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Treatment
Review: sedative hypnotics may improve sleep quality but increase adverse effects in elderly people with insomnia

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.9.3.87

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    Glass J, Lanctot KL, Herrmann N, et al. Sedative hypnotics in older people with insomnia: meta-analysis of risks and benefits. BMJ 2005;331:1169.

    Q What are the benefits and risks of short term use of sedative hypnotics for insomnia in elderly people?

    METHODS

    Embedded ImageData sources:

    Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Cochrane Clinical Trials database, and PsycLIT (1966–2003); bibliographies of published reviews; and 3 manufacturers of sedative hypnotics (unpublished studies).

    Embedded ImageStudy selection and assessment:

    English language randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared treatment with sedative hypnotics (prescription or over the counter drugs) for ⩾5 consecutive nights with placebo or another active treatment in people ⩾60 years of age who met predetermined criteria for insomnia. Studies had to exclude patients with psychiatric disorders or severe or acute physical illness that could disrupt sleep; ensure that participants were cognitively able …

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    Footnotes

    • ↵* Calculated from data in article.

    • For correspondence: Dr U E Busto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. usoa_busto{at}camh.net

    • Source of funding: no external funding.