Miscellaneous Hypnotics
Chloral Hydrate (Noctec) p.o. – Not a barbiturate or benzo but a very dangerous drug due to it being lethal with alcohol.
Zolpidem (Ambien) p.o. – Today’s most prescribed sleep agent. (Not a benzodiazepine)
Zaleplon (Sonata) p.o. – A very unique drug. Very short acting sleep medication that works for only 4 hours. It’s intended for the individual that can fall asleep but can’t stay asleep in the middle of the night and so they will take it when they wake up and go back to sleep sleep and wake up without feeling groggy.
Eszopiclone (Lunesta) p.o. – The claim for this is a person could not get addicted to this drug. Don’t accept that answer because if it wasn’t addicting, it wouldn’t be a controlled substance, yet it is. Most people, however, don’t like this drug because they get a bitter taste in their mouth that’s present for 24 hours.
Miscellaneous Antianxiety Meds
Buspirone (Buspar) p.o. – This is the only drug on the sedative/hypnotic list that is NOT a controlled substance (no abuse, no addiction). This is meant to be used for anxiety. You’d expect that you’d feel calmness and drowsiness if you take this drug, right? However, you feel nothing and you think it’s not working because you have to be on it for seven days for it to work. On the 7th day you may start to feel a little calm. You won’t get drowsy or sedated either.
Since this drug takes so long to work, this drug is reserved for a certain group of individuals: Those who tend to get addicted to drugs because they can’t really abuse it.