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Sleep and Sleep Disorders pp 141–145Cite as

Risks of Chronic Hypnotic Use

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Abstract

Hypnotic drugs are consumed mainly by chronic users, who often take hypnotics for years continuously. Two studies of the American Cancer Society, each involving over 1 million subjects followed prospectively for 6 years, showed that hypnotic use predicted increased mortality after control for comorbidities. At least 8 other studies have also noted that hypnotic use predicts increased mortality. There is an epidemiologic consensus that hypnotic use is associated with increased risk of death. Chronic hypnotic use is also strongly associated with insomnia, poor function, and poor quality of life. There is considerable evidence that hypnotics may in part cause this increased morbidity, as well as automobile accidents and falls. In contrast, there is no persuasive evidence that long-term use of hypnotics produces any benefit. Available evidence is that the risks of chronic hypnotic use outweigh the benefits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California Medical School, La Jolla, California, USA

    Daniel F. Kripke

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© 2006 Landes Bioscience/Eurekah.com and Springer Science+Business Media

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Kripke, D.F. (2006). Risks of Chronic Hypnotic Use. In: Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-27682-3_15

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