Prescription drug addiction treatment: sleeping pills and cough syrup
Prescription drug addiction treatment in Malaysia has to start with a medical assessment, because stopping some sedatives suddenly can cause seizures. Salus treats sleeping pill addiction, cough syrup addiction and painkiller dependence with a medical assessment first, withdrawal managed by the medical team, and then a 90-day residential stay in Cyberjaya, Selangor. Many dependences begin with a doctor's prescription that ran on for months or years. That is common, and it responds to treatment.
Signs that a prescribed medicine has become a dependence
Dependence on a medicine rarely looks like what families expect. These are the signs that tend to show first.
- The supply runs out early, followed by stories about a lost prescription or a friend who helped out.
- A dose that once worked for sleep, pain or nerves no longer does, and the amount keeps going up.
- Drowsiness, slurred speech or unsteadiness at times that do not fit a normal dose.
- Shaking, irritability or anxiety in the hours before the next dose, easing once it is taken.
- Empty cough syrup bottles that do not match how ill anyone has been, or syrup mixed into drinks.
- Secrecy about where the medicine comes from, with several doctors, several pharmacies or online sellers involved.
How prescription drug addiction treatment works at Salus
Withdrawal comes first and is managed by the medical team. With sedatives, stopping all at once can be dangerous, so the assessment decides the pace. A psychiatrist sees every guest on arrival, and the assessment looks for what the medicine was covering: poor sleep, anxiety, pain or trauma. Those are treated in the same plan as the dependence, because otherwise they tend to bring the pills back.
01
Medical assessment first
The team reviews every medicine and substance in use, including pills bought without a prescription. If the assessment shows that withdrawal needs hospital care, that comes before a residential stay, and we will say so.
02
Withdrawal at a safe pace
For benzodiazepines, the family that includes diazepam and lorazepam, and related drugs such as Erimin 5, the medical team manages withdrawal safely and comfortably, at a pace set by the assessment. The UK medicines regulator says coming off should be gradual and medically supervised, and can take weeks or months.
03
What the pill was covering
Insomnia, anxiety, pain and trauma are assessed and treated in the same plan. The diagnosis decides the therapy.
04
Therapy for sleep and anxiety
Cognitive behavioural therapy for the anxiety or insomnia that started it, alongside structured relapse prevention and motivational interviewing.
05
Life without the pill
Your Salus Clinician works alongside medical care on sleep, routine, work and relationships, so that life without the pill has something in it. A written aftercare plan is ready before you leave, and support continues at home.
Ninety days, residential, in Cyberjaya.
A private room, all meals, 24-hour care with medical oversight, individual and group therapy, family sessions and a written plan for going home. One price, with nothing added later.
90 days
Four phases: Restore, Connect, Participate, Integrate
RM7,000 per month
All-inclusive
How does sleeping pill addiction start?
Usually with a real complaint. A doctor prescribes a benzodiazepine, a sedative such as diazepam or lorazepam, for a few weeks of bad sleep or anxiety, and it is never properly stopped. The UK medicines regulator warns that dependence on these medicines can develop even with short-term use at recommended doses.
Erimin 5 is the Malaysian street name for nimetazepam, or sometimes etizolam sold under the same name. Research from Universiti Sains Malaysia analysing seized tablets confirmed that they contain nimetazepam or etizolam, drugs chemically related to prescription sedatives, and that Erimin 5 is banned in Malaysia. Because of that relationship, the same safety rules apply to stopping it.
Why is stopping sleeping pills suddenly dangerous?
Families often want to flush the pills and stop everything at once. With sedatives, that can be dangerous. After weeks or months of regular use, stopping abruptly can cause severe anxiety, confusion and seizures, according to the UK's medicines regulator. Coming off safely is gradual and supervised and can take weeks or months. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines must be medically supervised and tapered, and nobody should stop without medical advice.
If someone is very drowsy, breathing slowly or irregularly, unresponsive, or has a seizure, call 999 at once. That applies whether it looks like an overdose or a withdrawal reaction, and nobody should wait to see whether it passes. A medical assessment comes before any treatment plan, and some people need hospital care before a residential stay.
Is cough syrup addiction real?
Yes. Some cough syrups contain codeine, which is an opioid, and dependence builds in a similar way to other opioids. In Malaysia cough medicine is often mixed with air ketum and fizzy drinks in a drink called chakoroi. In one operation in August 2017, Ministry of Health officers seized 100,480 bottles of cough medicine in connection with it. Because it is sold as medicine and drunk like any drink, families are slow to see a problem.
