Ed note: This article by Jane Brody in the NYT reminds us that sleep medications can be problematic. Almost all over the counter “sleep aids” contain diphenhydramine better known at Benadryl. This antihistamine is metabolized more slowly as we age and can cause alertness problems, dry mouth and dizziness. Yet Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is the main ingredient in “sleep-aids” such as zzz-Quil, Sominex, Sleep Fairy, Unisom, Mid-Nite, Kirkland Signature Sleep-Aid and many others.
Shakespeare wisely recognized that sleep “knits up the ravell’d sleave of care” and relieves life’s physical and emotional pains. Alas, this “chief nourisher in life’s feast,” as he called it, often eludes millions of people who suffer from insomnia. Desperate to fall asleep or fall back to sleep, many resort to Ambien or another of the so-called “Z drugs” to get elusive shut-eye.
But except for people with short-term sleep-disrupting issues, like post-surgical pain or bereavement, these sedative-hypnotics have a time-limited benefit and can sometimes cause more serious problems than they might prevent. They should not be used for more than four or five weeks.
In April, the Food and Drug Administration added a boxed warning to the prescription insomnia drugs zolpidem (Ambien, Edluar, Intermezzo and Zolpimist), zaleplon (Sonata) and eszopiclone (Lunesta) following reports of injury and death from sleepwalking, sleep-driving and engaging in other hazardous activities while not fully awake.