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Effect of zaleplon, a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic, on melatonin secretion in rabbits.

Melatonin, a major hormone secreted by the pineal gland, is known to play an important role in regulation of the circadian rhythm. (N-[3-(3-cyanopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-yl)phenyl]-N-ethylacetamide (zaleplon) is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic that acts via the benzodiazepine site of the GABA(A) receptor. In the present study, we investigated the effect of zaleplon on melatonin secretion in rabbits using RIA and compared the effect to triazolam and zopiclone. Zaleplon increased a dose-dependent concentration of melatonin in rabbit plasma collected at 30 min after intravenous administration at doses of 1 and 2 mg/kg. The zaleplon-induced increase in plasma melatonin level was not blocked by flumazenil, a benzodiazepine-receptor antagonist. In contrast, triazolam and zopiclone failed to affect the plasma melatonin level. We also investigated the effect of zaleplon on intracellular cAMP in rat pinealocytes. Consequently, zaleplon had no effect on the intracellular cAMP levels in rat pinealocytes. These results of the present studies suggest that zaleplon may promote melatonin secretion and the elevation of plasma levels of melatonin may suggest an influence of zaleplon on chronobiology.

Acetamides↗

Clinical pharmacokinetics of anxiolytics and hypnotics in the elderly. Therapeutic considerations (Part I).

Anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs are extensively prescribed for elderly individuals throughout Western society. Old age may be associated with an altered clinical response to this class of compounds, and there is a considerable ethical and economic stake in understanding these changes so that therapy may be approached with a maximum likelihood of therapeutic benefit and a minimum risk of side effects. Old age may lead to altered pharmacokinetics of sedative-anxiolytic drugs, causing higher plasma concentrations (relative to young individuals) after single or multiple doses. By far the majority of the available scientific data refer to the benzodiazepines, which have become the most widely prescribed class of sedative-anxiolytic drugs. Although there is not complete consistency in the available data, the weight of evidence indicates that old age is associated with impaired clearance of the benzodiazepines which are biotransformed by microsomal oxidation (such as diazepam, desmethyldiazepam, desalkylflurazepam, bromazepam, alprazolam, triazolam and others). For those benzodiazepines metabolised mainly by glucuronide conjugation (oxazepam, lorazepam, temazepam) or nitroreduction (nitrazepam), there are minimal, if any, age-related decrements in clearance. Only in the case of triazolam is there direct evidence linking impaired clearance to enhanced clinical effects in the elderly. The logical suggestion that benzodiazepines biotransformed by conjugation or by nitroreduction may be safer for the elderly than those biotransformed by oxidation has not yet been directly validated. Reasonable epidemiological evidence has linked the use of long (versus short) half-life benzodiazepines (regardless of the specific metabolic pathway) with an increased incidence of adverse reactions such as confusion, falls and hip fractures in elderly persons. However, the decreased clearance and increased accumulation of the benzodiazepines in question are not clearly validated as the cause of the increased frequency of adverse reactions. Old age may also be associated with an increased intrinsic sensitivity to benzodiazepines; that is, enhanced pharmacodynamic response, relative to young individuals, at any given plasma or target organ concentration. This change in sensitivity may coexist with, or be independent of, alterations in pharmacokinetics. Altered benzodiazepine sensitivity has been documented both in the course of clinical use of benzodiazepines prior to endoscopy or cardioversion, and in placebo-controlled laboratory trials. Animal models of aging have validated an enhanced response to benzodiazepines as a consequence of impaired clearance, increased intrinsic sensitivity or both. However, many studies directly assessing benzodiazepine receptor affinity, density and function in aging animals have failed to identify significant age-related changes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aged↗

The pharmacology and mechanisms of action of new generation, non-benzodiazepine hypnotic agents.

The new generation hypnotic drugs, zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon, are at least as efficacious in the clinic as benzodiazepines and may offer advantages in terms of safety. These drugs act through the BZ binding sites associated with GABAA receptors, but show some differences from benzodiazepines in pharmacological effects and mechanisms of action. Of particular interest is the finding that zolpidem shows a wide separation between doses producing sedative effects and those giving rise to other behavioural actions, and induces less tolerance and dependence than benzodiazepines. Zolpidem also demonstrates selectivity for GABAA receptors containing alpha1 subunits. Recent studies using genetically modified mice have confirmed that receptors containing alpha1 subunits play a particularly important role in mediating sedative activity, thus providing an explanation for the pharmacological profile of zolpidem.

