Death and Sleeping Medication

At the same time mainstream news reports that the use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) sleep medicines is at an all time high I see no effort to encourage the use of more natural remedies to help improve sleep.

I do not believe Rx and chemical OTC products really improve sleep. I do believe that the pharmaceutical products do cause other health problems.  One important one from my perspective is rebound insomnia, and it deserves effective research. 

Drug hangover comes from such meds as Trazadone, Amitriptyline, or other drugs often prescribed fore sleep.  Anti-histamines, often found in OTC products, can also create drug hangover too.

In all the many decades I have worked in Main Stream Med while using my deep knowledge of herbs and other means to help sleep, I know it offers better options and better results.

Consider drinking enough water; exercise; something as simple as taking a high quality multi-vit/mineral twice a day with meals; cell salts; not sleeping with your cell phone; too much EMF exposure; food allergy; eating too late at night ( best not to -3 hours before bedtime); relaxation techniques; magnesium; pure tryptophan; homeopathy; flower essences; pure essential oils; anti-inflammatories; oxygen therapy; or many other safer options.

http://www.leaflady.org/AT_in_MH.htm

Sleeping pills may increase risk of death

Pills for insomnia and anxiety 'are not candy' researchers have warned after finding the drugs are linked to an increased risk of dying.

Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor

09 Sep 2010

Research has found that people taking the drugs are at least a third more likely to die during the 13-year study than those not on them.

One suggested reason for the effect is that sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs affect people's response times, alertness, and co-ordination.

This may make them more prone to falls and other accidents.

Another theory is that they interfere with the breathing system and affect any breathing problems as the person sleeps.

The medicines also work on the central nervous system, possibly increasing the risk of suicide.

Genevieve Belleville, from Laval University's School of Psychology in Canada, who led the study, said: "These medications aren't candy, and taking them is far from harmless.

"Given that cognitive behavioural therapies have shown good results in treating insomnia and anxiety, doctors should systematically discuss such therapies with their patients as an option.

"Combining a pharmacological approach in the short-term with psychological treatment is a promising strategy for reducing anxiety and promoting sleep."

The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, was based on data from more than 14,000 people between 1994 and 2007.

It was found those who took the drugs at least once in the month before the survey had a higher chance of dying from any cause.

The data includes information on people aged 18 to 102, surveyed every two years between 1994 and 2007.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7992233/Sleeping-pills-are-not-candy-and-may-increase-risk-of-death-researchers.html

Sleep Rx Use Rises in Young Adults

There are several excellent studies that indicate sleep problems associated with use of EMF generating devices such as cell phones and WIFI.

The use of these devices are very prevalent in this age group. Most seem to believe that there is no impact to health from these devices.

It is interesting that no educational or other preventive approaches are being recommended.

Our blu-light therapy units may be of help, especially if you have irregular work or study hours.

Other more natural help may come from magnesium, B vitamins, Valerian root or other well selected high quality liquid herbal extracts, melatonin, l-tryptophan or 5HTP, herbal teas, raw honey, and baths.

Unfortunately - in the long term - Rx drugs alter REM sleep and other problems may develop with habituation and rebound insomnia that may cause greater drug use.

A word to the wise...

Use of sleep aids by young U.S. adults soars
By Julie Steenhuysen
Thu Jan 15, 2009

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Use of prescription sleep aids nearly tripled among young adults between 1998 and 2006, according to a study released on Thursday by the healthcare business arm of Thomson Reuters.

"Insomnia, a condition traditionally associated with older adults, appears to be causing larger numbers of young adults to turn to prescription sleep aids, and to depend on them for longer periods of time," said William Marder, senior vice president and general manager for the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters News.

A study of medical and drug claims data found a 50-percent increase in use of the drugs among all adults under 45, who also appear to be using the drugs for a longer period of time to help them fall asleep.

During the study period, the average length of time sleep aids were used by adults under 45 jumped by more than 40 percent -- rising to 93 days in 2006 from 64 days in 1998.

But perhaps the most startling finding was the increase in use of sleep aids among college-age adults 18 to 24.

Use in this age group rose to 1,524 users per 100,000 in 2006, up from 599 users per 100,000 in 1998.

"I find it very worrisome that young people who should have a very strong and healthy sleep system are now finding they are turning to medication to help them get to sleep," Donna Arand, a sleep specialist at Kettering Hospital Sleep Disorder Center in Dayton, Ohio, said in a telephone interview.

Arand said she has seen a number of students seeking sleep aids because their normal sleep patterns have been disrupted in college, and she fears these adults may have trouble adjusting to a normal sleep pattern as their schedules normalize.

RARE SIDE EFFECT

Two-thirds of those in this study population were taking non-benzodiazepine hypnotics -- such as Sanofi-Aventis' Ambien CR and Sepracor Inc's Lunesta.

These newer sleep aids generally have fewer side effects, but in rare cases they can cause sleep walking.

That may have led to the demise of a 51-year-old Wisconsin man who froze to death while sleep-walking barefoot in his underwear this week in below-zero cold.

The Sawyer County Sheriff's Office in Hayward, Wisconsin, said Timothy Brueggeman had Ambien at his house, and family members told the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis that he had a history of sleep walking.

Chief Deputy Tim Ziegel said there was no proof that Brueggeman had taken the drug before his death but toxicology tests had been ordered.

"We do not know all the facts about what transpired," said Sanofi spokeswoman Susan Brook, noting that the circumstances of the man's death are still being investigated.

In general, she said sleep walking is a rare side effect of the drug and she cautioned that Ambien or Ambien CR should not be taken by people with a history of sleep walking, nor should they be taken with alcohol.

(Additional reporting by Mike Conlon; Editing by Xavier Briand)
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited