It’s happened to all of us. You open your medicine cabinet right before bed and there’s a gaping hole. One of your pill bottles isn’t there — because it was empty this morning so you threw it out. You didn’t get around to refilling the ‘script in the daytime. Now the pharmacy is closed and you’re trapped.
You realize… oops, I’m out of Seroquel. Or Klonopin. Or Geodon. Or any of the meds you’re taking.
I don’t know about you, but if I run out of any of my medications and I miss a dose at night, I am doomed for a night of bad sleep.
This happened to me a few days ago. I was out of lithium. And I was waking up every hour on the hour. So I took measures into my own hands and played doctor.
Here’s what not to do.
Don’t take extra medication to compensate for the one you’re missing. I made this mistake and took an extra pill of Seroquel in lieu of my lithium. It did put me to sleep, but it wasn’t quality sleep. The next day I felt extremely fatigued. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t watch TV. All I could do was nap. Thank God I didn’t have to go to work that day.
I should know better. I’ve done this in the past and I always get the same result. Extra Seroquel or Klonopin = bad sleep.
These are the alternatives — what you should do if you run out of medication.
- Give Yourself Quiet Time
Before bed, turn out the lights, light a candle, listen to quiet music, and drink herbal tea. I prefer chamomile. And for the music – l like Air’s Moon Safari , which is as soothing as it gets. I can also recommend Washed Out’s Paracosm and DIIV’s Oshin.
- Take Valerian Root
Valerian root is an herb that you can find at your local health or vitamin store in pill form or as a tea. It has a strong taste to it, so I recommend the pill. It’s also used for depression, anxiety, migraines and chronic fatigue.
- Take Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that derives from the pineal gland, a small gland in the brain. It occurs naturally in your body, but you can take it as a supplement. As always, ask your doctor about taking any kind of supplements.
4. Listen to Binaural Beats
Binaural beats manifest as ethereal music that you can listen to either while sleeping or before sleep. They affect your brainwaves and can calm the brain. The beats aren’t beats per se, more like cinematic tranquil music. Search “binaural beats sleep” on YouTube and you can find many tracks that are upwards of eight hours, in case you want to listen while sleeping.
But the bottom line is, do not — under any circumstances — run out of your meds. Your body will thank you for it.