Acetamides↗

Insomnia in children: when are hypnotics indicated?

Insomnia in children is a nonspecific impairing symptom that may be the result of normal developmental changes, psychosocial duress, a sleep disorder, a psychiatric disorder, other medical disorders, substance misuse, or an adverse effect of medication. Careful clinical assessment of insomnia in children may include the use of symptom rating scales, laboratory testing, or other medical assessment. Short- and long-term treatment of insomnia in children involves management of etiological factors and associated syndromes. Controlled treatment studies of pediatric insomnia are limited to <10 published studies of psychosocial and/or psychopharmacological treatment in young children. Directive parent education and behavior modification techniques have been effective in short-term treatment of insomnia in young children, and may be the preferred treatment of extrinsic insomnia, as well as an important adjunctive treatment of any insomnia symptoms. Two benzodiazepines [flurazepam and delorazepam (chlordesmethyldiazepam)], one antihistamine (niaprazine) and one phenothiazine [alimemazine (trimeprazine)] have been shown to be effective in the short-term treatment of insomnia in young children, although none of these agents have US Food and Drug Administration approval for pediatric insomnia. Short-acting benzodiazepines may have a role in the brief treatment of pediatric insomnia associated with an anxiety or mood disorder, psychosis, aggression, medication- induced activation, or anticipatory anxiety associated with a medical procedure. However, tachyphylaxis and risk of misuse preclude the long-term use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of insomnia in children. Newer hypnotics, which appear better tolerated than the benzodiazepines in studies of adults, may have a role when combined with psychosocial treatments of pediatric insomnia. Treatment of intrinsic pediatric insomnia may additionally involve chronotherapy or medical management.

Adolescent↗

Facilitation of spike-wave activity by the hypnotic etomidate in a rat model for absence epilepsy.

The epileptogenic effect of the short-acting hypnotic agent etomidate was investigated in WAG/Rij rats. Animals of this inbred strain show spontaneous spike-wave discharges and are regarded as a model for absence epilepsy. A dose-dependent increase in the total amount of spike-wave activity was found, when etomidate was injected intraperitoneally in doses of 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg. At a dose of 10 mg/kg, spike-wave activity appeared almost uninterruptedly. Beginning with a dose of 5 mg/kg, the morphology of the spike-wave complexes changed after the administration of the drug; spike frequency decreased dose dependently from about 8 till about 4 Hz at 10 mg/kg. During spike-wave activity, animals were motionless and, certainly at 10 mg/kg of etomidate, were unresponsive to stimuli. For surgical anesthesia, a still higher dose of etomidate is necessary (20 mg/kg). It is concluded that etomidate facilitates the generation of spike-wave activity in rats with spontaneous absence seizures, presumably through its GABA-mimetic action.

Action Potentials↗

Species differences in the disposition and metabolism of 1-methyl-3-(3-pyridyl)-5-(2-hydroxy-methylphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole, a potential sedative-hypnotic compound.

1. Disposition and metabolism of 1-methyl-3-(3-pyridyl)-5-(2-hydroxy-methylphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole, a new sedative-hypnotic, were studied in rats (i.v. and p.o.), cats (i.v.) and human volunteers (p.o.) with 14C-labelled drug. 2. In rat and man, the compound is well absorbed, extensively metabolized, and excreted mostly through the kidney; it has short plasma half-lives, 0.6 h in rat, 0.9 h in man, and 1.9 h in cat. 3. In rat and man metabolism involves N-oxidation of the pyridine ring (Metabolite I), and in cat oxidation of the hydroxymethyl group (Metabolite II). Four other conjugated metabolites (III-VI) isolated from rat urine and bile, and from urine of cats and man, have been characterized. 4. The unchanged compound, but not its metabolites, crosses the blood-brain barrier in rat and cat. 5. The species differences in the disposition and metabolism of the compound are consistent with previous pharmacological data indicating a greater and more prolonged effect in cat.

