By the Numbers - 18 August 2014
293%
The percentage increase in the number of prescriptions for any sleep medication between 1999 and 2010, from 5.3 million to 20.8 million, according to an article recently published in the journal Sleep -- Trends in Outpatient Visits for Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, and Prescriptions for Sleep Medications among US Adults: Findings from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 1999-2010.
According to the researchers:
The number of office visits with insomnia as the stated reason for visit increased from 4.9 million visits in 1999 to 5.5 million visits in 2010 (13% increase), whereas the number with any sleep disturbance ranged from 6,394,000 visits in 1999 to 8,237,000 visits in 2010 (29% increase). The number of office visits for which a diagnosis of sleep apnea was recorded increased from 1.1 million visits in 1999 to 5.8 million visits in 2010 (442% increase), whereas the number of office visits for which any sleep related diagnosis was recorded ranged from 3.3 million visits in 1999 to 12.1 million visits in 2010 (266% increase).
On a related note, a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) -- Emergency Department Visits Attributed to Overmedication That Involved the Insomnia Medication Zolpidem (PDF) -- noted: "In 2010, approximately one third or 20,793 of the 64,175 emergency department (ED) visits involving zolpidem resulted from overmedication."
293%
The percentage increase in the number of prescriptions for any sleep medication between 1999 and 2010, from 5.3 million to 20.8 million, according to an article recently published in the journal Sleep -- Trends in Outpatient Visits for Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, and Prescriptions for Sleep Medications among US Adults: Findings from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 1999-2010.
According to the researchers:
The number of office visits with insomnia as the stated reason for visit increased from 4.9 million visits in 1999 to 5.5 million visits in 2010 (13% increase), whereas the number with any sleep disturbance ranged from 6,394,000 visits in 1999 to 8,237,000 visits in 2010 (29% increase). The number of office visits for which a diagnosis of sleep apnea was recorded increased from 1.1 million visits in 1999 to 5.8 million visits in 2010 (442% increase), whereas the number of office visits for which any sleep related diagnosis was recorded ranged from 3.3 million visits in 1999 to 12.1 million visits in 2010 (266% increase).
On a related note, a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) -- Emergency Department Visits Attributed to Overmedication That Involved the Insomnia Medication Zolpidem (PDF) -- noted: "In 2010, approximately one third or 20,793 of the 64,175 emergency department (ED) visits involving zolpidem resulted from overmedication."