Zaleplon: Facts Behind This Non-benzodiazepine Sedative For Insomnia

Zaleplon is a non-benzodiazepine sedative which is often termed as a hypnotic. You need to know some other facts regarding this insomnia medication.

If you are trying to get some sleep yet you do not know which medication to take, allow us to introduce to you some other drugs which you may ingest. Besides benzodiazepine sedatives, there are also those called non-benzodiazepines. Each drug found under this class of insomnia medication may be a sleeping pill or a hypnotic. One example of the latter is called zaleplon.

Zaleplon - as a hypnotic - is an insomnia treatment that induces sleep easily. Although it is not as popular as other drugs found under the benzodiazepine sedatives category like lorazepam and triazolam, this medication certainly has its own features to boast of. Aside from being approved by the FDA since 1999, it also has the capability to attach to the nerve receptors which conditions the mind to get ample sleep.

Zaleplon significant facts

If you intend to ask your doctor about this non-benzodiazepine sedative, it pays to give closer attention to all the facts behind it. Zaleplon is unique in some ways thus take a look at the following:

• Prescription and Dosage. Unlike eszoplicone which can be used for as long as six months, zaleplon should be taken in for the short-term of insomnia only – that is, for seven to 10 days. It should be taken with the prescription of a doctor and is available in 5 and 10 mg. capsules. Ingesting this drug will help when taken by people who have difficulty falling asleep. However, it is not for insomniacs whose main problem is the inability to maintain sleep for the entire evening.

• Contraindications. Taking advantage of the effects of zaleplon, you must not combine it with a high-fat meal. Such a meal will slow down your system’s ability to absorb the drug thus making it work inefficiently. Alcohol intake, on the other hand, will result to excessive sleeping. Take note also of its interactions with the following drugs:

• Rifampin. Taking this drug lowers the blood’s absorption of zaleplon by 80%. This then leads to decrease of the drug’s efficacy.

• Cimetidine. While ingesting cimetidine, increases zaleplon’s absorption in the bloodstream. You need to lower your doses of the latter in order not to induce into too much sleep.

• Warnings. Both pregnant and nursing mothers may be at risk in taking zaleplon. If you are under these stages, you should not attempt to take the drug. This non-benzodiazepine is said to have some effects on the fetus and the quality of a mother’s milk.

• Side Effects. The most common negative effects of zaleplon on a patient are head and stomach aches, dizziness, drowsiness, muscle pain and amnesia. Dependence on the drug may also occur in some patients.

One important thing to note when taking a hypnotic such as zaleplon is to be very careful to giving-in to addiction. Not because you cannot sleep means you are allowed to take the drug every time you feel the need to sleep. It is better to take extra careful steps than to be at a greater loss later on.

Tags: hypnotic, insomnia, insomnia treatment, non-benzodiazepine sedatives, zaleplon

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