Chronic use of triazolam: the effects on the sleep patterns of insomniacs

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of triazolam 0.5 mg on the sleep of insomniac patients when given for 3 weeks. The results showed that both acute and chronic triazolam administration are effective in decreasing sleep latency, increasing sleep duration, increasing sleep efficiency and decreasing total wake time without producing major effects on sleep staging. Sleep Stages 1 and 2 were significantly altered by drug treatment but in a positive direction. This change is primarily attributable to the significant decrease in sleep onset. Deep sleep and REM were not significantly changed during triazolam treatment nor was there any evidence of REM rebound after discontinuation of the medication. It was noted that some of the sleep parameters measured shifted toward baseline measures in the first night after triazolam treatment was terminated. However, the total recovery period recorded (7 days) showed the quality and quantity of sleep obtained to be improved over baseline measures. The recovery data compared favourably with those improvements noted during chronic administration of triazolam. It was also found that 3 weeks of triazolam 0.5 mg usage did not result in tolerance to its hypnotic properties. Thus, triazolam maintains its hypnotic effectiveness throughout 3 weeks of administration.