ARE SLEEPING PILLS RIGHT FOR YOU?
In 2006, sales of the sleep aid Ambien® topped almost two billion dollars and placed that medication at number 13 on the list of the top 200 drugs prescribed in the US. The popularity of Ambien® and other sleeping aids suggests a growing trend of addressing sleep problems with medications. Unfortunately, with so many competing drugs and opinions based upon advertising, it is hard for a patient to distinguish what sort of treatment they need.
If you are having trouble sleeping, the first thing a doctor should do is determine what type of Insomnia you are experiencing. Insomnia can be “Transient”, occurring infrequently and in relation to temporary difficult or stressful times, or “Chronic”, occurring on a regular basis. The symptoms of insomnia can also arise as “Sleep-onset Insomnia” or they can manifest themselves after the patient has fallen asleep as “Sleep Maintenance Insomnia”. Depending on what type of Insomnia you have, sleeping pills might be an effective treatment. For example, a person has Transient Insomnia triggered by stress at work; they can’t seem to shut off their mind and fall asleep. In this situation, a short term prescription of a sleep aid might help them. On the other hand, someone else has been waking up several times a night and has difficulty getting back to sleep. In their situation it would be prudent to be screened for an underlying sleep disorder such as Sleep Apnea. Their sleep may be disrupted by the disorder, resulting in Insomnia symptoms and sleeping pills would further mask the problem.
It’s important to remember that sleeping pills should not be prescribed nor used lightly as they can have serious side effects and consequences. One recent study concluded that patients with Sleep Apnea who did not have their condition treated and were instead given sleeping aids had a substantially higher risk of car accidents. Also, some people may experience effects similar to sleep walking and may become a danger to themselves and others. Long term effects of sleeping aids have not been well documented and the FDA generally recommends short term use of most hypnotic medications.
