ZOPICLONE AS A PREOPERATIVE NIGHT HYPNOTIC - A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON WITH TEMAZEPAM AND PLACEBO

We have examined the hypnotic effects of zopiclone 7.5 mg and temazepa m 20 mg compared with placebo in a double-blind, randomized, clinical study of 60 patients on the night before operation. Evaluation was bot h subjective (visual analogue scales and a sleep questionnaire), to me asure the quality of sleep, and objective (critical flicker fusion, ob ject recall and paired associates tasks), to measure residual impairme nt. We found that zopiclone was an effective single-dose hypnotic with similar residual effects to the benzodiazepine and it may therefore p rovide a suitable alternative to benzodiazepines.