How to safely stop sleeping pills
Are you thinking about how to safely stop your sleeping pills? Talk to your pharmacist, doctor, or nurse about the best options to help you sleep and if you can stop your sleeping pills if you are:
Aged 18 – 64 years and have been taking sleeping pills for longer than 4 weeks.
65 years or older and taking a sleeping pill.
The DO’s and DO NOT’s of stopping sleeping pills
DO NOT stop your sleeping pills suddenly.
If you stop taking your sleeping pills suddenly you can have unpleasant withdrawal effects, such as anxiety, an upset stomach and trouble sleeping (also called, insomnia).
DO NOT stop your sleeping pills without talking to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Always talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before stopping or changing any medication, it’s important to have their supervision.
DO use a tapering-off program specifically written for you.
Gradually lowering the dose of sleeping pills is called tapering-off. This can take a few weeks, months, or longer. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to write a tapering-off program specifically for you. Inside this brochure is an example to help plan how to slowly and safely lower the dose of your sleeping pills.
DO read this brochure and talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Read this brochure to learn about the harms of sleeping pills, other options for getting a good night’s sleep and how to slowly lower the dose and safely stop sleeping pills. It is recommended you read the entire brochure and take it to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to talk about whether a tapering-off program is right for you. (English, Français)
DO find out more about safe and effective options to help you sleep.
There are other things you can do to help you fall asleep faster, sleep longer and get a better quality of sleep than sleeping pills. Check out this page for more information.
