Sleeping Pills and Increased Risk of Death

There are several recent studies that link the use of sleeping pills to higher risk of  death.  

This first study is based on observational data, (and not a clinical trial), and author Dr. Lawrence E. Kline, medical director of the Viterbi Family Sleep Center says "it's still possible that other factors explain the associations".
Kline said he also says further studies are necessary,  nevertheless there is enough evidence for doctors to consider alternatives to sleeping pills when they treat their patients.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/242211.php

Sleeping Pills Tied To Higher Risk Of Death

29 Feb 2012 

Compared to never using sleeping pills, even using no more than 18 a year is tied to a more than threefold increased risk of death, according to researchers in the US who saw this result after controlling for every possible factor they could think of that might influence it. They also found a more than fourfold higher risk of death and a significant increase in cancer cases among regular pill users.

The findings are stark news for the growing number of people who rely on sleeping pills to get a good night's rest, especially as the results showed the link was the same for the newer, more popular sleeping pills such as zolpidem (Ambien) and temazepam (Restoril).

First author Dr Daniel F. Kripke, of the Viterbi Family Sleep Center at Scripps Health in San Diego, California, told the media:

"What our study shows is that sleeping pills are hazardous to your health and might cause death by contributing to the occurrence of cancer, heart disease and other ailments."

Kripke and colleagues write about their investigation in a paper published in the open-access online journal BMJ Open on 27 February.

Their work expands on previously published research linking higher mortality with use of sleeping pills.

However, Kripke said it is the first to show that eight of the most commonly used sleeping pills or hypnotic drugs, are linked to increased risk of death and cancer, including the popularly prescribed zolpidem (known as the brand Ambien) and temazepam (Restoril). These newer drugs were thought to be safer because their action is not as long-lasting as that of the older hypnotics.

Between 6 and 10% of adult Americans took a hypnotic drug for poor sleep in 2010.

This sector of the US pharmaceutical industry grew by 23% between 2006 and 2010, to an annual sales level of about $2 billion.

"We tried every practical strategy to make these associations go away, thinking that they could be due to use by people with more health problems, but no matter what we did the associations with higher mortality held."

But third author, Dr Lawrence E. Kline, medical director of the Viterbi Family Sleep Center, said even though they tried to take as much into account as they could, we should note that the study is based on observational data (and not a clinical trial, for example), so "it's still possible that other factors explain the associations".

"We hope our work will spur additional research in this area using information from other populations," he urged.

Kline said he also hopes the study will nevertheless prompt doctors to consider alterantives to sleeping pills when they treat their patients.

He said at the Viterbi Family Sleep Center the clinicians use cognitive therapy to help patients understand more about sleep. For example, insomnia sufferers may not need the commonly recommended eight hours sleep every night.

Teaching good sleep habits and relaxation is another possible alternative, as is taking advantage of the body's natural rhythms, which follow the rising and setting of the sun.

"Understanding how to use the circadian rhythm is a very powerful tool that doesn't require a prescription," said Kline.

Sometimes sleep disorder stems from depression and emotional problems. Kripke said in such cases, doctors should treat those underlying causes and avoid prescribing sleeping pills that could make things worse.