As far as over the counter sleeping pills go, this is probably one of the best out there. I've always had trouble sleeping, ever since I was a child. This was one of the few pills that actually got me to sleep without a whole slew of side effects in the morning. I only ever had to take one pill to get to bed (with some other brands, I would have to take more than one) and though I would wake up a little groggy in the morning, it was nothing a cup of coffee couldn't cure. Fair warning though, like all sleeping pills, this is habit forming. I would give the product a 10 except that I noticed I would have to take it earlier and earlier in the night in order to go to bed at the time I wanted. At first, the pill gets you to sleep fairly quickly (within 10-15 minutes) but after the first couple of days, I had to take it maybe an hour or two or three before actually being able to go to bed. The alternative is to take two pills, which I didn't want to do for a number of reasons (fear of an overdose and the cost of taking two doses of an expensive product being chief among them). As long as you are careful and don't depend on these things for sleep, you should be fine. Effectiveness They get you to sleep though after a while, it does take longer for the pill to take effect. Ease of Use It's a pill. Just drink it with water. Doesn't get much easier than that! Immediacy As stated above, the amount of time it takes for the pill to take effect increases over time. Side Effects These pills did make me groggy the next morning, but a cup of coffee or a can of Red Bull usually fixed that.

jnp1013

USA

This is a great sleeping pill. Like all sleeping pills, it is habit forming. No matter what the package says. However, when you compare Unisom with some of the generic pills and pain with sleep pill, it's not as dehydrating. What I like about Unisom is that it doesn't use diphenhydramine, which is a very harsh antihistamine. I use to take benedryl to help put me to sleep, and it was so hard to sleep because it would dry out my mouth. Unisom doesn't dehydrate you. Although it uses an antihistamine, it's not harsh like other over the counter pills that are for pain with sleeplessness, or other antihistamines. Effectiveness It helps ease you into sleep. I have been using it for years, as I have insomnia, and it has always worked great for me. Ease of Use Easy to use, as it doesn't require a prescription. Immediacy This helps ease you into sleep within thirty minutes to forty five minutes after taking. In my opinion that's relatively fast. Side Effects Side effects are mild. You have occasional dry mouth, and slight hangover effect in the morning. This is nothing compared to some prescription medicines and those that use diphenhydramine.

jarschnell

USA

I have had trouble sleeping since I was a child, and I have had insomnia for the last ten or eleven years. I have tried almost every product out there to help me obtain a good nights rest including melatonin, Benadryl and other similar antihistamines, as well as many prescription medications such as Ambian and Lunesta, still nothing worked at all including this Unisom product, in fact I think this product may have also contributed to me feeling very restless and irritable rather than sleepy. I normally lay in bed for about half an hour before I fall asleep, but it took me four HOURS to fall asleep after taking this product and I woke up only a few hours later. The only plus side to this product is that I never experienced that next morning 'grogginess' that happens when you use sleeping medications. Since everyone is different. I'm sure it may work for others, but it didn't work even a little for me. Recently I have learned that I am expecting which GREATLY decreases the amount of options I have in sleeping medications. I wish this product had worked since it is approved for use in pregnancy. I wouldn't recommend this product for anyone suffering from Insomnia or an anxiety disorder since it did cause me to feel slightly anxious in addition to the irritability, but I could see it being helpful to those who might only experience only OCCASIONAL restless or sleepless night and who need to catch some Z's..

misskrissie

USA

I was recommended by a friend to try these to help with my insomnia. I tried these days after days and not one touch of sleepiness. I suffered for months and nothing had worked, if anything these made me more awake. They aren't cheap also, to me they seem more like a bendryl pill to help you sleep, but not effective. I wouldn't recommend the hassle of getting them without trying a sample one first.

ashjay2010

USA

Due to my anxiety disorder, I have problems falling and staying asleep. After trying the herbal stuff, I've found that Unisom really does help me fall and stay asleep. The only drawback is that I wake up feeling groggy, but with a little caffeine, it goes away and I'm able to get on with my day.

