Palliative Medicine
eISSN: 2081-2833
ISSN: 2081-0016
Medycyna Paliatywna/Palliative Medicine
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Pharmacological treatment of insomnia in palliative care

Katarzyna Pomykała
1
,
Maciej Sulerzycki
1
,
Agnieszka Floriańczyk
1
,
Michał Pałuchowski
1
,
Szymon Dumański
1
,
Katarzyna Giemza
1
,
Krzysztof Krysa
1
,
Tomasz Dzierżanowski
1

  1. Klinika Medycyny Paliatywnej, Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Warszawa, Polska
Medycyna Paliatywna 2025; 17(4)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/pm.2025.154434
Online publish date: 2025/09/18
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Insomnia is a common problem among patients receiving palliative care, which significantly reduces their quality of life. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods are used to treat this condition. The following paper discusses forms of pharmacological treatment of insomnia in palliative medicine. Among the most common drugs used in patients suffering from insomnia are benzodiazepines, “Z-drugs”, antipsychotics such as quetiapine, aripiprazole, or olanzapine. In addition, opioids, antidepressants and melatonin also play a role in sleep problems. A relatively new and not completely understood group of substances are cannabinoids, which may provide an alternative to older generation drugs. However, there is still a lack of studies that clearly define their efficacy and safety in a group of palliative care patients. When treating insomnia in this group of people, special attention should be paid to drug interactions, as well as a number of side effects, including the development of tolerance and addiction to substances. The introduction of additional therapy should be considered with caution and the ratio of benefits to potential risks should be assessed for each patient on an individual basis.
keywords:

insomnia, pharmacological treatment, palliative care
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