Poppin' Pills & Countin' Sheep

In today's non-stop 24/7 world, getting a good night's sleep can be a challenge. So much so, that an onslaught of prescribed sleeping pills like Lunesta have hit the market. The advertising encourages you to "catch" a good night's sleep with minimal side effects. Of course the spots have proven effective - sleeping pill prescriptions have been issued in record numbers. Some of the things not mentioned in the ads are the side effects being short-term amnesia, sleepwalking, and being sleepy throughout the next day. Of course the ads brush off the side effects saying that you will be happy, enjoy an improved sex life, with a good night's sleep as the icing on the cake. All this at a time where more pharmaceuticals are developing and stocking shelves with competing products.

With the heavy DTC push, patients are asking for the prescriptions often before doctors are fully educated on all the effects of the medication. Ad spending on sleep medications was over $275 million last year, more than ever before. More and more people are being told they are insomniacs just like the big push a couple of years back that we all have Adult ADD. Everyone has periods of worry at times, especially in a society that tends to value work more highly than family and where we are one nation under debt. Let the pushers push, but we should push 'em right back.