The BBC News reports: "Taking sedatives to aid sleep may do the elderly more harm than good, researchers have concluded. Up to a third of elderly people in the UK are prescribed sleeping pills because they are affected by insomnia. Canadian researchers detail an analysis of 24 studies in a report in the British Medical Journal. They conclude that the risk of side effects such as dizziness, loss of balance, falls, and disorientation outweighed the benefits of such drugs. … "
The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University issued a report in July reporting that more than 15 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. The survey indicated that from 1992 to 2000 the number of new tranquilizer and sedative abusers increased by more than 125 percent. The CASA report is available for download in pdf format: Under the Counter: The Diversion and Abuse of Controlled Prescription drugs in the U.S. At 226 pages it is a bit hefty, but it includes a lot of information about the great increase in use and abuse of medications like Ambien, Valium, Xanax, etc. (You can always just read it from your computer screen <smile>.) As an example of the problem, the rapper Eminem has cancelled his European tour and is in rehab for dependency on sleeping medication.