Elimination of brotizolam in elderly patients after multiple doses

Variables influencing patient satisfaction for hypnotics: difference between zolpidem and brotizolam

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

The pharmacokinetics of zolpidem and brotizolam is affected by gender and age, that is, increased clearance in males taking zolpidem and younger subjects taking brotizolam. The purpose of this study was to determine the variables including gender and age influencing patient satisfaction for hypnotics, zolpidem and brotizolam.

METHODS

The study included 329 patients who were treated with zolpidem (n = 172) and brotizolam (n = 157) for insomnia. Patients were interviewed to evaluate individual satisfaction and drug efficacy. The factors associated with dissatisfaction of zolpidem and brotizolam were identified using multiple logistic analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Of the participating patients, 40 (23%) and 41 (26%) complained of dissatisfaction with zolpidem and brotizolam, respectively. An insufficient amount of sleep (<6 h) and the number of awakenings were common factors cited for dissatisfaction for both drugs. Males were found to report a higher rate of dissatisfaction for zolpidem, whereas patients younger than 65 years and those receiving corticosteroid therapy reported a higher rate of dissatisfaction with brotizolam.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

These results suggested that patient satisfaction was different between zolpidem and brotizolam in terms of gender for zolpidem and age and corticosteroid co-administration for brotizolam, which could be used to help choose a better drug among the two in patients with insomnia.

Changes in activity patterns after the oral administration of brotizolam in institutionalized elderly patients with dementia

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the side effects of sedative-hypnotic agents in elderly dementia patients with sleep disorders. The present study describes activity pattern changes after a single dose of brotizolam in elderly patients with dementia.

METHODS

We conducted retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a case series at Asakayama Hospital (Osaka, Japan) between September 2008 and September 2009. Around-the-clock movements of dementia patients who were administered a single dose of brotizolam were recorded by the integrated circuit tag monitoring system during a 4-week baseline and 7-day peri-administration period. Diurnal and nocturnal activity levels and the onset times of the least-active and most-active phases were then measured.

RESULTS

Seven patients (four men, three women; age range 59-85 years) were analyzed. All seven patients had disturbed activity patterns during the peri-administration period. Compared with the pre-administration period, the incidence of reversed rest-activity pattern increased significantly in the post-administration period, as measured by the distance moved per hour (P < 0.000). Patients with advanced stages of dementia had prolonged and delayed activity responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings showed changes in activity levels and reversed active/resting phases after a single dose of brotizolam in elderly patients with dementia. Use of brotizolam in elderly patients with dementia, especially in advanced stages, calls for closer attention and longer observation periods.

Hepatic drug metabolism and aging

Although there is considerable variation in the effect of age on drug biotransformation, the metabolism of many drugs is impaired in the elderly. Age-related physiological changes, such as a reduction in liver mass, hepatic metabolising enzyme activity, liver blood flow and alterations in plasma drug binding may account for the decreased elimination of some metabolised drugs in the elderly. It is difficult, however, to separate an effect of aging from a background of marked variation in the rate of metabolism due to factors such as individual metabolic phenotype, environmental influences, concomitant disease states and drug intake. The prevailing data suggest that initial doses of metabolised drugs should be reduced in older patients and then modified according to the clinical response. In most studies the elderly appear as responsive as young individuals to the effects of compounds which induce or inhibit the activity of cytochrome P450 isozymes. Concurrent use of other agents, which induce or inhibit drug metabolism, mandates dose adjustment as in younger patients. Many questions remain unanswered. For instance, limitations of in vitro studies prevent any firm conclusion about changes in hepatic drug metabolising enzyme activity in the elderly. With aging, some pathways of drug metabolism may be selectively affected, but this has not been adequately scrutinised. The possibility that metabolism of stereoisomers may be altered in the elderly has not been adequately tested. The effect of aging on the distribution of polymorphic drug metabolism phenotypes is still not established, despite potential implications for disease susceptibility and survival advantage.