Halcion - an overview
Halcion contains the active ingredient triazolam. It is a sleep medicine that your doctor may prescribe to treat short term insomnia.
The maker
Pfizer, Inc is the maker of brand name Halcion. Generic forms of this medicine are made by many companies.
What it does
Halcion belongs to the family of medications known as benzodiazepines.
Benzodiazepines can have many effects on people that include:
- Easing anxiety
- Causing drowsiness
- Relaxing muscles
- Treating seizures
- Causing problems with the short term memory
All medications that fall under this family are known to have similar effects to some level, but it will depend on which medication is being used. They work with the brain because they increase the GABA effects. GABA is a chemical in the brain that can be naturally calming. GABA has the ability to stop or slow specific brain nerve signals. Because of this, benzodiazepines are called sedatives, CNS depressants or sedatives.
Uses
Halcion is a medication that the FDA has approved to treat insomnia that is short term.
It is not uncommon for people to experience sleeplessness occasionally. But if you feel that you're not getting quality, restful sleep or you're not able to get enough sleep, it might be that you have insomnia.
Symptoms for insomnia might include:
- Trouble falling asleep
- Frequently waking throughout the night and struggling to get back to sleep
- Finding that you wake up too early
- Sleep that is not restful and/or refreshing
There are many different kinds of insomnia. The kinds of sleeplessness will depend on how often you experience sleeplessness, and how long it lasts. The kinds of insomnia follow:
- Short term, or acute insomnia
- Sleeplessness that comes and goes, or transient insomnia
- Long lasting, or chronic insomnia.
Acute insomnia lasts anywhere from one night to as long as about three weeks. This kind of sleeplessness might be due to physical or emotional pain and can often stem from one specific event in life. An estimated 60 million Americans struggle with insomnia each year.
Halcion has been approved to treat acute insomnia for a period of about seven to ten days.
Secondary Effects
As is the case with all medications, there is the potential for secondary effects. Not all people that takes this medicine will notice any secondary effects. Most people actually do fine while taking this medicine and if you notice secondary effects, they will likely be mild and not need to be treated. Other serious secondary effects are not as common.
Commonly reported secondary effects of this medication might include: headaches, sleepiness, dizziness.