Treatment of insomnia in older adults. Recommendations of the Polish Sleep Research Society, Polish Society of Family Medicine and the Polish Psychiatric Association.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of prolonged-release melatonin as a treatment for insomnia in people over 65 years of age.
Results Summary
The study found that prolonged-release melatonin is indicated for older adults due to its high safety profile, though it is used as a supplementary treatment when cognitive and behavioral therapy is insufficient. Nonbenzodiazepine sedative hypnotics were noted as less safe for this age group.
Population
People over 65 years of age with insomnia.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia | decrease | insomnia | people over 65 years of age | - | should also be used as the primary form of treatment | #1 |
nonbenzodiazepine sedative hypnotics (zolpidem, zopiclone, eszopiclone, zaleplon) | no change | treatment safety | people over 65 years of age | - | do not fully meet the needs | #2 |
other classes of medicines, which are used for treatment of mental disorders | decrease | insomnia | people over 65 years of age | - | are prescribed off-label | #3 |
Melatonin in a prolonged-release form | decrease | insomnia | people over 65 years of age | - | is also indicated | #4 |
Melatonin in a prolonged-release form | increase | treatment safety | people over 65 years of age | - | high safety of the therapy | #5 |
Insomnia is one of the most common health problems in developed countries. Its prevalence increases with age, with up to one in two people over the age of 65 experiencing symptoms of insomnia. The older people are also the patients who mostly commonly are among chronic sleep medication users. The aim of this article is to present the current recommendations for the management of insomnia in people over 65 years of age. The recommendations were prepared as a position of an expert panel, which included people from a number of clinical disciplines: family medicine, cardiology, psychiatry, sleep medicine and clinical psychopharmacology. The first step in treating sleep disorders is to establish proper diagnosis and, if possible, to initiate causal treatment. Moreover, cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia should also be used as the primary form of treatment, which can be supplemented, if not sufficiently effective, with pharmacological treatment. The main group of drugs used for treating insomnia are nonbenzodiazepine sedative hypnotics (zolpidem, zopiclone, eszopiclone, zaleplon). However, these drugs do not fully meet the needs of people over 65 years of age, primarily with regard to treatment safety. Therefore other classes of medicines, which are used for treatment of mental disorders, are prescribed off-label in this group of patients. Melatonin in a prolonged-release form is also indicated for this age group due to the high safety of the therapy. The management of insomnia in people over 65 years of age is a challenging task, given the need to seek compromise between treatment efficacy and safety. The treatment plan also has to take into account comorbidities as well as drugs used to treat them.