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Subjective hypnotic efficacy of trazodone and zolpidem in DSMIII–R primary insomnia
Author(s) -
Walsh James K.,
Erman Milton,
Erwin C. W.,
Jamieson Andrew,
Mahowald Mark,
Regestein Quentin,
Scharf Martin,
Tigel P.,
Vogel Gerald,
Ware J. Catesby
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1077(199804)13:3<191::aid-hup972>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - zolpidem , trazodone , placebo , hypnotic , primary insomnia , insomnia , anesthesia , psychology , sleep onset latency , sleep disorder , sleep onset , zopiclone , morning , medicine , psychiatry , antidepressant , anxiety , alternative medicine , pathology
Trazodone is an antidepressant which is used at low doses as a hypnotic. The hypnotic efficacy of trazodone in non‐depressed insomniacs is unknown, especially in comparison to hypnotic medications such as zolpidem. Following a placebo screening week, DSM‐IIIR defined primary insomniacs were randomized into a parallel‐group, double‐blind, 14‐day comparison of trazodone 50 mg, zolpidem 10 mg and placebo. Patients completed daily morning questionnaires and weekly office visits. Self‐reported sleep latencies were compared by the Cox proportional hazards regression technique; self‐reported sleep duration by ANOVA. During treatment Week 1, both drugs produced significantly shorter self‐reported sleep latencies and longer self‐reported sleep durations than placebo. Self‐reported sleep latency was significantly shorter with zolpidem than with trazodone. During Week 2, only the zolpidem group maintained a significantly shorter sleep latency than the placebo group, and self‐reported sleep duration did not vary significantly among groups. The incidence of adverse events was low in all groups. Both trazodone and zolpidem improved self‐reported sleep latency and duration of non‐depressed, primary insomniacs; zolpidem was somewhat more efficacious at the doses studied. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.