title: Treatment of primary insomnia with trimipramine: an alternative to benzodiazepine hypnotics?
abstract: A group of 19 middle aged patients suffering from primary insomnia according to the DSM-III-R were treated in a single-blind study with trimipramine, a sedating antidepressant. A total of 15 patients completed the study protocol and were evaluated. The present pilot study aimed at investigating the sleep-inducing properties of trimipramine, and at clarifying the question of whether short- or long-term rebound insomnia occurs after discontinuation of this drug. At four measurement points, i.e. under baseline conditions, under treatment and 4 and 14 days after drug discontinuation, sleep was recorded with an ambulatory-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring device in the patient's home environment. Simultaneously, psychometric tests were applied to measure withdrawal symptoms, subjective sleep quality and well-being during daytime. Trimipramine at a mean dose of 166 +/- 48 mg led to a significant increase in sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and stage 2% sleep-period time (SPT), whereas a significant decrease in wake time and stage 1% SPT was noted. Insomniac patients reported an improvement in subjectively perceived sleep quality following trimipramine. Additionally, an improvement in well-being during the daytime occurred. Negative side effects were limited to dry mouth due to the anticholinergic properties of the drug. Discontinuation of trimipramine did not provoke either short- or long-term rebound insomnia in objective and subjective sleep measurements considering mean values of the whole sample, although a subgroup of patients did display total sleep times below baseline values during short- and long-term withdrawal, but generally without a concomitant worsening of sleep quality according to the sleep questionnaire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hohagen
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schönbrunn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dressing
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000187:drug effects; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D014299:Trimipramine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D014299:Trimipramine