Citation

Mamelak M, Buck L, Csima A, Price V, Smiley A. Sleep 1987; 10(Suppl 1): 79-87.

Affiliation

Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Publisher Associated Professional Sleep Societies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3438646

Abstract

Three groups of ten middle-aged insomniac patients were treated with placebo, flurazepam, or zopiclone for 12 consecutive days in a study designed to compare the residual daytime effects of long-acting flurazepam and short-acting zopiclone on a variety of cognitive and motor tasks. These effects were examined independently and in combination with ethanol effects. The effects of the drugs on sleep parameters were also subjectively assessed by means of questionnaires during treatment and withdrawal. The study demonstrated persistent performance effects with flurazepam. Testing at the end of the treatment period showed that movement time was impaired in the flurazepam treated group. Flurazepam also enhanced the increment of movement time produced by ethanol. One subject became severely confused when given ethanol after using flurazepam for 12 days. None of these effects were found with zopiclone. The rapid elimination of zopiclone may account for these findings.

Language: en