Trazodone for sleep disturbance in opioid dependent patients maintained on buprenorphine: A double blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbances are seen even in individuals on opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Established pharmacotherapy for sleep disturbances such as benzodiazepines have misuse potential and increased mortality risk in patients with OAT. No study has explored the role of trazodone on sleep disturbance in individuals maintained on buprenorphine. We aimed to assess the efficacy of trazodone in improving sleep disturbance among individuals maintained on buprenorphine.

Methods: The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, randomised trial. Adult males (18-60 years) stabilised on buprenorphine with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score of above five, without other psychiatric comorbidity were randomised to receive either trazodone (50-150mg per day) or placebo. Sleep-50 questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)-21, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for opioid craving, and PSQI were assessed at baseline and at the end of six weeks.

Results: Fifty-one patients were allocated to trazodone arm and 49 to placebo arm. Side-effects of trazodone were minimal and well-tolerated with comparable discontiuation rates between both groups. Significantly greater proportion of patients on trazodone (82%, mean dose 101.9 mg) had PSQI scores five or less than those on placebo (16%) at the end of six weeks. Sleep improvement was in various components like sleep quality, latency, efficiency, and duration of sleep.

Conclusion: Trazodone is well-tolerated and effective in improving sleep disturbances in individuals with opioid dependence maintained on buprenorphine over a six-week period.

Keywords: Buprenorphine; Randomised clinical trials; Sleep disorders; Trazodone; Treatment outcome.