Withdrawal from codeine and opioid painkillers brings restlessness, muscle and bone pain, poor sleep, diarrhoea and vomiting, according to the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It is rarely life threatening, but most people cannot get through it without support. Psychiatrists interviewed by CodeBlue in 2019 described Malaysians becoming dependent on painkillers first prescribed for ordinary pain. The medical team manages this withdrawal alongside everything else.
How do I raise it with someone whose doctor prescribed the pills?
They may feel entitled to the medicine, and that is understandable. Start with your worry about how much they need, not with an accusation. Ask them to see the prescribing doctor for a review, and offer to go along. Do not take the supply away or hide it. Stopping abruptly can be dangerous, and it will end the conversation.
You can phone Salus first, without the person knowing, and describe what you have seen. Do not issue an ultimatum before you understand what you are dealing with. A clinician can advise on how to approach this particular person, and family sessions are part of the programme once they are here.
Questions families ask.
How long does treatment for sleeping pill addiction take?
Coming off sedatives gradually can take weeks or months for some people, and the sleep, anxiety or pain problem underneath has to be resolved too. NIDA's review of treatment research finds that most people need at least three months, so Salus is a 90-day stay. The four phases, Restore, Connect, Participate and Integrate, move on when the person is ready.
How much does it cost?
It is RM7,000 per month, which makes the 90-day stay about RM21,000. Medical oversight is part of that fee rather than an extra, along with accommodation, meals, individual and group therapy, family sessions and an aftercare plan. Payment plans can be discussed.
What if the medicine was prescribed for real pain or insomnia?
Then the pain or insomnia deserves treatment too. Dependence on a medicine that began as genuine treatment is common. At Salus the cause is assessed and treated in the same plan as the dependence, with cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep and anxiety, and coming off is done with medical support.
Will my doctor or employer be told?
Only the people you choose to tell. Clinical information stays with the care team, so there is nothing for your doctor or employer to hear from us. If you want your own doctor involved, that is your decision. Your first call is confidential and carries no obligation.
What happens after the 90 days?
The plan for going home starts in the first week. Every guest goes home with a written aftercare plan, continued counselling, a support group and a plan for sleep and anxiety without the pill. Families are part of it, so relatives know the warning signs and what to do if the old pattern starts to return.
The clinical team behind Solace Asia.
Salus is part of Solace Wellbeing Group, which opened Solace Asia in 2014. It shares Solace's clinical leadership, methods and advisory board of senior Malaysian psychiatrists and clinicians, in a residential setting designed to cost less.
2014
Solace Asia founded
5,000+
Patients treated across the group
90
Days in the programme
Other conditions we treat.
- Start herePrivate rehab Malaysia
- PerakDrug rehab Perak
- JohorDrug rehab Johor
- SelangorPrivate drug rehab Selangor
- Kuala LumpurDrug rehab Kuala Lumpur
- AlcoholAlcohol addiction treatment
- DrugsDrug rehabilitation centre
- Syabu and iceSyabu addiction treatment
- Heroin and opioidsHeroin and opioid treatment
- KetumKetum addiction treatment
- GamblingGambling addiction treatment
- Gaming and internetGaming and internet addiction
- Mood and dependenceDual diagnosis treatment
- OCDOCD and addiction treatment
Insights
Further reading
Sleeping pills and cough syrup misuse in Malaysia: how dependence starts, and where help begins
Sleeping pills, Erimin 5 and codeine cough syrup are common routes into dependence in Malaysia. What families notice, and how treatment works.
5 min readDepression and addiction: why the two need to be treated together
How often depression and addiction occur together, which tends to come first, and what treatment looks like when both are present.
5 min readHow to talk to someone you love about getting help
The conversation most families dread, and how to have it in a way that keeps the door open. Practical guidance from the Salus admissions team.
3 min read
Sources
- 1UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Drug Safety Update, 8 January 2026: benzodiazepines and dependence, tapering under medical supervision
- 2UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Benzodiazepines Patient Resource, 2026: withdrawal symptoms including convulsions
- 3National Institute on Drug Abuse, What classes of prescription drugs are commonly misused: dependence, tolerance and withdrawal
- 4Universiti Sains Malaysia (eprints), Physical examination and chemical analysis of Erimin-5 pills
- 5Sebenarnya.my (Malaysian government fact-check portal): Ministry of Health statement, 4 March 2018: 100,480 bottles of cough medicine seized on 22 August 2017, misused in chakoroi
- 6CodeBlue (Galen Centre), 3 September 2019: Malaysians getting addicted to painkillers, experts warn
- 7NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: how long does drug addiction treatment usually last
This page is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace an assessment by a qualified clinician. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
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