Guys, which sleeping pills are we talking? Not all of them are super bad for you. Benzos are though, anyone using these for sleep should absolutely NOT use them regularly - shit is as addictive as any hard drug.
Atypical antipsychotics (ie: Seroquel) are often used off-label for sleep. Stay away from this stuff, it is frightening and can send you to sleep for literal days aside from potential negative psychological and/or neurological side effects. You often wake up feeling too heavy to move.
Doxylamine succinate works reasonably as a less strong sleeping medication but is not so likely to help for serious sleep problems.
I have done the melatonin thing, which did not help at all and costs a fucking fortune. Last time I read up on it melatonin has only been shown to have had some efficacy in treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome (circadian rhythm abnormality), with little evidence for efficacy in other primary sleep disorders. Short term use of melatonin is generally recognized as safe though. Cannabis is SO much better for sleep than any of these things!
@Eschient I share your skepticism towards the one-eyed anti-pharma attitudes of many stoners; but side effects I experience from cannabis use for sleep every day/night are negligible compared to side effects of the seroquel, temazepam, valium and xanax I was given by doctors to try for the same problem.
Each had significant discontinuation syndromes/withdrawals/dependency issues as well as potentially negative psychological effects (ie: benzos may cause suicidal ideation, antipsychotics may cause very disturbing neurological side effects to name a couple). However, sleep issues are one of the most compelling cases for mmj IME and IMO, given that mmj is so much less debilitating than the alternatives.
Due to mental illnesses which literally did leave me suicidal far too often, I am comfortable using MMJ in a prohibition jurisdiction simply because I may well be led to kill myself without the relief it gives me from depression, anxiety, an eating disorder and insomnia, all of which I have had for a decade or multiple decades. I have two diagnosed illnesses which sadly do often end in suicide or death related to malnutrition or the complications of binging and purging.
I am not taking chances with that shit and if officers came knocking at my door and took my meds; I'd simply ask for a bullet between the eyes.
It might sound extreme; but I'm not going back to a life of being unable to work, constant panic attacks, unable to sleep - revolving between being unable to get out of bed, unmotivated to do anything, starving myself and excessively exercising, taking laxatives/stimulants/whatever I could to make myself lose weight all whilst constantly being preoccupied with body dysmorphia etc: Fuck that!
Medical cannabis literally saved my life and career. As a scientist and being able to articulate my position in terms supported by scholarly research, I refuse to have lay people (cops, politicians or otherwise) tell me that I am doing something wrong by taking my medicine. They're simply out of their element/areas of expertise here!
This is also the first I saw of that
@Vitolo post about what happened to him, which near brought me to tears. I can't believe they would treat a man with medical concerns like Vito's in such a way - especially given the good work he does despite illness for other people in drastic medical need. It is heartbreaking.
I wish him all the very best in being able to fight off any legal ramifications and in being able to get medicine and vapes again!
Still to the OP, can you get decent hashes around your parts? I find the best insomnia cure is a quick bowl of bubble hash in the vapman. Quicker and better results than any sleep meds I ever got from a doctor without any nasty side effects (although you may wake up medicated if you have too much lol).
