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| Ask the Doctor |
Free Medical Advice sponsored by
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Got an ache or pain? Have a question about a prescription or over-the-counter drug? Looking for some FREE medical advice?
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Question:
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My doctor at home prescribed Xanex for insomnia. The local "dezhunaya Apteka" told me I would have to go to a municipal pharmacy and get some special "spravka" in order to get this medication. Is there some local equivalent that may be more widely available? Thanks,
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Answer:
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Thank you for your inquiry. The consensus amongst us here is that while Xanax and its analogues are widely used (in some countries) for 'treatment' of insomnia, in fact they do not treat insomnia other than for a very short time; and in the medium to long term they can cause serious problems including but not limited to rebound insomnia and pharmacological as well as psychogenic dependency - even if used for less than the maximum recommended time (which in the US is usully 3 months). We therefore have no experience with locating such drugs in Moscow as we do not prescribe them, sorry. At the risk of sounding trite, we believe that the best treatments for insomnia are those which are 'behavioural' and proven to be both safe and effective - such as, going to bed physically tired (after exercise early in the evening or during the day); being in bed only for sex and sleep (not reading or watching TV); reducing exposure to stimulants (either emotional, or pharmacological e.g. coffee, or visual e.g. violent movies) late at night; and if unable to sleep, to get up and get busy before trying again. We appreciate this is not the answer you were looking for but it is the advice we feel most appropriate. Best of luck
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