Using online sleeping pills uk is not advised because it doesn’t tackle the root cause and is highly addictive. Instead, patients are encouraged to use behavioural therapies and medicines to help. Behavioural therapies involve changing the thoughts and reactions that lead to sleepless nights while herbal remedies like melatonin can be used to promote restful sleep. Medicines include hypnotics which reduce the brain’s levels of arousal and antidepressants.

Despite warnings from physicians in 2004, benzodiazepines and the group of drugs known as ‘z drugs’ (which have effects similar to those of benzodiazepines) continue to be prescribed for long periods, especially zopiclone. In the UK this is a Class C drug and doctors are required to take into account the risk of dependency and misuse when prescribing it.

The Convenience of Purchasing Sleeping Pills Online: What You Need to Know

The study also found that 35 of the 37 websites selling zopiclone indicated that no prescription was needed and 15 offered bulk purchase discounts. The authors suggest that the availability of these drugs is fuelling the rise in young people taking them as part of a ‘benzo culture’ that could have a detrimental effect on their mental health.

Sky News has previously reported that figures sent to the public laboratory WEDINOS show a rise in diazepam and alprazolam, or Xanax tablets bought online without a prescription. Buying benzodiazepines without a prescription is illegal and amounts to possession of a Class C drug, which can have serious health consequences.