Nonbenzodiazepines for Sleep Linked to Hip Fractures
Pauline Anderson
Mar 06, 2013

Nursing home residents who use nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic sleep agents are at 66% increased risk for a hip fracture, with the risk apparently greatest within the first 15 days of medication use, according to a new study.

Particularly vulnerable are residents who need some assistance with transfers and those with mild cognitive impairment who may be less mobile and require more assistance with care, the study suggests.

Many experts believe that because nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, such as zolpidem, eszopiclone, and zaleplon, are less addictive than benzodiazepine drugs, they are safer, but some studies have found these drugs may affect attention and balance.

To prevent fractures, nursing home staff should closely monitor residents who use these nonbenzodiazepine agents, the study concludes.

“More judicious use of these drugs, less frequent use in patients who do use them, particularly during the first few weeks of using them, and increased surveillance, makes a lot of sense,” lead author, Sarah D. Berry, MD, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News.

The study was published online March 4 in the JAMA Internal Medicine.

Full Story:  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780318

JAMA Internal Medicine:  http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1657760