Sedatives in the old days

I debated a bit where to put this, I suppose it doesn't really count as medfet, but it is a medical treatment of a sort, and I wasn't sure it belonged in the lounge.

So, I was wondering if those of you who grew up in the 40s to 60s remember any common sleep meds of the time. To be clear I'm not talking for anesthesia, but rather what might be used to help you sleep generally. I've heard of cloradine mixture (think that's wrong spelling) and chloral hydrate, but the one I think was in the main used to treat stomach problems though it did contain morphine apparently, and I'm not sure if the latter was restricted to hospitals by that time. Does anyone have any memories of being given something to help them sleep as children? Talking drugs of course not warm milk. I know our attitudes to sedatives/narcotics have changed a good deal since those days, or were beginning to change at that time. Thanks in advance for any thoughts/memories.

I was never given anything for sleep, never needed it. I think sleeping pills are used way too much this days.

Tylenol PM is my best friend. Ideally, I'd like to be on low dose Seroquel and Klopanin full time to reduce anxiety

If you don't have any aches and pains just take Benadryl. Thats what's in Tylenol PM. Tylenol is hard on your insides.

Mashie

Health stores recommend Melatonin supplements as a sleep aid. It has been around since the mid-50's

From WIKI: Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. It is primarily released by the pineal gland. As a supplement, it is often used for the short-term treatment of trouble sleeping such as from jet lag or shift work. Evidence of benefit, however, is unclear. It is sold over the counter in Canada and the United States. In the United Kingdom it is a prescription-only medication.

I've heard of cloradine mixture (think that's wrong spelling) and chloral hydrate, but the one I think was in the main used to treat stomach problems though it did contain morphine apparently (...)Thanks in advance for any thoughts/memories.

Chlorodyne was a patent medicine containing chloroform and morphine, as well as cannabis indica, ether, hydrocyanic acid capsicum, etc. Potter describes it as "a celebrated secret mixture... a powerful anodyne, anti-spasmodic and narcotic, and therefore highly dangerous in non-professional hands." It had many imitators, most of which were driven from the market by the Harrison Act of 1914, which was the first Federal legislation requiring a doctor's prescription for some narcotics. Chloral hydrate was one of the drugs sometimes used for a "Mickey Finn" or "knockout drops."

I think the drug used to treat "stomach problems" of which you are thinking is paregoric. It's a weak tincture of opium, much more dilute than the strong tincture of opium (laudanum) used as a serious painkiller and once a common drug of addiction. Paregoric was mainly used to treat diarrhœa. It acts by narcotizing the bowel, rather like Imodium (loperamide). It is a perfectly good medication for traveller's diarrhœa and has fallen from use mainly because it contains natural opium.

The odd thing about this is that loperamide is an opioid receptor agonist and has been observed to cause "mild" physical dependence in animal studies; the animals exhibiting some opiate withdrawal symptoms on cessation of long-term dosage. Loperamide was classified as a narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and originally listed as Schedule II (where oxycodone and hydrocodone are now). It was later downgraded to Schedule V in 1977, and decontrolled in 1982. Now the FDA has limited package size and is apparently concerned about its misuse or abuse.

It just goes to show how inconstant and arbitrary government regulation is. Paregoric was so mild an opiate, and so unpleasant to the taste, that it was considered as having little potential for abuse. I remember when it used to be sold over the counter in small amounts, as codeine cough syrup also was, usually max. 2 oz. Then it was moved up the schedules and finally its approval was withdrawn. I think it may again be available by prescription, but I wonder what doctor today would be so old-fashioned as to prescribe it.

Klonopin is not for sleep and should not be given without regular counseling. there is a reason you are awake at night. find out what it is

"ekim2653"; Hydrocodone is a Schedule III narcotic, not Schedule II.

I remember the days when anyone in a hospital got a sleeping aid before bedtime. I had surgeries at age 12, 13, 17 and got Dalmane nightly to make me sleep. That stuff was potent!

A few times I got Noctec, which was chloral hydrate and that also was potent. Now days, you get NOTHING for sleep. You couldn't sleep anyway, with all the personnel in and out of your room all night.

"ekim2653"; Hydrocodone is a Schedule III narcotic, not Schedule II.

