患者の満足感を考慮した睡眠薬の選択  [in Japanese] Selection of Hypnotic Agents Based on Patient Satisfaction  [in Japanese]

In the treatment of insomnia, assessment of the state of sleep is important in finding suitable hypnotics for individual patients. Though physicians select hypnotics according to general condition and concomitant medicines, patients are not always satisfied with their quality of sleep. We conducted interviews to assess sleeping conditions and satisfaction with hypnotics in 205 patients who included those treated with zolpidem (n=66, 32.2%) and brotizolam (n=60, 29.3%). No significant differences were observed in patient backgrounds between those taking zolpidem and brotizolam. Both medicines showed clinical efficacy matching their pharmacological characteristics. The onset of sleep tended to be quicker for zolpidem than for brotizolam. The number of patients who awoke before 5 o'clock was greater for zolpidem. Alternative hypnotics should be considered for patients who are not satisfied with the one they have been given due to these characteristics of the prescribed drugs.