What medications are used to treat insomnia?
The main classes of medications used to treat insomnia are the sedatives and hypnotics, such as the benzodiazepines and the non-benzodiazepine sedatives. Several medications in the benzodiazepine class have been used successfully for the treatment of insomnia, and the most common ones include: • quazepam (Doral), • triazolam (Halcion), • estazolam (ProSom), • temazepam (Restoril), • flurazepam (Dalmane), and • lorazepam (Ativan). Another common benzodiazepine, diazepam (Valium), is typically not used to treat insomnia due to its longer sedative effects. Non-benzodiazepine sedatives are also used commonly for the treatment of insomnia and include most of the newer drugs. Some of the most common ones are: • zaleplon (Sonata), • zolpidem (Ambien or Ambien CR, Zolpimist), and • eszopiclone (Lunesta). Melatonin, a chemical released from the brain which induces sleep, has been tried in supplement form for treatment of insomnia as well. It has been generally ineffective in treating common typ
