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Benzodiazepines in the treatment of sleep disorders: pharmacokinetic aspects
Author(s) -
Dettli L.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1986.tb08975.x
Subject(s) - pharmacokinetics , disposition , hypnotic , compartment (ship) , benzodiazepine , pharmacology , potency , drug , sleep (system call) , medicine , psychology , chemistry , biochemistry , computer science , social psychology , oceanography , receptor , in vitro , geology , operating system
ABSTRACT In order to avoid after‐effects during the day, slowly eliminated hypnotic agents should not be used in the treatment of sleep disorders. It has become customary to separate long‐acting from short‐acting benzodiazepines and to use the (terminal) half‐life as the principle of classification. This approach is only justified, however, in the case of quickly absorbed benzodiazepines that have no pharmacologically active metabolites and that exhibit one‐compartment disposition kinetics. In contrast, the duration of action of benzodiazepines characterized by marked two‐compartment disposition kinetics can only be estimated correctly when the potency and all relevant kinetic parameters of the drug preparation and its pharmacologically active metabolites are considered.