-
European Journal of Clinical... Mar 2020Insomnia is highly prevalent in older persons and significantly impacts quality of life, functional abilities, and health status. It is frequently treated with...
PURPOSE
Insomnia is highly prevalent in older persons and significantly impacts quality of life, functional abilities, and health status. It is frequently treated with benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. Due to adverse events, an increased use of alternative sedative medications has been observed in older adults. We aimed to study the efficacy and safety of alternative sedative medications for treating insomnia in older people, excluding benzodiazepines and Z-drugs.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central register of Controlled Trials databases. We included randomized controlled trials and prospective and retrospective quasi-experimental studies, conducted in patients older than 65 years, without psychiatric or neurological comorbidities.
RESULTS
The systematic search yielded 9483 articles, of which 24 were included in this review, describing nine different sleep medications in total. No clear beneficial impact on sleep could be demonstrated in studies investigating the impact of melatonin (n = 10), paroxetine (n = 1), diphenhydramine (n = 1), tiagabine (n = 2), and valerian (n = 1). Ramelteon slightly improved sleep latency (n = 4), while doxepin was found to provide a sustained sleep improvement with a safety profile that was comparable to placebo (n = 3). Suvorexant showed an improved sleep maintenance with only mild side effects (n = 1). One study detected increased adverse effects of trazodone after 3 months but did not evaluate the effect on sleep.
CONCLUSIONS
The overall level of evidence was limited, making it difficult to draw robust conclusions. Preliminary evidence points towards suvorexant, doxepin, and possibly ramelteon as effective and safe pharmacological alternatives for treating insomnia in older adults.
Topics: Aged; Benzodiazepines; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Retrospective Studies; Sleep; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
PubMed: 31838549
DOI: 10.1007/s00228-019-02812-z -
The Senior Care Pharmacist Feb 2021The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the available evidence for safety and efficacy of over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids used for the treatment of...
The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the available evidence for safety and efficacy of over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids used for the treatment of insomnia in older people.
PubMed, EBSCO, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts.
Five studies were included that involved humans 65 years of age and older being evaluated on OTC sleep aids in the outpatient setting.
Data extraction from each study included primary and secondary efficacy endpoints, such as differences in the mean total sleep time, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and number of awakenings, along with safety endpoints, such as psychomotor ability, cognitive ability, and adverse effect profiles. Both subjective and objective measures of changes in sleep and adverse effects were included.
Diphenhydramine had a statistically significant increase in sedation and decrease in number of awakenings but was not shown to be any less or more safe than compared products. Despite lacking safety issues, valerian was found to have no effect on subjective or objective sleep outcomes. Overall, melatonin had the most evidence and was found to have a statistically significant positive impact on sleep measures without safety issues.
Diphenhydramine and melatonin appear to be efficacious in improving some sleep measures while causing minimal adverse effects. However, there are very few studies that examine the use of over-the-counter sleep aids in those 65 years of age and older with primary insomnia. Additional studies are needed in this population.Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Diphenhydramine; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Melatonin; Nonprescription Drugs; Sleep; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Valerian
PubMed: 33509331
DOI: 10.4140/TCP.n.2021.83 -
The Journal of Emergency Medicine Feb 2021Neuroleptics are commonly prescribed drugs to treat acute conditions (e.g., migraines) in the emergency department, but can cause serious adverse effects. Using... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Neuroleptics are commonly prescribed drugs to treat acute conditions (e.g., migraines) in the emergency department, but can cause serious adverse effects. Using diphenhydramine to prevent these adverse effects is very common but remains controversial.
OBJECTIVE
We performed a systematic review to determine whether prophylactic administration of diphenhydramine reduces the incidence of neuroleptic adverse effects in patients with acute conditions.
METHODS
Medline, Embase, Cochrane, PsycInfo, and Web of Science were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating any neuroleptic with diphenhydramine vs. the same neuroleptic with any inactive agent. Primary outcome was incidence of any extrapyramidal adverse effect. Secondary outcomes were akathisia, rescue medication, subjective restlessness, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and sedation. Independent reviewers scanned identified citations, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Meta-analysis was performed using random effect models.
RESULTS
Of 1566 identified citations, nine studies (n = 1648 patients) met eligibility criteria. Four studies were specifically designed to compare the incidence of neuroleptic adverse effects with and without co-administration of diphenhydramine. Four studies were at high risk of bias. In primary analysis, diphenhydramine had no effect on the incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (7 studies, n = 1393, risk ratio [RR] 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44-1.31) or akathisia (5 studies, n = 1094; RR 0.78; 95% CI 0.33-1.82) or any of the secondary outcomes. In subgroup analysis, diphenhydramine was associated with a significant decrease in extrapyramidal adverse effects compared with placebo (4 studies, n = 705; RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.41-0.90). Dosage analysis yielded no further information.
CONCLUSIONS
When compared with placebo, diphenhydramine was associated with a significant reduction of extrapyramidal adverse effects. Overall quality of evidence is low. Further studies are warranted.
Topics: Antipsychotic Agents; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Diphenhydramine; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Psychomotor Agitation
PubMed: 33131965
DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.09.031