Sleeping Aids Comparative Critique

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Sleeping Aids: What Are The Real Effects In recent years, studies have shown the amount of prescription sleep aids has risen by 85% in children 10 to 19. Across the country doctors are prescribing more medications, many that were intended to treat other problems unrelated to sleeping disorders. While some children are in dire need of medications to help them sleep, doctors currently don’t know the full effects these medications have on children. With this lack of knowledge many doctors find it difficult to prescribe such medications to children. The article “Are Your Kids Little Addicts?” by Kim Painter, brings up many reasons why prescribing medications to help children sleep is not a hard-hitting issue, while the author of “Doctors Ponder Drugs for Sleepless Nights of Adolescence,” Mary Duenwald claims there are safe sleeping aids for children that have not caused any significant side effects in the child’s life. While both articles discuss the problems with children being prescribed sleep aids, Painter believes these drugs are no more dangerous for children than any other medication, while Duenwald shows more sensitivity on the topic of sleep aids for children. Duenwald claims children should never take sleeping medication. She acknowledges the fact that no sleeping medications are approved by the FDA for children due to the fact, little research has been done on the matter. Shes explains that, during the teenage years, the internal clock shifts which causes late and restless nights. Many teenagers are prescribed sleeping medication when it would most often be something that would be outgrown. Dr. Judith Owens fears too much useless prescribing is going on because of this misunderstanding. “The last thing we want to suggest is that it’s O.K to throw medication at something without understanding the problem.” With the current amount of information we know

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