The Quebec fall asleep to the pills

Photo Didier Debusschère
“The “z” does not create physical dependence, but it is more than people get used to take it psychologically and will think that they will not be able to sleep without it “, says the pharmacist, Claudia Marceau-Landry, noting that she recommends that her patients an occasional consumption.

Elisa Cloutier

Friday, 13 October 2017 00:00

UPDATE
Friday, 13 October 2017 00:00

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Quebecers have increasingly recourse to sleeping pills to solve their sleep problems, while the number of prescriptions for certain prescriptions has soared by 41 % in five years, according to data obtained by The Newspaper.

Specialists and psychologists interviewed by The Newspaper does not surprise of this increase of requirements, which can be explained by the rhythms of life fast-paced, performance anxiety at work, poor management of the balance between work and leisure, in addition to phones or other devices consulted before going to bed. According to Statistics Canada, 43 % of men and 55% of women have difficulty sleeping or staying asleep at night.

“This is the easy method, it is much simpler in the short term than to teach people to change their mode of life, their sleep habits and learn to better control their anxiety,” says Charles Morin, a professor of psychology at the University of Laval and specializes in sleep disorders.

The researcher does condemn not, however, the use of drugs, especially when ” problems situational “, but indicates that they should be used as a ” lifeline “.

Two types of medications

The different types of sleeping pills prescribed in Québec are divided into two main categories, benzodiazepines, which cause an addiction in the medium or long term, and the other of the category ” z “, which have fewer side effects and do not result in physical dependence. Unlike the benzodiazepines, sleeping pills of type ” z “are not reimbursed by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), but are still very” popular “, according to the pharmacist, Claudia Marceau-Landry, Familiprix Sylvie Champagne and Stéfanie Ouellet of Quebec.

Good news

What are these pills of type ” z “, the more recently arrived on the market, which are gaining in popularity, according to statistics obtained by The Journal.

A ” very good news “, according to the doctor general practitioner Michel Lafrenière from Quebec. “A patient who takes Ativan [benzodiazepines], for example, in the last few years, forget it, no one is ever able to stop them, or almost,” says the doctor. “In the case of zopiclone [category ‘z’], the effects that we see most often is the metallic taste in the mouth the next day. Sometimes, also, the effect of drowsiness may persist the next day, but the majority of it is very well tolerated “, he adds.

Pill against therapy ?

In addition, or in replacement of medication, professor Morin believes that cognitive behavioral therapy is much more beneficial in the long term. Usually between seven and ten meetings, the therapy includes the goal of forcing the patient to impose a “transition” between his life day and night.

However, according to Dr. Lafrenière, the therapy is not always the first option of the patient. “When the patient comes to see me, he thinks of tonight, he wants results in the very short term. The patient is not always willing to invest time and money, ” says the doctor of the Medical City.