Are sleeping pills addictive? New York Times being stupid

[[Gi...]]

The New York Times had an inane piece of crap article with I responded to on my blog...

 

Are sleeping pills addictive?

JULY 16, 2010

tags: addiction by prescription

by giannakali

 

That should have been a rherotical question with a loud “of course they are” 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 http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/16/are-sleeping-pills-addictive/

 

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.

 

I have the unfortunate experience of having corresponding with 1000s of them as I too am a victim who has been trying to recover from acute post-withdrawal syndrom 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. To learn more about benzos and z-drugs visit the benzo page on this blog. http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/benzos/

 

How can the NYT call this NEWS??? ick!!!

[[Be...]]

I see that a lot of people jumped on it and posted more realistic views.  I did metaphorically scratch my head when I saw that from a doctor and then again when I realized these are the same people who prescribe them so, duh, they think they're safe all evidence to the contrary.

[[Gi...]]

Right the comments are good as I noted in the post...

 

anyone who feels moved to do so and go and add their two cents...we might as well hit New York Times with a sledgehammer.

 

 

[[...]]

 

I have always found the New York Times to have an "interesting" viewpoint on things.  As someone who has taught history, I find their coverage of politics amusing and a bit off base.  I guess this bias and spin can bleed over into other pages of the paper.   It is a shame though...who are they kidding?

 

TC

[[Gi...]]

the fact remains not everyone gets addicted...so they are kidding everyone who has never gotten addicted and everyone who is ripe to get addicted as well...

 

lets help those who have never been addicted stay that way...

 

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