Q. Are there medications that I could take other than a sleeping pill?

A. Although a number of medications other than hypnotics (i.e., sleeping pills) are used to treat chronic insomnia, hypnotics are preferred in most cases because there is much more scientific evidence to support their use. In fact, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) report (PDF) indicates that there is insufficient evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antihistamines used for the treatment of insomnia. One exception to this general view is if insomnia is present at the same time as another illness, such as depression. In such a situation your physician may attempt to treat both problems with another medication, such as an antidepressant medication in this example.

Read other Frequently Asked Questions about medications.