Short‐ and long‐term mortality following hypnotic use

Abstract Potential long‐term consequences of hypnotics remain controversial. We used the prospective Swedish National March Cohort, a study based on 41,695 participants with a mean follow‐up duration of 18.9 years. Logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards models with attained age as timescale were used to assess associations of hypnotic use with short‐ and long‐term mortality. The proportion of subjects who initiated or discontinued hypnotic use during follow‐up was substantial. All groups of hypnotics were associated with increased mortality within 2 years after a first prescription, with an overall OR of 2.38 (95% CI, 2.13–2.66). The association was more pronounced among subjects younger than 60 years (OR, 6.16; 95% CI, 3.98–9.52). There was no association between hypnotic use and long‐term mortality. The association between hypnotic use and increased mortality was thus restricted to a relatively short period after treatment initiation, and may be explained in terms of confounding by indication.