A comparison of complex sleep behaviors with two short-acting Z-hypnosedative drugs in nonpsychotic patients

Gender differences in spontaneous adverse event reports associated with zolpidem in South Korea, 2015-2019

Study objectives: While zolpidem is considered as an example of a gender effect on drug response, there is insufficient evidence to reach a consensus. This study aimed to investigate gender differences in adverse events (AEs) of zolpidem. Methods: We estimated the difference between the reporting odds ratios (RORs) calculated in gender subgroups for the AEs signals detected in data mining using 2015-2019 Korea voluntary adverse drug events reporting system (KAERS) data. Different reporting risk by gender was evaluated by using the log RORs being significantly different by gender at the 5% significance level and the 95% confidence intervals of the gender ROR. Results: A total of 94 AE signals were detected. Among these, 35 signals showed significant disparities by gender at the 5% level or were detected only in one gender. When categorized by similarity of AEs, parasomnia including somnambulism and paroniria, and cardiovascular disorders including coronary thrombosis had higher reporting risks in women. Men were more likely to report cognitive disorders such as delirium, insomnia related disorders, and movement disorders. Among all AEs with gender differences in reporting risk, the difference in somnambulism was the most consistent and substantial. Conclusion: For several AEs associated with zolpidem, gender-based reporting disparities were evident. Notably, women exhibited a higher susbeptibility to somnambulism, potentially serious adverse effects of zolpidem. This underscores the need for further investigation into the underlying factors influencing these gender-specific reporting patterns.

Insomnia

OBJECTIVE

This article provides an overview of the current definitions, diagnostic tools, and overall management of insomnia.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The treatment of insomnia has shifted over time, with a growing emphasis on nonpharmacologic therapies as a first-line intervention and the leveraging of technology to aid in the dissemination of these therapies. With this evolution, the definition of insomnia has changed to reflect a common treatment pathway. As pharmacologic treatment options have increased, so has concern about the dangerous short-term and long-term adverse effects of these treatment options.

ESSENTIAL POINTS

Insomnia is a common disorder, frequently overlapping with other neurologic and psychiatric disorders, which can cause significant distress and disruption to patients' lives. Nonpharmacologic therapies are highly effective and are now considered first-line treatments. Although efficacy is variable, numerous pharmacologic interventions are available, and many options come with considerable concern about adverse effects, particularly in populations over 65 years old.

Zolpidem for Insomnia: A Double-Edged Sword. A Systematic Literature Review on Zolpidem-Induced Complex Sleep Behaviors

BACKGROUND

Being a nonbenzodiazepine, zolpidem is believed to have a favorable side-effect profile and is widely prescribed for insomnia. However, in the past few years, numerous neuropsychiatric adverse reactions, particularly complex sleep behaviors (CSBs), have been reported with zolpidem.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a systematic review of zolpidem-associated CSBs.

DATA SOURCES

An electronic search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane database of systematic reviews to extract relevant articles till July 2020.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Any type of literature article (case report, case series, and observational or interventional study) reporting CSBs associated with zolpidem.

RESULTS

In this review, we present aggregate summarized data from 148 patients presenting with zolpidem-induced CSBs (79 patients from 23 case reports and 5 case series; 69 patients out of 1454 taking zolpidem [4.7%] from three observational clinical studies). Various types of CSBs associated with zolpidem were reported, most common being sleepwalking/somnambulism and sleep-related eating disorder. On causality assessment, around 88% of cases were found to have a probable association with zolpidem.

LIMITATIONS

Extraction of data from observational studies and spontaneous reports, due to nonavailability of any randomized controlled trials relevant to the study objective.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION OF KEY FINDINGS

Zolpidem-induced CSBs, although not very common, may develop when the drug is used at therapeutic doses for insomnia. Doctors need to be alert to monitor such adverse effects of zolpidem and exercise caution while prescribing it.

Pharmacological Management of Insomnia

Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition associated with significant morbidity, reduction in quality of life, and increase in healthcare costs, and is a risk factor for multiple physical and mental disorders. The primary treatment modality is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) but this is associated with difficulties with access and higher cost as well as poor response in some patients. Therefore, pharmacotherapy for insomnia is common and hypnotic agents are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States. Older medications for insomnia are limited by their side effect burden and narrow therapeutic window. Newer hypnotics, on the other hand, have been shown to have a better safety profile and longer term efficacy. While some studies have shown that long-term hypnotic use is associated with adverse outcomes, the current evidence is equivocal. The decision to treat chronic insomnia disorder with long-term hypnotics should be individualized and balance the potential risks of continuing hypnotic medication use with the risks of untreated persistent insomnia and associated functional limitations. This clinical review discusses the currently available medication options to treat insomnia, their mechanisms of action, dosing, and side effect profiles. This review also provides guidance on long-term management of hypnotics and the use of these medications in the elderly, those with medical comorbidities, and other special populations.

Is Zolpidem Associated with Increased Risk of Fractures in the Elderly with Sleep Disorders? A Nationwide Case Cross-Over Study in Taiwan

Background

We conducted a study using a case-crossover design to clarify the risk of acute effects of zolpidem and benzodiazepine on all-sites of fractures in the elderly.

Design of study

Case-crossover design.

Methods and Materials

Elderly enrollees (n = 6010) in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database with zolpidem or benzodiazepine use were analyzed for the risk of developing fractures.

Results

After adjusting for medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and diuretics, or comorbidities such as hypertension, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and depression, neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was found to be associated with increased risk in all-sites fractures. Subjects without depression were found to have an increased risk of fractures. Diazepam is the only benzodiazepine with increased risk of fractures after adjusting for medications and comorbidities. Hip and spine were particular sites for increased fracture risk, but following adjustment for comorbidities, the associations were found to be insignificant.

Conclusion

Neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was associated with increased risk of all-site fractures in this case cross-over study after adjusting for medications or comorbidities in elderly individuals with insomnia. Clinicians should balance the benefits and risks for prescribing zolpidem or benzodiazepine in the elderly accordingly.

Sleep dysfunction and its management in Parkinson's disease

OPINION STATEMENT

Sleep disorders are among the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD). In some cases, symptoms can precede a diagnosis of PD by many years, but otherwise they are commonly encountered during the clinical care of patients. Unfortunately, sleep problems are under-recognized and subsequently inadequately addressed. In our experience, when properly addressed, physicians and patients are quickly aware of the often-debilitating nature of sleep dysfunction. This does not mean that solutions are easily attainable. Sleep in PD is held in a delicate balance, influenced by the disease process, medications, co-morbid symptoms, and a variety of other factors. For this reason, management of sleep in PD often requires an inter-disciplinary approach. Physicians should have an intimate knowledge of the many sleep problems apparent in PD, as well as appreciate the challenge presented by diverse therapeutic options that can both ameliorate and aggravate symptoms.