to see if there's any cause you can find and fix.
Over the counter things are incredibly weak mostly antihistamines which apparently are a bit sedating (not true) you need the good stuff that will knock you off your feet.
Original post by Kindred
NHS is reluctant to supply anything that isn't necessary because it costs money and resources. They are already stretched pretty thin so they avoid what they can. Especially when things are available over the counter or in shops (paracetamol is a good example) they will try to avoid prescribing it.
Private doctors will give anything that isn't unnecessary cos it doesn't cost them and if anything they get money from it.

You can get various sleep aid stuff over the counter. Talk to a pharmacist about when to take it so you don't over do it. If you have persistent sleep issues see your GP to see if there's any cause you can find and fix.
Original post by Anonymous
Over the counter things are incredibly weak mostly antihistamines which apparently are a bit sedating (not true) you need the good stuff that will knock you off your feet.

Some OTC are a lot weaker than the stuff being talked about in this thread - zolpidem, zopiclone, xanax :eek: and neuroleptics.

However over the country sleeping pills still do have an addiction problem in this country that isn't talked about. Phenergan/Night nurse there are addiction problems people have. If you take either diphenhydramine or promethazine long term there are a bouquet of nasty cognitive side effects.

It varies from person to person on what you are calling 'antihistamines'. One of them can really knock someone out and make them incredibly groggy for about 14 hours. Other people it lasts less time.

The NHS is reluctant to prescribe some of the things on this thread for reasons already said.

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