In addition, few studies adequately assessed the side effects the drugs can cause. However, the report found insufficient evidence that the benzodiazepine drugs, when compared to placebos, were helpful in combating insomnia. Overall, across some 14 studies, from 50 percent to 85 percent of people diagnosed with chronic insomnia, as well as those who have not, get some benefit from the drugs, compared to 19 percent to 48 percent of people who took a placebo instead of the active drug. The report found good evidence that when used for short periods the sedative drugs are effective at helping people fall asleep and stay asleep a bit longer. The AHRQ report also evaluated other types of medications-an older kind called benzodiazepines, sedative sleep drugs like zolpidem (Ambien and generic), and several antidepressants that can cause drowsiness as a side effect. (Some people may benefit from both, however.) Several medical groups, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American College of Physicians, have suggested that when chronic insomnia is diagnosed, to try CBT first, instead of sleep medication alone. CBT might also potentially keep insomnia at bay longer than medication-even after the therapy ends. The report found CBT to be effective for most adults with chronic insomnia, and safer because there are few, if any, side effects.
It works like this: a provider is trained to help teach you better sleep habits, develop regular sleep cycles, and suggest ways to change your behavior, using techniques such as sleep restriction and controlling stimulus, while also working to change the way you think about sleep. Second, the release of a recent systematic review of insomnia treatments-drug treatments, behavioral therapy, and alternative therapies-by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-found strong scientific evidence that shows cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia is a consistently effective way to treat the problem. So, little is known about their long-term safety and effectiveness, especially in older individuals, those with serious medical conditions, or with less severe sleep problems. Plus, most of these medications have only been tested over short time periods and in highly select patients. Sleep-walking, memory lapses, and hallucinations are rare, but have been reported with Ambien, as have cases of driving or eating while asleep within a few hours of taking a sleeping pill. Sleeping pills can also cause dependency and even worsen the symptoms of chronic insomnia if taken for long periods. And, they can also cause troubling side effects: next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and feeling unsteady-all of which can increase your risk of falls or accidents. Our past reports on these treatments have found that the newer sedative medications add only between 8 to 20 minutes of sleep time, and none have been shown to improve how well people feel or perform the next day.
0 kommentar(er)
