Experts: Cough syrup not the cure for insomnia

CLICK TO ENLARGE

PETALING JAYA: Consuming cough syrup to address sleeping problems will only lead to other health issues, says senior family medicine consultant Assoc Prof Dr Aznida Firzah Abdul Aziz.

She said a dependency on the medication would cause other difficulties that would not help in addressing the root cause of insomnia.

There are various factors that could contribute to sleeplessness including mental health disorders, she said.

“Some patients who suffer from mental health conditions such as anxiety would be kept up at night.

ALSO READ: Desperate for some shut-eye

“The same goes to people with depression. Even though sometimes the disorder could cause excessive sleeping, it could also impair their ability to sleep,” she said when contacted.

Dr Aznida explained that sleep deprivation would lead to worse medical conditions in both short and long terms.

Among the health conditions include hypertension, impact on blood sugar and cholesterol levels, risk of heart failure, and others.

The senior lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said it is important for someone facing difficulties to sleep to practise better sleep hygiene.

This includes having a fixed bedtime, stopping coffee or alcohol intake before sleep, avoiding the use of electronic devices and increasing physical activities.

A doctor at a government hospital said the dependence on prescription medication does not come about because users want to get “high” but instead, it is consumed to address their health problems.

“The dependence does not begin with the person wanting to abuse substances. People don’t usually go for it to get ‘high’,” he said.

Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang said the organisation is against the usage of drowsiness-inducing drugs to treat sleep difficulties.

He said patients need to seek professional help and advice instead of self-medicating by consuming substances such as cough syrup and antihistamine.

“If you have an insomnia issue, you should find out the root problem by consulting doctors.

“At pharmacies, we record every drug that is prescribed and we would advise the patients whether they really need the medication,” he said.

Amrahi said the bad practices of “self-prescribing” could be overcome if the public have higher health literacy.