Zolpidem dependence case series: possible neurobiological mechanisms and clinical management
| Autor: | Ch. K. Nikolaou, A. I. Liappas, N. P. Dimopoulos, O. E. Gitsa, Ioannis Liappas, George N. Christodoulou, P. N. Malitas |
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| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Zolpidem medicine.drug_class Pyridines Substance-Related Disorders Craving Anxiolytic Hypnotic 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders Medicine Humans Hypnotics and Sedatives Pharmacology (medical) Psychiatry GABA Agonists Aged Pharmacology Aged 80 and over Benzodiazepine business.industry GABAA receptor musculoskeletal neural and ocular physiology Middle Aged medicine.disease Receptors GABA-A 030227 psychiatry Substance abuse Psychiatry and Mental health Sedative Female medicine.symptom business psychological phenomena and processes 030217 neurology & neurosurgery medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England). 17(1) |
| ISSN: | 0269-8811 |
| Popis: | Zolpidem is a short-acting imidazopyridine hypnotic that is an agonist at the γ-aminobutyric acid A type (GABAA) receptor. It has been suggested that it acts selectively on α1 subunit-containing GABAA benzodiazepine (BZ1) receptors presenting (contrary to classic benzodiazepines) low or no affinity for other subtypes. Therefore, it has been proposed that it lacks the benzodiazepines-like side-effects, having minimal abuse and dependence potential. Nevertheless, there is a considerable number of zolpidem dependence case reports in the literature. We present eight cases of zolpidem abuse and dependence without criminal record, without history of substance abuse (except for one alcohol abuser), with minor psychiatric disorders, who took zolpidem after physicians prescription in order to deal with their insomnia. However, they became zolpidem abusers not craving its sedative, but its anxiolytic and stimulating action, which helped them to cope with everyday activities. It is possible that, in the high doses that our patients used, zolpidem abandons its selectivity for BZ1 receptors and demonstrates all the actions of classic benzodiazepines. Molecular biology, via possible mutations on GABA receptors, may provide some answers as to why our eight patients (who did not differ much from the thousands of insomniacs who use zolpidem) and other zolpidem abusers, raised the dose progressively, and sought something from the drug other than hypnotic action. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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