Eszopiclone, a new sleeping drug, improves sleep among elderly patients

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

The largest sleep lab-based trial of an insomnia treatment for the elderly shows the effectiveness of eszopiclone.
Insomnia is especially common among older people and often leads to daytime sleepiness. This, in turn, can increase the risk of falls and injuries and may even result in a misdiagnosis of insomnia because of apparent cognitive impairment. A new drug, eszopiclone, looks as if it may be an effective treatment for insomnia in the elderly.

A team at Wake Forest University gave eszopiclone or placebo to a group of patients with insomnia aged 64 to 85. Their response was monitored by both sleep lab studies and self-report. Those in the active treatment group had a marked improvement of insomnia with better quality and depth of sleep, but without morning sleepiness. Importantly, they were also less prone to daytime napping which could improve overall functioning. The study lasted only two weeks so there is now a need for longer-term studies to assess the effectiveness of eszopiclone.

Source
Current Medical Research and Opinion July 2006