eszopiclone and Attention-Deficit-Disorder-with-Hyperactivity

A large proportion of paediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have associated sleep problems which not only affect the child's wellbeing but also impact family functioning. Management of sleep problems is consequently an important aspect of overall ADHD management in paediatric patients. Although some drugs are being used off-label for the management of paediatric insomnia, there is scant clinical evidence supporting their use. Our aim was to identify and assess the quality of published studies reporting the safety, tolerability and efficacy of drugs used for treating behavioural insomnia in children with ADHD.. After an initial screen to determine which drugs were most commonly used, we conducted a systematic review of English-language publications from searches of PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and two trial register databases to February 2017, using keywords 'clonidine', 'melatonin', 'zolpidem', 'eszopiclone', 'L-theanine', 'guanfacine', 'ADHD', 'sleep disorder' and 'children'. For quality assessment of included studies, we used the CONSORT checklist for randomised control trials (RCTs) and the Downs and Black checklist for non-RCTs.. Twelve studies were included. Two case series for clonidine, two RCTs and four observational studies for melatonin and one RCT each for zolpidem, eszopiclone, L-theanine and guanfacine. Of the 12 included studies, only one on eszopiclone scored excellent for quality. The quality of the rest of the studies varied from moderate to low. For clonidine, melatonin and L-theanine, improvements in sleep-onset latency and total sleep duration were reported; however, zolpidem, eszopiclone and guanfacine failed to show any improvement when compared with placebo. Clonidine, melatonin, L-theanine, eszopiclone and guanfacine were well tolerated with mild to moderate adverse events; zolpidem was associated with neuropsychiatric adverse effects.. There is generally poor evidence for prescribing drugs for behavioural insomnia in children with ADHD. Further controlled studies are warranted.

Topics: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Child; Clonidine; Eszopiclone; Glutamates; Guanfacine; Humans; Melatonin; Observational Studies as Topic; Pyridines; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Zolpidem

To evaluate efficacy and safety of eszopiclone compared with placebo in children and adolescents with insomnia associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).. A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated efficacy and safety of high- or low-dose eszopiclone (1 or 2 mg in children aged 6-11 years, 2 or 3 mg in children ages 12-17 years), given every evening, in 486 patients with ADHD-related insomnia. The primary efficacy variable was change in latency to persistent sleep from baseline to week 12, based on polysomnography. Key secondary measures were polysomnography-measured wake time after sleep onset, Clinical Global Impression Parent/Caregiver and Child scales, and the Conners' ADHD rating scales. The safety of eszopiclone was further studied over 1 year of open-label treatment in 55 patients who completed the double-blind study, and 249 patients with no previous eszopiclone exposure.. Neither low-dose nor high-dose eszopiclone significantly reduced latency to persistent sleep compared with placebo after 12 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes were considered nonsignificant based on the hierarchical statistical analysis plan. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events over 12 weeks with eszopiclone were headache, dysgeusia, and dizziness. The study results demonstrated that eszopiclone was well tolerated over 1 year of treatment, with 11.2% of patients discontinuing open-label treatment because of an adverse event.. Eszopiclone (up to 3 mg) failed to reduce latency to persistent sleep on polysomnography after 12 weeks in children aged 6 to 17 years with ADHD-related insomnia. Eszopiclone was well tolerated in the 1-year study.

Topics: Adolescent; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Azabicyclo Compounds; Child; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Eszopiclone; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Male; Piperazines; Polysomnography; Single-Blind Method; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders