Originally published June 11 2005
Elderly people with public insurance more likely to be prescribed addictive sleep drugs, study says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A recent study by Ohio State University researchers found that people age 65 and older are far more likely to be prescribed addictive sleep drugs to treat sleeping disorders. The study analyzed 95 million physician visits for sleep disorders from 1996-2001, and found that the elderly and those relying on public insurance were more likely to be prescribed cheaper, addictive benzodiazepine drugs -- muscle relaxants like Valium -- than younger people and patients with private insurance.
Despite newer alternatives, doctors still frequently prescribe potentially addictive sleep aids.
A new study in the journal Sleep shows that this is especially true for patients who are 65 or older and those who rely on public health insurance.
"Some of the most vulnerable populations in the United States are at greater risk of receiving prescription sleep medication with a high abuse potential," says Rajesh Balkrishnan, PhD, in a news release.
Balkrishnan is Ohio State University's Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy and one of the study's authors.
Balkrishnan says doctors may be considering whether their patients have prescription drug coverage in deciding which drug to prescribe.
Balkrishnan and colleagues analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).
* Among those receiving prescription medications for sleep-related difficulties, having public insurance increased the odds of a benzodiazepine prescription by 66% compared with those who had private insurance.
Valium is one example, though it is not recommended for treating insomnia.
"Benzodiazepines are usually effective for just a few weeks when used to treat insomnia," Balkrishnan says.
"A person can develop a strong psychological and physical dependence on these drugs in a short time and experience severe withdrawal-like symptoms once he stops taking the medication."
Benzodiazepines are often cheaper than newer sleep aids, such as Ambien, which don't have the same addictive qualities.
"We need to understand the reasons for these disparities in order to stop this trend," Balkrishnan says.
"There needs to be a move toward a more uniform prescription system, at least for certain types of medications.
One possibility is to create guidelines that say let's reserve the most addictive benzodiazepines for patients for whom every other kind of treatment has been unsuccessful."
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