Quetiapine in the Treatment of Sleep Disturbances Associated with Addictive Conditions: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Sleep disturbances are a common finding in the clinical practice of addictions. Clinical management of insomnia is known to influence the prognosis of the addiction and the success of the detoxication process itself (Peles, Schreiber, and Adelson, 2006; Pace-Schott, Stickgold, Muzur, Wigren, Ward, et al., 2005; Bootzin and Stevens, 2005; Maher, 2004). Thus the relevance of controlling sleep disturbances from the very beginning of the detoxification process. However, managing this situation is often not easy for the clinician. The classical option of using sedating–hypnotic drugs to treat insomnia in polydrug users presents objections: the tolerance associated to high doses of benzodiacepines chronic abuse ¹ in many drug addicts obliges the clinician to use high doses of hypnotics, both in acute detoxificaton and the following de-habituation, with the associated resulting risk of dependence and undesirable side effects (excessive sedation, nocturnal enuresis, ataxia, etc).

¹Note. The journal's style utilizes the category substance abuse as a diagnostic category. Substances are used or misused; living organisms are and can be abused. Editor's note.

Keywords:

• Insomnia
• sleep disturbances
• addiction
• substance abuse
• drug abuse
• treatment
• quetiapine

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical, Spain, for providing partial financial support for this investigator-sponsored study to cover statistical analysis and writing support for the development of this manuscript.

Notes

¹Note. The journal's style utilizes the category substance abuse as a diagnostic category. Substances are used or misused; living organisms are and can be abused. Editor's note.

* This questionnaire is administered systematically per protocol at our center in each visit to all patients with some sleep disturbance associated with their addictive condition.