| Raving Loonie 2006-03-27, 10:26 am |
| .... Thanks to the marketing of less addictive drugs directly to
consumers, sleeping pills have become a hot commodity, especially in
the past five years. People worldwide spent $2 billion on the most
popular sleeping pill, Ambien (zolpidem), in 2004, according to the
BioMarket, a biotech research company.
Earlier this month, it was reported that some Ambien users are
susceptible to amnesia and walking in their sleep. Some even ate in the
middle of the night without realizing it.
Global sales for all sleeping pills, called hypnotics, will top $5
billion in the next several years.
The number of adults aged 20-44 using sleeping pills doubled from 2000
to 2004, according to Medco Health Solutions, a managed care company.
Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the increase
in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19 year
olds, possibly due to an association with medication for attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). .....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060...eatamericanmyth
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