Insomnia

New insomnia can be a side effect of a medicine that stimulates your central nervous system, although not all people will experience this side effect. Please review the following list of medicines that can stimulate the central nervous system:

• decongestants such as pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (Sudafed, Sudafed PE and other brands)
• drugs for smoking cessation such as nicotine or bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin)
• antidepressant drugs
• asthma medicine (inhalers, albuterol, or theophylline)
• prednisone
• beta-blocker medications such as atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal), metoprolol (Toprol) or others
• clonidine (Catapres), most commonly prescribed for blood pressure
• thyroid replacement
• anxiety medicine
• diet or weight loss pills
• medicine for attention deficit disorder such as methylphenidate (Ritalin, Methylin, Metadate, Concerta), atomoxetine (Strattera) and others
• medicine for narcolepsy such as drugs containing dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, Adderall), modafinil (Provigil), and others
• migraine medication
• medicines for Parkinson's disease.

Are you taking any medications from the categories that are listed? Yes, a medicine change may be the cause of my insomnia. No, I don't take any of these medicines.

START OVER    PREVIOUS

Online Medical Reviewer: Faculty of Harvard Medical School Date Last Reviewed: 8/18/2006 Date Last Modified: 8/7/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

Related About.com Content

• Insomnia