Sleeping pills? Not every night, UB prof warns

Published October 9, 2018 This content is archived.

An article in Time magazine about frequent use of sleeping pills quotes UB adjunct professor and clinical pharmacist Kari Mergenhagen who co-authored a Veterans Affairs study published in the journal Clinical Therapeutics on the safety of sleep aids among older adults. “There are new reports of side effects coming out on a yearly basis,” says Mergenhagen. “Headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and hallucinations are a few of the short-term concerns associated with hypnotics—a class of prescription drugs designed to induce sleep that includes Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata and other popular meds.”