willowdragon

USA

Years ago I began waking up in the middle of the night and had difficulty falling asleep. I tried to take benadryl but it left me groggy in the morning and feeling dehydrated. Someone gave me a unisom once, and it worked really well but I still felt a little groggy in the morning, so the next evening I broke the tablet in half before taking it. Problems solved! I've taken unisom before going to bed nearly every night for the past six or seven years with no side effects. I took it throughout both my pregnancies and while breastfeeding with no ill effects. I have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of the kids if I have to, and function normally. However, the key for me is only taking half a pill. So, if you're having trouble with insomnia but don't like the side effects, try taking only half a pill, as it's just as effective for me as a whole dose, but without the day-after side effects. Side Effects Side effects are reduced with half a dosage.

frogdoc

Midland, MI

I have insomnia problems. I take these and they help me get to sleep initially, but I wake after maybe 3 hours of sleep and have the worst time trying to get back to sleep. It gets the first part done, but doesn't follow through for me. These pills do get me to relax and feel calm before going to sleep.

schloopy17

Temple, PA

I've used these for years. My physician has no problem with me using them regularly. I like the tablets over the other forms because I can cut them in half or quarters, depending on how strong a dose I need - I know it doesn't exactly work like that, but there's a degree of placebo effect - knowing I took a sleeping pill gets me to sleep. Effectiveness Absolutely gets me to sleep. Sometimes, I'll wake up after a few hours, but I can always get back to sleep. Other people feel woozy the next day, but it doesn't effect me that way. Ease of Use It's a pill. Swallow it. Immediacy Takes 1/2 hour - 45 minutes to start working. Side Effects Makes some people woozy the next day.

laurencat

Mountainside, NJ

Unisom is essentially 'Tylenol PM' without the Tylenol.  I began taking Unisom because I am a chronic insomniac.  The side effects have always been very mild for me, mainly just a sluggishness and drowsiness in the morning.  Benefits, however, are somewhat limited, especially if you are taking the drug multiple nights in a row. The first night I consume Unisom, it is typically quite effective at getting me to sleep, but particularly KEEPING me asleep.  It is actually quite difficult to wake up in the morning.  However, after two or three nights of taking Unisom in a row, it stops working and instead leaves me tired, yet awake, in a weird quasi-conscious state.  This is awful because I'm unable to do anything productive during my sleepless period, yet I'm unable to fall asleep either.  If I stop taking the drug for a few days and then take it again, the tolerance is gone and it works as desired again. Perhaps you'll have better experiences than me, but mine are 'mixed' at best.  Better than taking Tylenol PM if you're not in any pain though.

Cleebe

Eugene, OR

I have been suffering from intermittent insomnia for about ten years.  I used to take a prescription medication for my struggles, but I recently found myself without health insurance and was forced to find an over-the-counter alternative.  The first product I thought of was Unisom because it is the only over-the-counter sleep aid I know of that is not paired with a painkiller (like Advil or Tylenol PM). The first coupIe of nights I took Unisom I feel asleep much easier than normal and was thrilled that an over-the-counter medication could work so effectively.  But less than half-way through my first week taking Unisom I noticed that the effect was beginning to wear off...so I read the label.  It turns out that the "active ingrediant" in Unisom is diphenhydramine - a common decongestant featured in products like Benadryl and Nyquil. I knew that the decongestant diphenhydramine is known to make some people sleepy, but I also knew that I have never been one of those people...so I quickly came to the conclusion that the only reason Unisom helped me sleep those first couple of nights wasn't because of the effect of diphenhyrdramine, but the effect of my mind over my body.  In other words, I belived the drug would work - so it did. People in the medical field call this a psychosomatic response - which is basically a fancy way of explaining the phenomenon most of us know as "mind over matter."  If the patient truly believes the treatment will work, it will.  But the unfortunate part of psychosomatic reaction is that the body can only pretend for so long - as with me and my response to Unisom.  For a couple of days I really belived that Unisom was working- and so it did.  But after a while the effect wore off and I was left in the same situation I was before. While I still occassionaly take Unisom, I find that it only works about 10% of the time.  But having said this, I must point out that this means that 10% of the time I am falling asleep instead of spending the night staring at the ceiling.

bohemianrp

Santa Fe, NM