PMID: 6405485May 1, 1983Paper

Why we need a tax on sleeping pills

Southern Medical Journal
D F Kripke

Abstract

In the United States every year the total costs of giving sleeping pills can be estimated at $500 million to $1 billion. Many if not most of the prescriptions are inappropriate. Sleeping pill use, associated with a 50% increase in overall mortality, is especially dangerous for older people, who have a high risk of sleep apnea. There is virtually no evidence that sleeping pills are effective with prolonged usage and no evidence for life-preserving benefits. Excessive use of sleeping pills should be discouraged with a tax of 4 per pill. Revenues from the tax should fund new research to determine which sleeping pills are safest and when alternative treatments are safer.

Citations

Aug 1, 1993·Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·S S CampbellM W Anderson
Jan 1, 1986·International Journal of Health Services : Planning, Administration, Evaluation·M A Vance, W R Millington
Jun 22, 2002·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·P Montgomery, J Dennis
Jan 10, 2003·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·P Montgomery, J Dennis
Jun 22, 2002·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·P Montgomery, J Dennis
Jan 22, 2003·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·P Montgomery, J Dennis

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