Drug therapy: the diagnosis and management of insomnia

Article Abstract:

Insomnia, the inability to sleep, is a common sleep disorder, which may result from several causes and vary extensively in duration and severity. The events in one's life, medications, psychological and medical factors may cause insomnia and should be assessed upon diagnosis. People who usually sleep well but experience stress, environmental change, jet lag or drug side effects may have transient, short-term insomnia, whereas chronic insomnia tends to result from a medical or psychological problems. Treatment should be directed at the underlying causes, and may involve withdrawal of substances causing side effects, management of stress, counseling, and various psychotherapeutic techniques. Sleeping pills may be used for transient, short-term insomnia, but are not recommended for long-term treatment. Benzodiazepines are the drugs of choice for insomnia, and consist of various long- and short-acting forms. Long-acting drugs such as flurazepam produce sedative hangover effects the next day, whereas short-acting agents such as triazolam may worsen the insomnia and cause a form of amnesia. Because side effects are related to dose, the dose should be kept low. When prescribing hypnotics, a physician should take into consideration the patient's age and lifestyle and duration of treatment, and avoid large or renewable prescriptions. Depressed or suicidal patients, alcohol or substance abusers, the elderly and mentally impaired, patients with sleep-related breathing disorders and incurable insomnia, and pregnant women require special attention. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Drug therapy, Sleep disorders, Benzodiazepines

---

Chronic Insomnia

Article Abstract:

A preliminary report of a June 2005 conference on insomnia reveals that both cognitive behavioral therapy and benzodiazepine-receptor agonists are effective in treating insomnia, though the long-term effectiveness of the agonists requires further study. Cognitive behavioral therapy should not be combined with the use of hypnotic agents as such an approach reduces the long-term benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy.

United States, Care and treatment, Cognitive therapy, Long-term care of the sick, Long term care

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Geriatrics: sleep disorders and aging. Tragedy and insomnia. Sleep disturbances in the wake of traumatic events
• Abstracts: Transforming growth factor beta as a predictor of liver and lung fibrosis after autologous bone marrow transplantation for advanced breast cancer

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.