The Food and Drug Administration is requiring manufacturers of certain sleeping pills, including the widely prescribed Ambien, to reduce current recommended dosages.
The class of sleeping medications thought to be safer for nursing home residents than traditional anti-anxiety drugs actually puts them at a 70% increased risk for hip fracture, a study suggests. Following a Medicare Part D change in 2006, physicians started prescribing sleeping pills such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata for nursing home residents with insomnia, instead of older benzodiazepines, according to researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The class of sleeping medications thought to be safer for nursing home residents than traditional anti-anxiety drugs puts them at a 70% increased risk for hip fracture, a study found.
