Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2009 Oct;29(5):432-8. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0b013e3181b57b43.
A major problem related to hypnotic drug use is residual sedation the morning after bedtime administration. This constitutes a particular safety hazard for patients who have to drive a car the next morning. Information on the severity of residual effects is mainly derived from studies conducted with young healthy volunteers. However, most users of hypnotics are older people who may be more sensitive to drug effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the residual effects the morning after evening doses of temazepam 20 mg and zopiclone 7.5 mg on driving performance in healthy elderly drivers. Eighteen healthy elderly drivers (10 females and 8 males; mean age, 64.3 years) participated in a double-blind, 3-way crossover study. Treatments were single oral doses of temazepam 20 mg, zopiclone 7.5 mg, and placebo administered at bedtime. Subjects performed a standardized highway driving test between 10 and 11 hours after hypnotic intake. Before and after the driving test, cognitive performance was assessed. Driving performance did not differ between temazepam and placebo but was significantly impaired after zopiclone 7.5 mg (P < 0.002). The results of the laboratory tests were in line with the effects on driving of both hypnotics. Temazepam 20 mg is unlikely to impair driving 10 hours or more after bedtime administration in healthy elderly aged 75 years or younger. Zopiclone 7.5 mg moderately impairs driving in the elderly at least until 11 hours after administration. The magnitude of impairing effects in the elderly was comparable with those found previously in younger volunteers.
催眠药物使用的一个主要问题是在夜间给药后早晨的残留镇静作用。这对第二天早上必须开车的患者构成了特别的安全隐患。关于残留效应严重程度的信息主要来自于对年轻健康志愿者进行的研究。然而，大多数催眠药物使用者是老年人，他们可能对药物作用更敏感。本研究旨在评估健康老年驾驶员夜间服用替马唑仑 20mg 和佐匹克隆 7.5mg 后，早晨对驾驶表现的残留效应。18 名健康老年驾驶员（10 名女性和 8 名男性；平均年龄 64.3 岁）参加了一项双盲、三交叉研究。治疗方法为睡前单次口服替马唑仑 20mg、佐匹克隆 7.5mg 和安慰剂。受试者在催眠药物摄入后 10 至 11 小时进行标准化高速公路驾驶测试。在驾驶测试前后，评估认知表现。替马唑仑与安慰剂相比，驾驶表现无差异，但佐匹克隆 7.5mg 后显著受损（P<0.002）。实验室测试结果与两种催眠药物对驾驶的影响一致。在 75 岁或以下的健康老年人中，替马唑仑在睡前给药 10 小时或更长时间后不太可能损害驾驶能力。佐匹克隆 7.5mg 至少在给药后 11 小时内会中度损害老年人的驾驶能力。老年人的损害效应幅度与以前在年轻志愿者中发现的相当。
