I appreciated Dr. Orman’s critique of the BMJ article “Hypnotics’ Association with Mortality or Cancer: A Matched Cohort Study” in the BloggED column (“Can Ambien Kill You?” ACEP News, April 2012, p. 27). As he pointed out, cohort studies do not demonstrate cause and effect, and this study had other serious flaws that unfortunately did not diminish its vast media appeal; however, Dr. Orman failed to mention one additional aspect of the paper that tarnishes the outcomes even further: the affiliation of the manuscript’s lead author. Dr. Daniel F. Kripke is host of the website www.darksideofsleepingpills.com. One click to this website clearly reveals Dr. Kripke’s agenda of discrediting the utility of hypnotics. This blatant conflict of interest negates any credible evidence presented in his study. Yes, hypnotics may be overused and yes, there may be better ways to improve sleep, but scare tactics and biased studies should not be employed to advance that cause.
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ACEP News: Vol 31 – No 06 – June 2012Angela Colella
Pharmacy Student
Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Mequon, Wisc.
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