Change in Use of Sleep Medications After Gastric Bypass Surgery or Intensive Lifestyle Treatment in Adults with Obesity

OBJECTIVE To examine the change in use of hypnotics and/or sedatives after gastric bypass surgery or intensive lifestyle modification in adults with obesity. METHODS Adults with obesity who underwent gastric bypass surgery or initiated intensive lifestyle modification between 2007 and 2012 were identified through the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry and a Swedish commercial weight loss database. The two cohorts were matched on BMI, age, sex, education, history of hypnotics and/or sedatives use, and treatment year (surgery n = 20,626; lifestyle n = 11,973; 77% women, mean age 41 years, mean BMI 41 kg/m2 ). The proportion of participants with filled hypnotics and/or sedatives prescriptions was compared yearly for 3 years. RESULTS In the matched treatment cohorts, 4% had filled prescriptions for hypnotics and/or sedatives during the year before treatment. At 1 year follow-up, following an average weight loss of 37 kg and 18 kg in the surgery and intensive lifestyle cohorts, respectively, this proportion had increased to 7% in the surgery cohort but remained at 4% in the intensive lifestyle cohort (risk ratio 1.7; 95% CI: 1.4-2.1); at 2 years, the proportion had increased to 11% versus 5% (risk ratio 2.0; 95% CI: 1.7-2.4); and at 3 years, it had increased to 14% versus 6% (risk ratio 2.2; 95% CI: 1.9-2.6). CONCLUSIONS Gastric bypass surgery was associated with increased use of hypnotics and/or sedatives compared with intensive lifestyle modification.