Adult↗

Relationship between locus of control and drug effects in users of narcotics, stimulants, hypnotic-sedatives, and hallucinogens.

A test is made of the hypothesis that the subjective effects of narcotics lead to an internal locus of control orientation. No support is evident. Similar findings are given for users of stimulants. As an aside to the major focus of the study, a test of locus of control differences between users of narcotics, stimulants, hypnotic-sedatives, and hallucinogens is given, with no differences being found.

Amphetamines↗

The phenomenological structure of drug-induced ego states. II. Barbiturates and sedative-hypnotics: phenomenology and implications.

Empirically derived descriptions of experiential states, induced by heavy, chronic consumption of drugs, provide valuable information for treatment personnel as well as for scientists studying drug abuse or pharmacology. A 7-year program of research has studied persons committed to heavy, long-term use of several prominent substances of abuse. This report results from that research and provides a phenomenological description of the psychological state induced by heavy, chronic use of barbiturates and sedative-hypnotics. Interview, Q-sort and semantic differential data indicate the barbiturate state is intensely unpleasant: a state in which users lose desired characteristics, take on undesired characteristics, engage in self-destructive acts, and emerge in worse condition than before entering it. Explaining why people choose to enter such a state is difficult. Several theoretical alternatives for doing so are considered. Psychotherapy with these individuals must deal with the theme of abandonment/rejection that permeates their lives and with the diffuse hostility, expectations of failure and defeat, self-destructive tendencies, and feelings of hopelessness that they display. Suggestions are presented for treatment of individual cases.

Adult↗

[Tolerance to exertion after sleep reduction and after taking a hypnotic: zolpidem].

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a delayed bedtime (3 a.m.), an advanced rising (3 a.m.), a sleep under placebo and under a hypnotic compound, i.e. 10 mg of zolpidem (Stilnox) on sleep structure and on the adaptations to a subsequent exercise in 8 male athletes. The chronology of these nights was randomized and each treatment administered in a double blind fashion. During each experimental night, subjects were monitored with conventional EEG/EOG/EMG polygraphic recordings. The next day, athletic performance was tested using a bicycle ergometer. A codified exercise was performed and consisted to a 10 min warm up followed by a 30 min steady state cycling corresponding to 75% of predetermined VO2 max. Then the work load increased progressively by steps of 10 W every minute until exhaustion. The recovery lasted 30 min. Heart rate, ventilation, VO2, ERO2 were monitored during all exercise and recovery. Plasma lactates and catecholamines were also measured at the same time. The data concerning sleep recordings showed that both nights with partial sleep deprivation resulted in a drop of time spent in slow wave sleep II (decrease of 55%) and in rapid eye movement sleep (decrease of 45%) while the amount of slow wave sleep III and IV were identical to that observed after the reference night. The sleep onset latency and the amount of sleep in stage I was reduced only after the delayed bedtime. Sleep data under zolpidem did not show any significantly difference in the amount of different sleep stages.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Sleep latency is shortened during 4 weeks of treatment with zaleplon, a novel nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic. Zaleplon Clinical Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Zaleplon is a short-acting pyrazolopyrimidine hypnotic with a rapid onset of action. This multicenter study compared the efficacy and safety of 3 doses of zaleplon with those of placebo in outpatients with DSM-III-R insomnia. Zolpidem, 10 mg, was used as an active comparator. METHOD: After a 7-night placebo (baseline) period, 615 adult patients were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, I of 5 treatments (zaleplon, 5, 10, or 20 mg; zolpidem, 10 mg; or placebo) for 28 nights, followed by placebo treatment for 3 nights. Sleep latency, sleep maintenance, and sleep quality were determined from sleep questionnaires that patients completed each morning. The occurrence of rebound insomnia and withdrawal effects on discontinuation of treatment was also assessed. All levels of significance were p < or = .05. RESULTS: Median sleep latency was significantly lower with zaleplon, 10 and 20 mg, than with placebo during all 4 weeks of treatment and with zaleplon, 5 mg, for the first 3 weeks. Zaleplon, 20 mg, also significantly increased sleep duration compared with placebo in all but week 3 of the study. There was no evidence of rebound insomnia or withdrawal symptoms after discontinuation of 4 weeks of zaleplon treatment. Zolpidem, 10 mg, significantly decreased sleep latency, increased sleep duration, and improved sleep quality at most timepoints compared with placebo; however, after discontinuation of zolpidem treatment, the incidence of withdrawal symptoms was significantly greater than that with placebo and there was an indication of significant rebound insomnia for some patients in the zolpidem group compared with those in the placebo group. The frequency of adverse events in the active treatment groups did not differ significantly from that in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Zaleplon is effective in the treatment of insomnia. In addition, zaleplon appears to provide a favorable safety profile, as indicated by the absence of rebound insomnia and withdrawal symptoms once treatment was discontinued.

