Exploration Of Effect Of Zaleplon For Secondary Insomnia Which Results From Depression

Sleep disorder is a common kind of chief complaint of patients, particularly in department of neurology and pathergasiology. Ten percent to 40% of adults have intermittent insomnia, and 15% have long-term sleep difficulties, and pharmacologic therapy for insomnia has been also playing an important role. At present, pharmacologic therapy is to incline to use short-acting agents, such as short-acting benzodiazepine hypnotic and non-benzodiazepine hypnotic(zopiclone, zolpidem, and zaleplon ). In these short-acting agents, zaleplon has several ascendancy. Recent studies demonstrate the obvious efficacy of zaleplon at initiating sleep in adult with primary insomnia. But its effect of treating secondary insomnia is few reported. To evaluate its effect of insomnia results from depression, we performed a random, single blind and placebo control shudy. We hope that our study will add further evidence and clinical guidance for the zaleplon in treating secondary insomnia.MATERICALS AND METHODS1. SubjectsSubjects considered for participation were depression patients with insomnia in our hospital from June 2006 to December 2006, contained 17 males and 22 females. The mean age is 42. 3±12. 3.2. MethodsThirty nine patients with depression were recruited. A single-blind, randomized parallel design with two treatment groups ( group one and group two ) was used. Group one's patients were given 20 mildigrams Fluoxetine ( at 8 am every day ) and 100 mildigrams oryzanol ( simulated placebo) before sleep every day, and group two's patients were given 20 mildigrams Fluoxetine ( at 8 am every day ) and 5 mildigrams zaleplon before sleep every day. The whole study lasted 3 weeks. The scores of Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD) and polysomnographic recordings were obtained on night before the start of the trail , and on the night of the last day, we obtained these date again.SPSS 13.0 software package was administered for statistics analysis. The date ( before and after the treatment ) of patients were tested with t test. In the statistical analysis of this study, probabilities lower than 0. 05 were take as significant.RESULTSForty six patients met the study criteria , and seven patients exited during the trail. The group one's sleep factor of HMAD had decreased from 5.1±0.9 at baseline to 3.3±1.5 ( P<0. 001 ). The sleep latence of the patients who were administered zaleplon was decreased from 39.1±39.4minutes to 16.5±8.6 minutes ( P=0. 02<0. 05 ), and the group's sleep latence shortening of another group was not significant ( decreased from 48.1±35.7 minutes to 40.4±35.3 minutes ( P>0.05 ). The change of the both groups' total sleep time, S_3/4%, and REM% was not significant at before and after the administration.CONCLUSION1. zaleplom has a conspicuous effect of shortening the sleep latence of the patients with depression.2. zaleplon has not significant affect the total sleep time of the patints with depression.3. The sleep construction was not significant changed after administration of zaleplon.