Latest Anxiolytics Stories
By Kim DixonCHICAGO -- Strange behavior by insomniacs taking prescription drugs, ranging from binge eating to having sex while asleep, have raised safety questions about anti-insomnia medications like Sanofi-Aventis' Ambien.Researchers in Minnesota are studying cases where insomniacs taking Ambien got up in the middle of the night, binged uncontrollably, then remembered nothing of their actions. The researchers expect to publish data shortly.Such sleep-induced side effects while on the...
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A program designed to reduce inappropriate prescriptions for benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and Valium, had the unintended consequence of increasing racial disparities in access to care, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "This is the first well-controlled study to show that health policies designed to reduce drug costs and abuse can increase racial disparities in access to effective care for those with chronic illnesses, like...
Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata all have their pluses and minuses, study foundHealthDay News -- No single sleeping pill stands out as the best, according to a U.S. review of the newer sleep aids on the market.The researchers reviewed 141 studies of the sleeping pills Sonata, Ambien, Lunesta and a Canadian brand called Imovane. These are all considered newer sleeping aids and are commonly prescribed for insomnia in place of older benzodiazepine sleeping aids such as Halcion, ProSom and Restoril.The...
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While sedative drugs, such as Restoril and Ambien, may improve sleep in older people with insomnia, the risks of such therapy may outweigh the benefits, according to investigators in Canada. The findings are based on a review of 24 trials that included 2417 subjects aged 60 or older who were treated with so-called sedative hypnotic pills or inactive placebo pills for insomnia. The subjects received the assigned pills for at least five consecutive nights....
Researchers outline five basic steps to help doctors identify and treat insomnia in elderly patients. This article is published in a special insomnia themed supplement of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers say insomnia is a common problem that warrants increased attention from doctors who care for older adults. The study presents a five-step approach to diagnose and manage insomnia in these patients. If followed, data shows that doctors could help to reduce sleep...
In trial, ramelteon helped users doze off and sleep longerHealthDay News -- The investigational drug ramelteon reduced the time it took for people with chronic insomnia to fall asleep and also increased their total sleep time, according to the results of a Phase III study sponsored by the drug's maker, Takeda Pharmaceuticals.The study also found no evidence of rebound insomnia, next-day impairments or withdrawal effects after people stopped using the drug. The U.S. Food and Drug...
Denver, CO, June 20, 2005 "“ Ramelteon, a novel investigational compound under review with the FDA for the treatment of insomnia, reduced the time it took to fall asleep and increased total sleep time in adults with chronic insomnia, according to results from a Phase 3 study presented this week at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). Results of the study also showed no evidence of rebound insomnia, next-day impairments or withdrawal effects due to...
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. "“ The most frequently used drugs for treating chronic insomnia have never been approved for that purpose by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a sleep expert from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Vaughn McCall, M.D., M.S., professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, told a special consensus panel at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that he could find no evidence that randomized controlled...
