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Article: Report: Go Easy on Sleeping Pills
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- August 15, 2006
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Consumers may rely too much on sleeping pills and overlook safer,
non-drug remedies, according to a new report from Consumers Union,
which publishes Consumer Reports (CR) magazine.
About 43 million prescriptions for sleeping pills were filled in
the United States last year -- up 32 percent from 2001, according
to the report by CR's Best Buy Drugs division.
"We recommend that both the older and newer sleeping pills be
taken more judiciously and less often than appears to be the current
pattern of use by millions of people in the U.S.," the report
states. CR says increased pill usage is due to a "growing awareness
of the health risks of insomnia and intense advertising and