ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MISleeping pill addiction comes on easily

(02/03/12) - There is a very short distance between sleepless nights and a serious addiction. Go long enough without sleep, and you'll do just about anything for one good night-but how far is too far?

Alesandra Rain says she found out the hard way. "Initially they work extremely well and so you think you're safe. Unfortunately they turn on you pretty rapidly. That little innocent sleeping pill became something that was quite dangerous and nearly took my life."

Alesandra started taking prescription sleeping pills after a bad car wreck and a wrecked marriage. Soon, she was hooked, taking 60 ambien and 240 other sleep meds every month. She says she mixed them with hundreds more pills for pain and depression, "and by the end I was on 1,000 pills a month. If it can happen to someone like me, it can happen to anybody."

A study by the National Sleep Foundation found 30 percent of American women use some sort of sleep aid at least a few times a week. Other research shows 84 percent of new moms experience insomnia.

One mom says, "it is rough."

Another mother quips, "you don't get any sleep after you have kids."

Sleep psychologist Dr.  Kimberly Justice says just being a woman makes you more prone to sleep problems. From menstruation to pregnancy to menopause, she says, "all of those things can add to sleep disruption."

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends using hypnotics like Ambien, Lunesta, or Sonata only once or twice a week, and for just a few weeks. Like cocaine and crystal meth, you can build up a tolerance to sleep meds.

Dr. Justice also cautions against mixing the drugs with alcohol, "it could be deadly."

You should also avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while on sleep meds. The fruit can make the drugs absorb into your bloodstream faster, and cause over sedation.

"I wished I had been hooked on heroin. I would have been through it a lot quicker," Alesandra says. "What started as my biggest mistake in life, was heading down this path, has turned out to be this most enormous gift."

Alesandra broke free from her addiction in rehab. She now runs her own non-profit, helping others from around the world overcome their prescription addictions. You can find it at,  http://www.pointofreturn.com/.

Dr. Justice says after a person quits taking sleeping pills, there is a period of withdrawal called insomnia rebound, where the insomnia gets worse. She says it is important for women to know that will pass.  And, after you beat a sleeping pill addiction, you can get back to a normal, restful sleep cycle.

For some good relaxation tips, visit www.helpguide.org.