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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1791238
Original Article

Medical Professionals and Pharmacological Intervention for the Treatment of Insomnia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Antonios Liaskopoulos 
1   Psychological Applications in Health Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
,
Vasileios Kakouris 
2   Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
,
Nikolaos Liaskopoulos 
3   Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece
4   Psychiatric Clinic, General University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece
,
Andreas S. Lappas 
3   Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece
5   Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Newport, Wales, United Kingdom
,
Nikolaos Christodoulou 
3   Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece
,
Myrto Samara 
3   Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece
› Institutsangaben Funding The authors declare that they did not receive funding from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors to conduct the present study.
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Abstract

Objective To explore the preferences of medical practitioners concerning various medications and other remedies to manage insomnia, and to ascertain whether these preferences are associated with their respective medical specialties.

Materials and Methods Employing the snowball sampling technique, we administered two versions of a questionnaire to an international group of medical professionals, including trainees and specialists from diverse medical backgrounds.

Results Zopiclone, zolpidem, and mirtazapine were evaluated as the most effective treatments for insomnia, while physicians would typically avoid using other tricyclic antidepressants, dual orexin receptor antagonists, and tryptophan for insomnia treatment. Noteworthy statistical correlations between physicians' specialty and preferred drug therapy, were observed in three out of five cases: 1) first-line drug treatment for short-term intervention against insomnia; (2) second-line treatment for long-term intervention; and 3) cases involving the elderly.

Discussion Psychiatrists demonstrated a greater preference for antipsychotics and antidepressants for the treatment of insomnia compared with other physicians. Conversely, other medical professionals exhibited a preference for benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (zopiclone and zolpidem). Although Z-drugs were evaluated as the most effective in the treatment of insomnia, in the clinical practice, physicians administer or would administer antidepressant or antipsychotic drugs more often (mirtazapine and quetiapine respectively). Regarding Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists (DORAs), the high prevalence of “Do not know/No opinion” answers implies that our sample was not familiar with this innovative treatment.

Keywords

preference - insomnia - drugs

Supplementary Material



Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 08. Dezember 2023

Angenommen: 24. Juli 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
23. Oktober 2024

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