{"id":49910,"date":"2022-03-18T09:30:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T13:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=49910"},"modified":"2025-03-20T10:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T14:23:46","slug":"medications-that-cause-insomnia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/medications-that-cause-insomnia\/","title":{"rendered":"9 types of medications that cause insomnia"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have difficulty going to sleep, staying asleep, or find that you wake up too early, you may have insomnia. Trying to figure out the cause of these sleepless nights can be tiresome (no pun intended!), but sometimes, it\u2019s as simple as reading the labels on your prescription medications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleep deprivation<\/span><\/a> can wreak havoc on your physical and mental well-being. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to understand how drug-induced insomnia impacts your health and what you can do to get a better night\u2019s sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is drug-induced insomnia?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cDrug-induced insomnia is just what it sounds like\u2014insomnia, or difficulty sleeping, caused by taking certain medications,\u201d says<\/span> Brynna Connor, MD<\/span>, a family medicine specialist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep is considered insomnia, according to the<\/span> National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute<\/span><\/a>. If it occurs for less than three months, it\u2019s called short-term insomnia. Chronic, or long-term, insomnia, occurs three or more nights a week and lasts for 3 months or longer. Drug-induced insomnia can be either short-term or chronic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While drug-induced insomnia is sometimes caused by a straightforward causal relationship between the interactions of a specific drug with your body\u2019s neurotransmitters or receptors that control your sleep, the relationship between a drug and the side effect of insomnia is often a bit more complex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFactors beyond the chemical components of a specific drug and their known side effects that can contribute to drug-induced insomnia include pre-existing conditions or diseases, sleep disorders, sleep patterns, and other indirect effects from medications,\u201d Dr. Connor<\/a> explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, this condition is commonly observed in people with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and pulmonary diseases, as some of the therapeutics to treat those chronic diseases can cause insomnia, says<\/span> Carleara Weiss, Ph.D,, MS, RN<\/span><\/a>, Aeroflow Sleep\u2019s sleep science adviser and a postdoctoral fellow in sleep and circadian rhythms.<\/span><\/p>\n

9 types of medications that cause insomnia\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the<\/span> U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,<\/span><\/a> insomnia is one of the most commonly reported sleep problems. Because a wide variety of medications can cause insomnia, drug-induced insomnia can be quite common. In <\/span>SingleCare\u2019s sleep survey<\/span><\/a>, 5% of respondents reported insomnia is a side effect of their medication.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrug-induced insomnia can be a consequence of stimulants and certain classes of medications,\u201d Weiss says. These drugs cause insomnia for different reasons including their mechanism of action, dose timing, and length of treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the more common medications that cause insomnia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Cold and allergy medicine<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Blood pressure medications<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Pain relievers<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Antidepressants<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Smoking cessation drugs<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Corticosteroids<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Asthma and COPD medicines<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Stimulants<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Dopamine agonists<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Cold and allergy drugs<\/h3>\n

    Over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants and allergy medications work wonders to help reduce the sniffles, sneezing, and a runny nose. But the main ingredients in some of these formulas can also cause jitteriness and insomnia. This includes phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine, according to the <\/span>American Academy of Family Physicians.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Examples of cold and allergy treatments that might contain these medications include <\/span>DayQuil<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Sudafed<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Claritin-D<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Allegra-D<\/span><\/a>. If you\u2019re taking cold or allergy meds on a short-term basis, you can probably get by with a few restless nights. But if you take decongestants regularly, talk with your provider about a different medicine that may make it easier to sleep. If possible, avoid taking decongestants close to bedtime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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