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Related Concept Videos

Management of Insomnia01:19

Management of Insomnia

The sleep cycle, an integral part of human health, consists of several stages with distinct characteristics and functions. It begins with a transition from wakefulness to sleep, known as the light sleep phase, followed by the restorative deep sleep phase, essential for physical recovery and growth. The cycle concludes with the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, characterized by high brain activity and vivid dreaming. Insomnia, a prevalent sleep disorder, involves difficulty falling asleep, staying...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents01:17

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview01:23

Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview

Sedatives are drugs that alleviate anxiety, while hypnotics induce sleep. Both classes of medication suppress neuronal activity, leading to a calming effect for sedatives and facilitating sleep for hypnotics.
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines01:19

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines have both sedative and hypnotic properties. They include compounds such as diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax). Structurally, their cores are similar, consisting of the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring, but they share a common mechanism of action in the central nervous system (CNS).
Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. They bind to the GABAA receptor, increasing its affinity for GABA, which opens chloride...
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines01:14

CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

CNS depressants include drugs from the category of barbiturates and benzodiazepines. They are valuable medications for managing anxiety disorders and insomnia. Barbiturates, once used to induce and maintain sleep, have been replaced mainly by benzodiazepines due to barbiturate's toxicity, tolerance, and overdose risks. They interact with GABAA receptors, leading to sedation at low doses and potentially coma and death at higher doses. Phenobarbital, a long-acting barbiturate, possesses...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates01:20

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a drug class that acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to alleviate anxiety, promote relaxation and induce sleep.These drugs function by amplifying the actions of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), resulting in reduced neuronal activity. Barbiturates, a subset of sedatives and hypnotics first synthesized in the late 1800s, are categorized into ultra-short, short, intermediate, and long-acting groups based on their duration of effect. A key...

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High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
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Published on: October 20, 2023

Drugs for insomnia.

Nava Zisapel1

  • 1Tel Aviv University, Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Neurim Pharmaceuticals, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. navazis@post.tau.ac.il

Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs
|June 12, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review examines current and emerging insomnia medications, detailing their mechanisms, benefits, and risks. Careful drug selection is crucial for improving sleep quality and patient well-being while minimizing health risks.

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology of sleep disorders
  • Neuroscience of sleep-wake regulation

Background:

  • Sleep is a critical brain function regulated by complex neurochemical pathways.
  • Insomnia, prevalent in women and the elderly, involves sleep difficulties and daytime distress, posing significant health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current and emerging drug classes for insomnia pharmacotherapy.
  • To analyze the rationale, risks, and benefits associated with different insomnia medications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of published data on insomnia drug classes.
  • Analysis of Summary of Product Characteristics and Medline searches for hypnotic drugs and insomnia.

Main Results:

  • GABA(A) receptor modulators aid sleep onset but carry risks of dependence and impairment.
  • Melatonin receptor agonists offer a safer profile for milder insomnia and older patients.
  • Orexin and serotonin receptor antagonists show potential but face safety concerns.

Conclusions:

  • Insomnia drugs target diverse mechanisms with varying tolerability.
  • Optimal drug selection requires balancing sleep quality improvement against individual health risks.