Current, emerging, and newly available insomnia medications.
Research into the sleep-wake cycle has provided new treatment targets for patients with insomnia as well as a better understanding of how medications affect sleep processes. Current insomnia medications, including benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines, focus on enhancing sleep-promoting systems through broad antagonism of GABA. Other medications that promote sleep by blocking wake-promoting systems include antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antihistamines, but adverse effects and nonspecific therapeutic effects limit their use. New and emerging insomnia medications are focusing on blocking wake-promoting systems via more selective antagonism of orexin, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These medications may offer improved efficacy with fewer adverse effects.
Duke Scholars
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Wakefulness
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
- Sleep
- Psychiatry
- Humans
- 3202 Clinical sciences
- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Wakefulness
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
- Sleep
- Psychiatry
- Humans
- 3202 Clinical sciences
- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences