According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from more than 32,000 community-dwelling adults in the United States, 3% of adults took a medication commonly used for insomnia in the previous month—most often zolpidem and trazodone—and use increased between 1999 and 2010. More than half of NHANES participants taking a medication for insomnia (55%) reported taking at least one other sedating medicine concurrently, and 10% reported taking three or more sedating medicines. In addition, 25% reported taking opioids concomitantly, while 20% reported taking benzodiazepines not intended for insomnia. “Concurrent use with medications commonly used for insomnia is high,” Dr. Neubauer said.
—Doug Brunk