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[Sdescon]

From the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-17177005

The American study in BMJ Open compared more than 10,000 patients on tablets like temazepam with 23,000 similar patients not taking these drugs. Death risk among users was about four times higher, although the absolute risk was still relatively low. Experts say while the findings highlight a potential risk, proof of harm is still lacking. They say patients should not be alarmed nor stop their medication, but if they are concerned they should discuss this with their doctor or pharmacist.

Here's the original study from the British Medical Journal (BMJ)

Hypnotics' association with mortality or cancer: a matched cohort study
http://bmjopen.bmj.c.../1/e000850.full

Results As predicted, patients prescribed any hypnotic had substantially elevated hazards of dying compared to those prescribed no hypnotics. For groups prescribed 0.4–18, 18–132 and >132 doses/year, HRs (95% CIs) were 3.60 (2.92 to 4.44), 4.43 (3.67 to 5.36) and 5.32 (4.50 to 6.30), respectively, demonstrating a dose–response association. HRs were elevated in separate analyses for several common hypnotics, including zolpidem, temazepam, eszopiclone, zaleplon, other benzodiazepines, barbiturates and sedative antihistamines. Hypnotic use in the upper third was associated with a significant elevation of incident cancer; HR=1.35 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.55). Results were robust within groups suffering each comorbidity, indicating that the death and cancer hazards associated with hypnotic drugs were not attributable to pre-existing disease.

Conclusions Receiving hypnotic prescriptions was associated with greater than threefold increased hazards of death even when prescribed <18 pills/year. This association held in separate analyses for several commonly used hypnotics and for newer shorter-acting drugs. Control of selective prescription of hypnotics for patients in poor health did not explain the observed excess mortality.

Edited by Sdescon, 28 February 2012 - 10:26 PM.

[jadamgo]

Great reason to prefer cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia over drugs, or to only use drugs for the short (days to weeks) periods of time they are officially approved for. CBT-I is especially beneficial to people internet-savvy enough to use this forum, since you can find pretty much everything you need to know about it for free on the internet.

Also, unlike with drugs, one doesn't have to worry about the cause of insomnia, because CBT-I addresses all of the common ones: improper behavior conditioning (especially worrying at nighttime), depression, and circadian rhythm abnormalities.