Matalon A, Yinnon A M, Hurwitz A
Kfar Ganim Kupat Holim Clinic, Petach-Tikva, Israel.
Fam Pract. 1990 Dec;7(4):258-60. doi: 10.1093/fampra/7.4.258.
Insomnia is a common symptom in family practice, and hypnotics are frequently prescribed for its treatment. A survey was performed in an urban clinic serving 1900 persons in order to detect the prevalence of this disorder and to reassess the need for hypnotics. Sixty-one patients were identified who were taking prescribed hypnotic drugs, mainly benzodiazepines. All were over the age of 40, and they comprised 8.1% of this age group. Forty-five were chronic users, taking hypnotics for more than 4 months during a 6-month study period. Eighty-nine percent of these chronic users were above 60 years of age. Seventy-seven percent had difficulty initiating sleep and 23% had problems maintaining sleep. Information was given to these patients on the side effects and possible addictive nature of chronic hypnotic use. Different kinds of psychological support were offered as alternatives to drug treatment, but these were refused by all. We conclude that in view of the addiction associated with chronic use and the difficulty of weaning patients off the sleeping pill, there is a place for more careful evaluation and management before hypnotics are prescribed.
失眠是家庭医疗中的常见症状，催眠药常用于其治疗。在一家为1900人服务的城市诊所进行了一项调查，以检测这种疾病的患病率，并重新评估对催眠药的需求。确定了61名正在服用处方催眠药的患者，主要是苯二氮䓬类药物。所有患者年龄均超过40岁，占该年龄组的8.1%。45名是长期使用者，在6个月的研究期间服用催眠药超过4个月。这些长期使用者中有89%年龄在60岁以上。77%的人入睡困难，23%的人难以维持睡眠。向这些患者提供了关于长期使用催眠药的副作用和可能成瘾性的信息。提供了不同类型的心理支持作为药物治疗的替代方法，但都被患者拒绝。我们得出结论，鉴于长期使用催眠药会导致成瘾以及让患者停用安眠药存在困难，在开处方使用催眠药之前，有必要进行更仔细的评估和管理。
