Editing Sedative (section)

===Misuse===
{{Main article|Drug overdose}}
{{Further|Combined drug intoxication}}
{{See also|Benzodiazepine overdose|Barbiturate overdose}}

Many sedatives can be misused, but barbiturates and benzodiazepines are responsible for most of the problems with sedative use due to their widespread recreational or non-medical use. People who have difficulty dealing with stress, anxiety or sleeplessness may overuse or become dependent on sedatives. Some [[heroin]] users may take them either to supplement their drug or to substitute for it. [[Stimulant]] users may take sedatives to calm excessive jitteriness. Others take sedatives recreationally to relax and forget their worries. [[Barbiturate overdose]] is a factor in nearly one-third of all reported drug-related deaths. These include [[suicide]]s and accidental drug poisonings. Benzodiazepines comparatively have a wider margin of safety and rarely result in overdose unless mixed with other CNS depressants.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kang |first=Michael |title=Benzodiazepine Toxicity |date=2024 |work=StatPearls |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482238/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=29489152 |last2=Galuska |first2=Michael A. |last3=Ghassemzadeh |first3=Sassan}}</ref> Accidental deaths sometimes occur when a [[Somnolence|drowsy]], [[Confusion|confused]] user repeats doses, or when sedatives are taken with [[Alcoholic beverages|alcohol]].

A study from the United States found that in 2011, sedatives and hypnotics were a leading source of adverse drug events (ADEs) seen in the hospital setting: Approximately 2.8% of all ADEs present on admission and 4.4% of ADEs that originated during a hospital stay were caused by a sedative or hypnotic drug.<ref>Weiss AJ, Elixhauser A. Origin of Adverse Drug Events in U.S. Hospitals, 2011. HCUP Statistical Brief #158. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. July 2013. [http://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb158.jsp]</ref>  A second study noted that a total of 70,982 sedative exposures were reported to U.S. [[poison]] control centers in 1998, of which 2310 (3.2%) resulted in major [[toxicity]] and 89 (0.1%) resulted in death.  About half of all the people admitted to emergency rooms in the U.S. as a result of nonmedical use of sedatives have a legitimate prescription for the drug, but have taken an excessive dose or combined it with alcohol or other drugs.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/818430-overview | title = Toxicity, Sedatives | access-date = 18 December 2008 | author = Professor Jeffrey S Cooper | date = 10 December 2007 | publisher = eemedicine | location = USA}}</ref>

There are also serious [[paradoxical reactions]] that may occur in conjunction with the use of sedatives that lead to unexpected results in some individuals. Malcolm Lader at the Institute of Psychiatry in London estimates the incidence of these adverse reactions at about 5%, even in short-term use of the drugs. The paradoxical reactions may consist of [[depression (mood)|depression]], with or without [[Suicidal ideation|suicidal tendencies]], [[phobias]], aggressiveness, [[violent]] behavior and symptoms sometimes misdiagnosed as [[psychosis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benzo.org.uk/paradox.htm|title=benzo.org.uk - Benzodiazepines: Paradoxical Reactions and Long-Term Side-Effects|access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref>