Page "Benzodiazepine" Paragraph 14

It is not clear as to whether the new nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics ( Z-drugs ) are better than the short-acting benzodiazepines.

The efficacy of these two groups of medications is similar.

According to the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, indirect comparison indicates that side-effects from benzodiazepines may be about twice as frequent as from nonbenzodiazepines.

This may make the non-benzodiazepines preferable as the first-line long-term treatment of insomnia.

However, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence did not find any convincing evidence in favor of Z-drugs.

NICE review pointed out that short-acting Z-drugs were inappropriately compared in clinical trials with long-acting benzodiazepines.

There have been no trials comparing short-acting Z-drugs with appropriate doses of short-acting benzodiazepines.

Based on this, NICE recommended choosing the hypnotic based on cost and the patient's preference.