Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders

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Revision as of 20:14, 8 December 2009 by imported>Robert Badgett (→‎GABA agonists)
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In medicine, sleep initiation and maintenance disorders, including insomnia, are "disorders characterized by impairment of the ability to initiate or maintain sleep. This may occur as a primary disorder or in association with another medical or psychiatric condition."[1][2]

Treatment

GABA agonists

These medications are agonists of the GABA-A receptors.

BZ1 selective agonists

In treating persistent insomnia in adults, 6 weeks of zolpidem 10 mg nightly along with weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy followed by 6 months of monthly sessions and no medications yielded the most remission of insomnia in a randomized controlled trial.[3]

In geriatrics, the benefits of zolpidem for insomnia to not clearly exceed the drug toxicity.[4][5]

Melatonin agonists

Ramelteon is one available agonist.

Tasimelteon can help transient insomnia due to shift changes related to employment..[6]

References