That should have been a rhetorical question with a loud of course they are addictive ringing in the heads of whoever was meant to answer. But instead these ignorant and dangerous MDs went on to say how wonderfully safe these drugs are.
Are Sleeping Pills Addictive? – Consults Blog – NYTimes.com
The most inane BS I’ve seen coming out of a doctors mouth in a public forum. Thanks New York Times, you’re a fountain of misinformation. Amusingly enough the comments are loaded with stories of the commenters addictions to the drugs that the doctors have just finished saying are so safe.
Still, sleeping pills are very widely used, and most people find them effective and do not suffer from adverse effects, even when used long-term. These medications have not been shown to produce a pharmacological or chemical addiction with withdrawal symptoms, unless they are taken in excessive doses.
That is patently BS as well as just downright dangerously wrong information. People become addicted and suffer tremendously taking these meds exactly as prescribed by their doctors.
update If you have such an experience think about adding your comment here at the New York Times. There is starting to be a pretty damning collection of real lived experience there.
I have the unfortunate experience of having corresponded with 1000s of these people as I too am a victim who has been trying to recover from acute post-withdrawal syndrome myself. (process that can take up to several years in worst case scenarios) Ambien and what are called the z-drugs acts on GABA receptors in a way that is so similar to benzos they essentially are a benzodiazepine with a short half-life. Benzos include xanax, valium et. al. The short half-life of the z-drugs actually make withdrawal trickier and harder for some people.
More commentary on the sleeping pills being addictive in this post which speaks to the issue that most people are not given information so that they can make an informed choice: Pro-information and pro-choice when it comes to drugs and medications
To learn more about benzos and z-drugs visit the benzo page on this blog
Everything matters 