Clinical Comparison of Benzodiazepine Hypnotics With Short and Long Elimination Half-Lives

Over the last few years, articles in both the medical literature and popular press stressing the negative consequences of using hypnotic medication may have made physicians unjustifiably hesitant to prescribe these drugs (Kales & Kales, 1984). Frequently, such articles contend that sleeping pills are prescribed too often. However, these concerns may be exaggerated, as illustrated by the following data.