Lancet Reg Health Am

Deprescribing sleep medications in older adults could save lives, prevent injuries, reduce costs

November 13, 2025

Study details: Using the Future Elderly Model, a state-transition microsimulation based on 1998 to 2018 Health and Retirement Study data, researchers estimated lifetime health and economic outcomes for U.S. adults over 50 who regularly use prescription sleep medications (z-drugs, benzodiazepines, trazodone). Two scenarios were compared: continued use vs. eliminating future use.

Results: Avoiding future use among 15.3 million regular users could reduce lifetime falls by 8.5% and cognitive impairment by 2.1%, while adding 0.11 years of life expectancy. Collectively, this translates to 1.7 million life years and 1.3 million quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, with $101 billion in U.S. savings ($6.6K per person), largely from improved quality of life.

Clinical impact: These findings underscore the potential benefits of deprescribing sleep medications in older adults. Clinicians should weigh risks and consider non-pharmacologic strategies to enhance safety and quality of life.

Source:

Heun-Johnson H, et al. (2025, October 24). Lancet Reg Health Am. Lifetime burden of prescription medication for insomnia in middle-aged and older adults in the US: a microsimulation study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41209816/