MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR INSOMNIA
Identifying the root cause of insomnia plays a crucial role in the treatment of this condition. Managing and overcoming the underlying root cause is considered as the only way to treat insomnia. It would be a waste of time and resources to attempt to treat insomnia without getting rid of the cause that triggered it.
The treatments that will be mentioned in this article can be used with other therapies that target the treatment of the root cause. The treatment should also be appropriate for the condition and the medical background of the patient. Combining these medical treatments with other behavioral approaches will increase effectiveness of the treatment. A study revealed that combining sedatives with behavioral therapies have been more effective than using sedatives alone.
Benzodiapine sedatives are one of the medical treatments considered for insomnia. These would include temazepam (Restoril), flurazepam (Dalmane), triazolam (Halcion), estazolam (Prosom, Eurodin), lorazepam (Ativan), and clonazepam (Klonopin).
The nonbenzodiapine sedatives that can also be used to treat insomnia include eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonasta), and zolpidem (Ambien). Another medical approach is using melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that controls sleep. The production or secretion of melatonin takes place during the dark hours of the day and night cycle. Sleep wake cycles are also regulated at nighttime by melatonin.
The levels of melatonin during daytime are relatively low because increasing the level is a technique of the pineal gland to respond to darkness. But, as a person grows older, the amount of melatonin that a person's body produces also lowers down. Patients who suffer circadian rhythm problems can get benefits from melatonin. Melatonin receptors can be stimulated by a prescription drug called ramelteon (Rozerem). This drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia treatment, is used for promoting the onset of sleep. Circadian rhythm disorders are also regulated through this drug.
People suffering from depression and insomnia may also take anti-depressants containing sedative characteristics. But these antidepressants are not advisable for those who are not suffering from depression, even though they may have insomnia. Because they can induce sleepiness, antihistamines with sedative properties such as diphenhydramine or doxylamine can also be a treatment for insomnia.
But improment of the quality of sleep is not guaranteed by these drugs. Using them for chronic insomnia is also not advisable. In United States, there is also a herbal medication that has become popularly used to treat insomnia, Valeriana officinalis (Valerian). However, no studies yet support the medicinal benefits brought about by this medication to patients suffering from insomnia.