Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Self-reported sleep, sleepiness, and repeated alcohol withdrawals: a randomized, double blind, controlled comparison of lorazepam vs gabapentin.
Insomnia is a central symptom of alcohol withdrawal and increases relapse potential. The primary objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of gabapentin to lorazepam in alleviating sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness during an episode of alcohol withdrawal. The secondary objective of this study was to determine if drug treatment efficacy differed by the patient history of previous treatments for alcohol withdrawal. ⋯ During treatment for alcohol withdrawal, gabapentin as compared to standard therapy with lorazepam, was superior on multiple sleep measures, in patients who had previous withdrawals. Lorazepam subjects experienced rebound symptoms. Early drinking was related to persisting insomnia with both drugs.