TY - JOUR
T1 - Sleep health and appropriate use of OTC sleep AIDS in older adults - Recommendations of a gerontological society of America workgroup
AU - Albert, Steven M.
AU - Roth, Thomas
AU - Toscani, Michael
AU - Vitiello, Michael V.
AU - Zee, Phyllis
AU - Pruchno, Rachel
N1 - Funding Information:
To reach the primary audience, the workgroup presented information on sleep health and OTC sleep aids in November 2014 in a congressional hill briefing sponsored by Senator Bill Nelson, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Aging Committee. To address secondary audiences, summit invitees included representatives from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the National Sleep Foundation, the National Council on Patient Information and Education, the American Psychological Association, the National Council on Aging, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the FDA, the American Pharmacists Association, American Automobile Association, National Council on Aging, National Hispanic Aging Council, NIH, and CDC. Finally, the two webinars attracted some 100 participants each from a variety of educational and consumer organizations. Twitter activity extended the reach of these activities.
Funding Information:
This white paper was sponsored by Pfizer as part of a collaboration with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) to support GSA's campaign to address OTC sleep aids and sleep health in older adults. While Pfizer reviewed this paper and provided input, the authors retained full editorial control over the final content. Thanks to Hillary Gross from Kantar Health, who assisted in design and analysis of the NHWS survey data.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/4/1
Y1 - 2017/4/1
N2 - Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging for older adults with chronic medical conditions, which often interfere with sleep. As a result, many older adults turn to over-the-counter (OTC) sleep AIDS, that is, products with diphenhydramine or doxylamine. However, these products are indicated only for occasional difficulty with sleep, not for chronic use; and their safety and efficacy has not been well established in general and in older adults specifically. To engage national stakeholders in a discussion of OTC sleep AIDS in older adults, the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) convened a multidisciplinary workgroup. The Workgroup examined differences between younger and older adults in sleep health and use of OTC sleep AIDS using data from the National Health and Wellness Survey; assessed the pharmacologic properties and medication effects of OTC sleep AIDS; and worked with stakeholders to promote strategies for safe and effective use. Older adults are more likely to take diphenhydramine or doxylamine products 15 or more days in a month, an indicator of inappropriate use. The Workgroup recommends research to investigate the ways older people use OTC sleep AIDS. The goal should be reduction in inappropriate use and associated risks, such as daytime sedation, compromised cognitive function, and falls. In addition, the Workgroup recommends a greater role for community pharmacists in counseling older adults on appropriate use of OTC sleep AIDS.
AB - Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging for older adults with chronic medical conditions, which often interfere with sleep. As a result, many older adults turn to over-the-counter (OTC) sleep AIDS, that is, products with diphenhydramine or doxylamine. However, these products are indicated only for occasional difficulty with sleep, not for chronic use; and their safety and efficacy has not been well established in general and in older adults specifically. To engage national stakeholders in a discussion of OTC sleep AIDS in older adults, the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) convened a multidisciplinary workgroup. The Workgroup examined differences between younger and older adults in sleep health and use of OTC sleep AIDS using data from the National Health and Wellness Survey; assessed the pharmacologic properties and medication effects of OTC sleep AIDS; and worked with stakeholders to promote strategies for safe and effective use. Older adults are more likely to take diphenhydramine or doxylamine products 15 or more days in a month, an indicator of inappropriate use. The Workgroup recommends research to investigate the ways older people use OTC sleep AIDS. The goal should be reduction in inappropriate use and associated risks, such as daytime sedation, compromised cognitive function, and falls. In addition, the Workgroup recommends a greater role for community pharmacists in counseling older adults on appropriate use of OTC sleep AIDS.
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U2 - 10.1093/geront/gnv139
DO - 10.1093/geront/gnv139
M3 - Review article
C2 - 26511271
AN - SCOPUS:85045882882
VL - 57
SP - 163
EP - 170
JO - The Gerontologist
JF - The Gerontologist
SN - 0016-9013
IS - 2
ER -