Hypnotic drugs in treating insomnia

Newer hypnotic drugs for the short-term management of insomnia

Hypnotic drugs.

THIS review will treat the more commonly prescribed hypnotic agents and their sleep-inducing properties. Hypnotic agents that are seldom used (paraldehyde), drugs that are not singularly soporific but may be used either alone or as adjuncts in inducing sleep [e.g. meprobamate (Equanil, Miltown), chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium)] and drugs that have little soporific effect [antih...

Advances in treating insomnia.

Too often, insomnia is treated as a symptom without investigation of the cause. Insomnia may be a condition unto itself (primary insomnia), or it may be associated with a medical or psychiatric condition (comorbid insomnia), and it may be acute or chronic. Inadequate treatment often leads to significant frustration and lost productivity. We review the classification, pathophysiology, and treatm...

Management of insomnia and long-term use of sedative-hypnotic drugs in older patients.

hypnotic drugs are prescribed to many older adults despite the nearly 5-fold increased risk of adverse cognitive events associated with their use (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47 to 15.47), the 2.6-fold increased risk of adverse psychomotor events (95% CI 1.12 to 6.09), the association with falls and hip fractures and the 5-fold increased risk of hospital admission after a motor vehicle colli...

Understanding and treating insomnia.

Sleep disturbance is intricately entwined with our sense of well-being, health, emotion regulation, performance and productivity, memory and cognitive functioning, and social interaction. A longitudinal perspective underscores the conclusion that persistent sleep disturbance, insomnia, at any time during the life span from infancy to old age has a lasting impact. We examine how insomnia develop...