In a new study from Vanderbilt University, researchers examined more the 400,000 Medicare patients taking medications for insomnia.
They found that the risk of death is increased when either benzodiazepines or ‘z-drugs’ are taken with opioids.
In the study, the team compared patients taking these drugs with opioids to comparable patients taking trazodone, another commonly prescribed sleep medication for older patients.
They found that those using benzodiazepines had a 221% increase in the risk of death from any cause and those taking non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, or ‘z-drugs’, had a 68% increased risk.
These findings indicate that the risks of benzodiazepine-opioid use go well beyond the recognized hazards of overdose.
They also suggest that the z-drugs, thought to have better safety than the benzodiazepines, in fact are dangerous when prescribed in combination with opioid pain medications.
Benzodiazepines, including brand names such as Restoril, Ativan, and Halcion and the ‘z-drugs’, a type of medication known more commonly under names like Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata, are among the most frequently prescribed medications for older adults.
Trazodone, a medication initially introduced for depression, is often prescribed in low doses for insomnia.
Although researchers have speculated about the relative safety of these sleep medications, there is limited relative safety data.
The team says the study findings could help to fill this data gap and thus lead to changes in both provider behavior and policy.
The findings add urgency to efforts to limit concurrent prescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids.
They also suggest that targeted warnings are needed to advise older patients and their providers regarding the potential risks of taking z-drugs with opioids.
If you care about sleep health, please read studies about this sleep issue may strongly harm your heart and findings of this sleep supplement may help prevent memory loss, cognitive decline.
For more information about sleep and your wellness, please see recent studies about this common sleep problem linked to increased risk of death and results showing that treating this sleep problem may reduce dementia risk.
The study is published in PLOS Medicine. One author of the study is Wayne Ray, Ph.D.
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