Acetamides↗

Possibilities and problems with identification and determination of "new" hypnotics.

Authors discuss problems with identification and determination of flunitrazepam and zolpidem in biological material (BM). Over the recent years, these two structurally different substances have become the most frequently used as well as abused hypnotic drugs. This study presents applicability of immunochemical methods in the screening of flunitrazepam, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs among the benzodiazepines. Herein described techniques, a liquid-liquid (L-L) extraction, solid phase extraction (SPE) and the so-called "freeze out" method are used for isolation of the above mentioned compounds from BM. Besides the thin layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) applied in qualitative analysis, the study also describes a gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD) optimized for the determination of flunitrazepam and zolpidem in blood (serum). Successful analyses of these two substances are of major importance, especially in interpreting the results of forensic toxicological examinations.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Etomidate, a new short acting, intravenous hypnotic.

Etomidate can be recommended for short procedures combined with fentanyl and for the induction of neuroleptanesthesia. It has advantages in poor risk patients because it has only negligible effects on the heart and the peripheral circulation. It has to taken in consideration though, that etomidate has only hypnotic and no analgesic action.

Anesthesia↗

Response-rate suppression in operant paradigm as predictor of soporific potency in rats and identification of three novel sedative-hypnotic neuroactive steroids.

Novel neuroactive steroids were evaluated for their effects on operant responding, rotorod motor performance, and electroencephalogram recording in rats. Co 134444, Co 177843, and Co 127501 were compared with the prototypical gamma-aminobutyric acid(A)-positive allosteric modulators triazolam, zolpidem, pentobarbital, pregnanolone, and CCD 3693. Each of the compounds produced a dose-related decrease in response rates under a variable-interval 2-min schedule of positive reinforcement in an operant paradigm. In addition, all compounds produced a dose-related increase in ataxia and significant increases in nonrapid eye movement sleep in this experiment or have been previously reported to do so. Co 134444, Co 177843, and Co 127501 increased nonrapid eye movement sleep at doses that had no effect on rapid eye movement sleep. All of the compounds were more potent at decreasing operant responding than they were at increasing ataxia. Furthermore, the potency of compounds to produce response-rate suppression in an operant paradigm appeared to be a better predictor of soporific potency than did potency in the rotorod assay. The screening for sedative-hypnotic activity resulted in the identification of the novel orally active neuroactive steroids Co 134444, Co 177843, and Co 127501.

Animals↗

Hypnotic activity of melatonin.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the effect of melatonin upon nocturnal and evening sleep. METHODS: Experiment I: The effect of melatonin (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10 mg), ingested at 23:30, was studied on nocturnal sleep (23:30-07:30) and core body temperature in 8 healthy volunteers. Performance was measured 8.5 h post-ingestion. On completion of the experiment dim light melatonin onsets (DLMO) were determined. Experiment II: The effect of melatonin (0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10 mg), ingested at 18:00, was studied on evening sleep (18:00-24:00) and core body temperature in 6 healthy volunteers. Performance was measured 6.5 h post-ingestion. Each experiment was placebo-controlled and double-blind with a cross-over design with temazepam (20 mg) as an active control. RESULTS: Experiment I: Melatonin (5 mg) reduced the duration of stage 3 in the first 100 min of sleep. Melatonin (0.1 mg) reduced body temperature 6.5 to 7 h post-ingestion. Temazepam increased stage 2, reduced wakefulness and stage 1, and increased the latency to REM sleep. Temazepam reduced body temperature 4.5 to 6.5 h post-ingestion. There were no changes in performance compared with placebo. DLMO occurred between 20:40 and 23:15. Experiment II: Melatonin (all doses) increased total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency index (SEI) and stage 2, and reduced wakefulness. Temazepam increased TST, SEI, stage 2 and slow-wave sleep, and reduced wakefulness. There were no changes in body temperature or performance compared with placebo. CONCLUSION: Melatonin given at 23:30 has no significant clinical effect on nocturnal sleep in healthy individuals. Hypnotic activity of melatonin when given in the early evening (presumably in the absence of endogenous melatonin) is similar to 20 mg temazepam.

