Background and method: In a drug monitoring study with 811 participating general practitioners, safety and tolerability of zopiclone were studied in 2416 patients with disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep.
Results: In general, zopiclone was efficient in all forms of insomnia; the subjective sleep duration was prolonged for 2 hours on average. Patients without somatic complaints or comorbidity showed the greatest benefit. Daytime well-being and vigilance were in general not impaired. Drug related adverse events occurred rarely; the great majority of the participating physicians rated the treatment with zopiclone as efficient and acceptable.
Conclusion: In this drug monitoring study, zopiclone proved an efficient hypnotic for the treatment of disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep.