Occasionally I have run across old ladies that say they use Tylenol to help them sleep (not Tylenol P.M., mind you -- the regular stuff). I would always blow it off, thinking that it was all in their heads.
Now on some of our standing orders, the docs have Tylenol ordered at h.s. PRN for sleep!
Since I have never taken anything to help me sleep (I do just fine on my own), I just gotta ask -- does it work? Has anyone out there actually used regular Tylenol as a sleeping pill?
Prefer a vodka, or, after a realy bad day, single malt scotch work far better. Am thinking of getting a prescription, mabe I can gat it at a discount that way???
My mom swears by Tylenol for sleep. My older brother would give Tylenol to his daughter for sleep, as would my best friend with her 3 boys. Never touched my kids, tho.
Personal experience makes me a firm believer in Tyelenol to help sleep. If I am still awake at midnight after a busy day, and just can't settle down to sleep, I get up and take one tylenol. Within minutes of returning to bed, I am sound asleep until the alarm clock wakens me.
I don't think this is psychological, we all react differently to medications. And as others have said, it may be the the pain relieving effects which help - although I never feel achey.
The important part is if it works for you, go with it - and don't discount your patients reports of 'non-traditional' methods.
We just found out at work that we're now going to be using Tylenol for circumcisions. We won't be giving it to relieve pain, but because their studies show it increases activity, and will therefore cause the infant to be less sleepy after the circ and facilitate breast feeding and bonding with mother.
Specializes in correctional-CCHCP/detox nurse, DOULA-Birth Assist.
The nurses at the LTC home I worked at had an unofficial official standing order of 2 Tylenol at hs for sleeplessness and it worked about 90% of the time.
I too work in ltc...and lots of our patients request tylenol to help them sleep. I. too, feel, it takes the pain away, which relaxes them and helps them sleep.
When I worked in a nursing home,I had an occasional pt for whom the doc would not order a sleeping pill.I would give them a Tylenol capsule and tell them it was for sleep-if they asked I would tell them it was Acetaminophen. It worked pretty well-I figured if I told them the doc didn't want them to have a sleeping pill,it would only make them upset and they wouldn't be able to sleep-figured it would relieve aches and pains and I might get a placebo effect at least.
when l was on the floor - would give mild anealgeasia nocte if requested - as stated before it takes away the aches and pains that we take for granted - that more often than not this generation will not complain about
I will now throw in another thought - l would also on night duty give panadol(anealgesia) an hour or so before the residents (elderley) would be due to get up.
The feedback was that they would move easier in the morning and would not be in so much pain during the showering etc. - it just seemed to give them a kick start - particularly those people who suffer from artrhritis etc.
Any thoughts or anyone else used this?
by the way no longer on the floor or working nights now
Ryan_W
3 Posts
I used to give it -- never knew if it really helped, but figured it couldn't hurt :)