Adult↗

Preliminary randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of tryptophan combined with fluoxetine to treat major depressive disorder: antidepressant and hypnotic effects.

OBJECTIVE: Because the initial phase of treatment of depression with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor is often complicated by a delayed onset of action of the antidepressant or severe insomnia or both, we investigated whether tryptophan, an amino acid with both antidepressant-augmenting and hypnotic effects, would benefit patients with depression at the beginning of treatment with fluoxetine. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. PATIENTS: Thirty individuals with major depressive disorder. INTERVENTIONS: Treatment over 8 weeks with 20 mg of fluoxetine per day and either tryptophan (2 to 4 g per day) or placebo. OUTCOME MEASURES: Mood was assessed using the 29-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-29) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Laboratory sleep studies were done at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment using standard procedures. RESULTS: During the first week of treatment, there was a significantly greater decrease in HDRS-29 depression scores, and a similar trend in BDI scores, in the tryptophan/fluoxetine group than in the placebo/fluoxetine group. No significant differences were noted at later time points. With respect to sleep measures, there was a significant group-by-time interaction for slow-wave sleep at week 4. Further analysis revealed a significant decrease in slow-wave sleep after 4 weeks of treatment in the placebo/fluoxetine group, but not in the tryptophan/fluoxetine group. No cases of serotonin syndrome occurred, and the combination was well tolerated, although the 4 g per day dosage of tryptophan produced daytime drowsiness. CONCLUSIONS: Combining 20 mg of fluoxetine with 2 g of tryptophan daily at the outset of treatment for major depressive disorder appears to be a safe protocol that may have both a rapid antidepressant effect and a protective effect on slow-wave sleep. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these initial findings.

Adolescent↗

Comparative tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of a metabolite of a quinolizinone hypnotic and zolpidem in healthy subjects.

The objectives of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study were to assess the single dose tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of Ro 41-3290 (5, 10, and 30 mg) and zolpidem (10 mg) in three sequential groups of 10 healthy male subjects. Pharmacodynamic (tracking, attention, and memory test) and pharmacokinetic measurements were conducted over a period of 24 and 50 h, respectively, after drug intake. Ro 41-3290 was well tolerated at all doses as was zolpidem. Performance in both a tracking and a memory search test was affected at 1.5 h after administration of zolpidem, whereas effects had vanished by 8 h. Ro 41-3290 induced moderate, dose-independent effects, which were most pronounced at 4 h after intake. Long-term memory, as assessed by a word learning and recall test, was not clearly affected by any drug. The pharmacokinetics of Ro 41-3290 were dose proportional with an elimination half-life of approximately 8 h. The relatively slow absorption of Ro 41-3290 (t(max) approximately 2.5 h) and the concentration-effect time delay do not make it a good candidate to replace its parent compound Ro 41-3696 as an investigational hypnotic.

Adult↗

Implications of hypnotic flexibility on patterns of clinical use.

Insomnia is common among the primary care patient population, 1.3 times more common in women than men, and the prevalence increases with age. Until recently, benzodiazepines (BZs) were the only first-line hypnotics, but with the availability of non-BZ sleep agents, the management of insomnia is changing. Zolpidem and zopiclone have adverse-effect profiles similar to BZs but lack next-day residual effects with bedtime dosing. Zaleplon is a fast-onset, rapidly eliminated medication that allows for dosing at bedtime or during the night with minimal concern for residual effects. In addition, the BZ-associated problems of tolerance and rebound effects are not evident with long-term zaleplon use. The pharmacokinetic profile of zaleplon has the potential to allow for the treatment of symptoms of sleeplessness when they occur, an approach that could replace the standard practice of always treating in anticipation of a problem.

Acetamides↗