Stacia Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 you may want to read this article from Time: Study: Sleeping Pills Linked with Early Death Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 That is really scary. My husband took Ambien for a few months following his stroke when he wasn't sleeping well (and good sleep is so important for stroke recovery). The Ambien really scared me! His breathing became so irregular and labored with it, I was always thankful when he woke up in the morning alive. I soon persuaded him to not take it anymore, and really, he never felt it helped much anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 you may want to read this article from Time:Study: Sleeping Pills Linked with Early Death I tried each of the meds listed for a short period of time. My list of reasons not to take them was already long based on my own bad experiences. You've given me one to add to the list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I saw this on a few news sites today also. Scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 That is really scary. My husband took Ambien for a few months following his stroke when he wasn't sleeping well (and good sleep is so important for stroke recovery). The Ambien really scared me! His breathing became so irregular and labored with it, I was always thankful when he woke up in the morning alive. I soon persuaded him to not take it anymore, and really, he never felt it helped much anyway. I thought the last paragraph in the article was interesting in that it seems that you don't actually get much more sleep w/ using a sleeping pill, you just think you got more/better sleep, even though cognitive skills are worse the day after taking sleeping pills.... "Kripke notes, however, that studies show that the medications contribute to a few minutes of faster slumber at best, and that users show worse performance on skills and cognitive tasks the day after using a sleep aid. Yet they consistently report feeling better and being more alert on days after a pill-induced sleep. “We don’t know why, but people who take these drugs have an exaggerated idea of whether they are good for them,†Kripke says." Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/28/study-sleeping-pills-linked-with-early-death/#ixzz1ngijyTKR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Bumping for the night crowd... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Risks and benefits need to be weighed carefully. Not getting any sleep doesn't exactly lead to long life...... I take Ambien and- trust me- when I take it I AM more rested the next day. When I don't take it, I get maybe an hour of sleep and if I go without it for several days I feel almost drunk- unable to work things like folding up the stroller and my response to stimulus is so slow that I wouldn't drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hmmmm. This study seems pretty deeply flawed. I too would counsel caution before using meds that affect consciousness, however ... the so-called control group did not have a sleep disorder :confused: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/27/study-shows-risk-with-sleeping-pills-conclusion-criticized/ That issue means this was a poorly designed study even before you address the small sample size; you might as well compare the sample group to pachyderms. People with sleep disorders are already at higher risk for problems (death, poor cognition) than the general population, even those matched for health history. I also saw no mention of whether proper use of the medication was monitored (ie no alcohol, other drugs, no sleep-driving, acclimating to drug prior to resuming driving, sky-diving, etc) nor what the people died of or why they were prescribed the medication. In other words, from the point of view of research, I would not give this 'study' too much weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 The sleeping med my dd is taking is giving her a lot more than just a few minutes of sleep. It is giving her HOURS more of sleep every night. Her ability to do schoolwork and to THINK and to cope with life in general improved tremendously within just a few days of starting Trazodone for sleep. We're still waiting for her sleep study (that's not until the end of next month), but Trazodone was like a miracle cure for my dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I have times when I use sleep aides and when I don't. I can say for certain, I get more than a few minutes of sleep from them. I try one night each week to not take Ambien and I get very limited, very broken sleep. If I do not take it, I will be left with just a couple hours of broken sleep, and in a few days, will get to a point where I am mentally losing control. The doctor doesn't know why I have suddenly had a marked increase in sleep issues ann I am certain that it is the same for others as well. I would wonder how much the underlying medical conditions (especially undiagnosed ones) that cause sleep issues like mine, are the true catalyst of increased deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Risks and benefits need to be weighed carefully. Not getting any sleep doesn't exactly lead to long life...... I take Ambien and- trust me- when I take it I AM more rested the next day. When I don't take it' date=' I get maybe an hour of sleep and if I go without it for several days I feel almost drunk- unable to work things like folding up the stroller and my response to stimulus is so slow that I wouldn't drive.[/quote'] Same here:iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I saw something about this earlier and the doc on it says he believes that the real reason behind the early death isn't directly from the pills, but the fact that lack of sleep can be a symptom of underlying issues that aren't being diagnosed beacause they are ony focussing on the sleep issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I rolled my eyes at the "can cause a higher risk of cancer comment" I mean what doesn't these days :rolleyes: It seems at least once a month they link a new thing with cancer. I think if you need them then take them. There is only so long you can go without proper sleep before it has serious side affects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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