Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct 4:2013:212257.
doi: 10.7573/dic.212257.

Managing insomnia: an overview of insomnia and pharmacologic treatment strategies in use and on the horizon

Thomas L Schwartz  1 , Viral Goradia  1
Affiliations

Managing insomnia: an overview of insomnia and pharmacologic treatment strategies in use and on the horizon

Thomas L Schwartz et al. Drugs Context. .

Abstract

This review explores basic sleep physiology, the mechanism of action for each class of hypnotic agents, their clinical application based on pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic factors, and potential pharmacologic sleep-inducing mechanisms of future hypnotics. The paper challenges the reader to understand the neuroscientific basis of insomnia and use this knowledge to guide prescription of hypnotic agents. Currently indicated hypnotic agents are discussed with regard to their mechanism of drug action and clinical application. A broader discussion is developed throughout this paper regarding other non-indicated agents that may improve sleep and describing newer pharmacological treatments that may become available in the future for use in sleep disorders and their comorbid conditions.

Keywords: hypnotic agents; insomnia; sedatives; sleep.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Nierenberg AA, Husain MM, Trivedi MH, et al. Residual symptoms after remission of major depressive disorder with citalopram and risk of relapse: a STAR*D report. Psychol Med. 2010;40:41–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291709006011. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chellappa SL, Araujo JF. Sleep disorders and suicidal ideation in patients with depressive disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2007;153:131–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2006.05.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stahl SM. The 7 habits of highly effective psychopharmacologists: overview. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000;61:242–3. http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.v61n0401. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stahl SM. Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: neuroscientific basis and practical applications. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press; 2008.
    1. Stahl SM. Essential Psychopharmacology: The Prescriber’s Guide. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2005.