Hypnotic Effectiveness of Sodium Salicylamide with Short-Term Use: Sleep Laboratory Studies

Abstract

Sodium salicylamide in doses of 650 and 1,300 mg was evaluated in two separate sleep laboratory drug evaluation studies of insomniac patients. Each study utilized a standard protocol of 10 consecutive laboratory nights consisting of four placebo nights for adaptation and baseline, three drug nights for short-term drug administration and three placebo nights for evaluating withdrawal. Neither dose had a clear-cut hypnotic effect in inducing or maintaining sleep. Sleep stages were not affected by drug administration or drug withdrawal. Both the objective findings and subjective estimates suggest that the 1,300-mg dose may have a slight sedative effect. However, when salicylamide is used as an ingredient in over-the-counter preparations, the usual dose is only 200–400 mg.

The condition of insomnia: Etiopathogenetic considerations and their impact on treatment practices

“…It must be noted, however, that tolerance to the hypnotic effects of antipsychotics and antidepressants develops rather quickly (Soldatos & Bergiannaki, 2000;Soldatos & Dikeos, 1995). For the majority of other agents which are used as sedatives (antihistamines, herbal remedies and the like, which are mainly administered over the counter), there are no studies showing unquestionable evidence for efficacy; even for those demonstrating some initial efficacy, the development of tolerance appears to occur quite rapidly (Pillitteri et al, 1994;Sateia & Nowell, 2004;Soldatos & Dikeos, 1995;Soldatos, Kales, Bixler, Scharf & Kales, 1978). Finally, melatonin seems to have some sedative effect when administered to individuals who suffer from insomnia associated with circadian rhythm aberrations, such as those due to blindness, jet lag or shift work (Mendelson, 1997;Sack, Brandes, Kendall & Lewy, 2000).…”