ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A new study raises some concerns about the popular sleeping aide Ambien.

Dr. Lori Byrne heads the emergency department at St. Louis University Hospital and said one of the big risks of Ambien is an increased chance of falling, especially in older patients. And that, she said, has led a popular clinic to leave it on the shelf.

“Mayo Clinic has taken it off their prescribing shelf with hospitalized patients,” Byrne said, “realizing that it’s causing an increased fall rate among its patients that are hospitalized which, if you consider that and take that at home, it’s the same risk at home when you take this medication.”

Mayo Clinic researchers looked at data on more than 16,000 hospitalized patients. They found the fall rate for those who took Ambien was more than four times higher than for those who did not take the drug.

Byrne said one of the most important details Ambien users should know is that is only meant to be used for a short period of time.