Sleeping Pill Use Increases Car Accident Risk

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of adults get less than the seven to nine hours of sleep typically needed by most people.
This translates into 50 to 70 million Americans experiencing sleep deprivation and sleep disorders. For many, the solution comes in the form of a sleeping pill or two. At least 8.6 million Americans take prescription sleeping pills. This may sound so common as to be innocuous. However, for many of those taking certain prescription sleeping pills at night, that is far from true.

Researchers at the University of Washington’s School of Pharmacy found that some patients using one of three popular nighttime prescription sleeping pills had between a 25% and three times higher risk of being in a car accident. These findings support a 2013 advisory warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which suggested recommended dosages be changed to reduce the residual effect of the medication in the patient’s system the next morning.

Car Accident Risks Vary by Prescription Sleeping Pills

In the recent study, three popular prescription sleeping pills were evaluated: Restoril, Ambien and Oleptro. Each works differently in the body to facilitate sleep. It was found that the risk of being in a car accident when using these prescriptions varied from 27% with Restoril , to 91% with Ambien when used over a five year period. This equates to a blood alcohol content of 0.06 percent and 0.11 percent. The legal limit in all states for alcohol is 0.08 percent.

The risk factors include night awakenings, when patients wake and drive in the middle of the night without recalling the event. Patients also may wake up in the morning and drive to work, not realizing they are still sedated from the medication. The drugs remain in the bloodstream for longer than most people realize, and may impair a driver’s reaction time in challenging driving situations. Ambien specifically has a warning on the label recommending patients do not take it unless they can commit to seven-eight hours of sleep after ingesting it. Patients should consult their physician or pharmacist about taking the lowest recommended dosage of a prescription sleeping pill.