I remember the days when anyone in a hospital got a sleeping aid before bedtime. I had surgeries at age 12, 13, 17 and got Dalmane nightly to make me sleep. That stuff was potent!

A few times I got Noctec, which was chloral hydrate and that also was potent. Now days, you get NOTHING for sleep. You couldn't sleep anyway, with all the personnel in and out of your room all night.

I don't know where you are located but in the last few years hydrocodone has been upgraded to schedule II. It USED TO BE schedule III but not any more.

They should sell all the schedule I-V drugs over the counter just like alcoholic beverages.

ANTIBIOTICS should be only by prescription.

Well hell, live and learn! All the years I sold pharmaceuticals, hydrocodone (Vicodin,etc.) was a schedule III. Did they also move Tylenol #3 up to class II?

Tylenol with codeine is also schedule II now

I dont qualify for the old days... yet, but migraine relief aside i avoid medication where possible,

for sleep, i find a hot bath works wonders for me, even conteracting shift pattern wakefulness

About 4 years ago was when they upgraded the codeine derivatives. I know because I had surgery and on the followup I was going back and forth on whether I would need some more and the doctor gave me a prescription because a written one was required. Turns out I didn't even finish out my original bottle, so the prescription was never filled.

I wonder if it's still in the car glovebox.

For me when I can't sleep it is usually pain related, and fixing that fixes the sleep trouble.

It's interesting what Abbott did with their Vicodin formulation.

There can be a maximum of 325mg tylenol in combination drug tablets. Norco and all the other generic hydrocodone/acetaminophen tablets have 325 mg acetaminophen in each tablet (just like ordinary OTC tylenol) so you can take up to nine pills a day before you reach the max of 3 grams (actually 2925 mg) acetaminophen in 24 hours, but what Vicodin did was make their pills with only 300 mg acetaminophen so you could take up to ten Vicodins a day and they could then sell ten tablets per day in the prescription instead of only nine.

VERY CLEVER!

There can be a maximum of 325mg tylenol in combination drug tablets.

The presence of Tylenol kind of irritated me, as I would then have to factor in the tylenol content of the percocets and deduct that from the amount of tylenol+ibuprofen I could take "ordinarily" so I would have the percocets available as a back up. If it was just straight oxycodone I wouldn't have had to worry.

Just take the vicodin or norco /hydrocodone/apap AND ibuprofen.

The combo of ibuprofen with tylenol is excellent.

You will have the best of both worlds with hydrocodone/apap AND ibuprofen and they are metabolized by different pathways so you won't overdose with normal amounts of each.

@jimmyt44 Thanks for the info re sleep aid in hospital.

They should sell all the schedule I-V drugs over the counter just like alcoholic beverages.

There is a case for being careful with addictive drugs. Realistically, let's face it - this also means there can be a case for stronger regulation of alcohol.

There is also a very strong case for controlling antibiotics, though it is frustrating sometimes when you know what's going on, though I guess I really don't have everything it takes to do the proper stuff to match up the most effective antibiotic.

The really annoying thing are the drugs that are prescription only just because you need to be a little more careful with them then Tylenol. That and the 'for sale and use only by or under the direction of a physician" medical devices.

The really annoying thing are the drugs that are prescription only just because you need to be a little more careful with them then Tylenol. That and the 'for sale and use only by or under the direction of a physician" medical devices.

The need for prescriptions are pretty silly. If you want, you can EASILY kill yourself with a small bottle bottle of tylenol.

I have used melatonin but that is it.

While many underlying medical conditions can cause bouts or chronic insomnia there are many other factors as well as just simply being biologically programmed to require less sleep and or having a brain that just does not “ shut off” as easily.

I can search far and wide and dig deep to try to figure out why I am not sleeping. It has been a lifelong problem of mine, sometimes it is for a reason but not all the time.

That is like saying everyone that suffers from depression was triggered by having something depressing happen in their life.

That is not always the case.

I am not going to get all psychological here but I do know what it is like to suffer from sleepless nights and not want to resort to taking meds on a habitual basis.

I have resorted to taking otc remedies, among others, as well as taken prescription pain pills after going days without sleep.

Of course if it is because something is going on in my life then I try to make changes or adjustments that will take a natural course and that includes seeing my drs. But sometimes it really is for no reason and thats just the gene pool I was dealt with.

Just use common sense and be safe.

God love Ambien, lol.

Mashie