Note: two sources that measure slightly different
For sleeping pills there are two official counts that differ considerably. The GIP database (Zorginstituut Nederland) only counts reimbursed services. Since January 1, 2009, sleeping pills and tranquilizers have only been reimbursed for a few specific indications, such as epilepsy or an anxiety disorder for which at least two antidepressants did not help. Anyone who uses the drug for any other reason pays for it themselves and does not appear in the GIP figures.
The Foundation for Pharmaceutical Characteristics (SFK) does count all benefits in kind, reimbursed and paid for themselves. The difference is big: in 2024, GIP had 61,470 zolpidem users, while SFK had 236,000. GIP therefore only captures about a quarter of the actual use. On this page we use SFK for total use, and we explicitly state when a figure only concerns the reimbursed group.
The figures: total use (SFK)
Note that the temazepam and zolpidem figures coincide: the decrease in temazepam (-77,000) and the increase in zolpidem (+87,000) occur in the same year almost against each other. SFK literally writes: "Shortages of temazepam in 2024 probably played a role in the decline in temazepam users, possibly leading to zolpidem being prescribed as an alternative." In other words: the increase in zolpidem is largely not new or increased use of sleeping pills, but people who were forced to switch. SFK itself calls this "probable" and "possible", not a proven fact, and we adopt that caution here.
Per type of sleeping pill
Within the reimbursed group (GIP figures) there is a clear shift between two groups of sleeping pills.
Zolpidem and zopiclone are called Z-drugs: not a benzodiazepine in the strict sense, but pharmacologically related and with the same risk of habituation and dependence. There is an exception for zopiclone that the Pharmacotherapeutic Compass explicitly mentions: no clear tolerance has been demonstrated for a treatment duration of up to 4 weeks.
Melatonin is deliberately omitted from these figures. The drug is largely freely available in low doses and is therefore largely excluded from both the reimbursement count and the prescription registration. There is no reliable total figure.
The sleeping pill trap
A sleeping problem, anxiety or crisis leads to a quick prescription.
The drug initially works clearly and therefore becomes psychologically and practically important.
Habituation reduces the effect. Stopping causes rebound insomnia, anxiety or restlessness.
These symptoms feel like proof that the original problem has returned, while it is often withdrawal.
Repeat prescriptions keep the use stable on paper, while the dependence deepens.
If you want to stop, appropriate tapering guidance is not always quickly available.
Longer than the guideline
The guideline is clear: the treatment of insomnia is mainly non-medicinal. A sleeping aid is only intended for exceptional, short-term cases: usually a few days to 2 weeks, without re-evaluation a maximum of 4 weeks including tapering. In practice, a significant proportion of new users receive more than that guideline recommends: in 2024, approximately 63% of new users of sleep medication received a maximum of 20 days' supply, which means that the rest received more at the start. This figure concerns sleeping medications as a group and the supply at the time of the first prescription, not about proven long-term use per drug.
In-depth video
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Do you recognise this pattern?
Have you been using a sleeping pill or tranquilizer for much longer than intended, without anyone asking whether it is still necessary? Share your experience. Not to appoint a doctor, but to make the pattern visible.
Justification and sources
- SFK (Stichting Farmaceutische Kengehalen), Pharmaceutisch Weekblad, March 20, 2025: 1.3 million benzodiazepine users in 2024; temazepam 363,000 to 286,000; zolpidem 149,000 to 236,000, with the company's own explanation that this is probably largely temazepam substitution due to shortages.
- GIPdatabank/Zorgnummersdatabase (Zorginstituut Nederland): reimbursed Zvw benefits per ATC group. Please note: this is the reimbursed subset, not the total usage. Policy measure of January 1, 2009 limited reimbursement to a small number of indications.
- Trimbos Institute, National Drug Monitor (2025): 480,000 adults (3.4%) also used sleeping pills or tranquilizers without a prescription in 2024.
- Pharmacotherapeutisch Kompas / NHG Standard Sleeping problems and sleeping pills (2024): duration of treatment and tapering advice.
- IVM (Institute for Responsible Use of Medicines) in collaboration with SFK, Prescription Monitor for General Practitioners 2024: stock for new sleep medication users.