Health Canada is warning consumers that they could get hooked on an herbal sleep supplement called Eden Herbal Formulations Sleep Ease Dietary Supplement. Why? The product contains an undeclared drug—estazolam—which Health Canada says can be habit-forming when used for as little as a few months.

It may not be heroin, but it’s not altogether benign either. The Canadian agency is advising consumers who are presently taking the herbal product to consult with a health care professional before they stop taking the capsules because of the risk of withdrawal symptoms. Sleep Ease Dietary Supplement was advertised as an herbal natural health product designed to relieve sleeping difficulty and restless legs syndrome. But according to Health Canada, it’s addictive. 
 
What exactly is estazolam? It belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines—a class that should only be prescribed by a health care practitioner. Estazolam should not be used by people with an allergy to any benzodiazepines such as Valium, Restoril, and Ativan, or those people affected by the neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis or by sleep apnea. Moreover, pregnant women should only use the drug if absolutely necessary. And both the elderly and those with a history of substance abuse should use it with caution.

Side effects associated with the use of products containing estazolam vary according to the individual and can include dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, depression, loss of memory, and hallucinations.

According to Health Canada, Eden Herbal Formulations Sleep Ease Dietary Supplement is not authorized for sale in Canada. The agency is asking consumers to report merchants where they find the product for sale. Consumers who have already purchased the product are being told to return it to the place of purchase. To date, no adverse reactions have been linked to the use of the product in Canada.

Eden Herbal Formulations Sleep Ease Dietary Supplement was previously distributed at the Evergreen Acupuncture Clinic in Calgary, Alberta. But the clinic has stopped sale of the product and has advised all their clients who had purchased it about the new warning.

To submit stories for the Sleep Report e-newsletter, email .