While sleeping pills have been around for a long time, the modern age of hypnotics began December 16, 1992, when the FDA approved Ambien (zolpidem). Sonata (zaleplon), a late bloomer, received approval in 1999.

The FDA may not like it, but Provigil (modafinil) is hot, and getting hotter.

While there are plenty of excessively complicated classifications of sleep disorders in this world, TCR, in the midst of a sleep-deprived delirium, has decided that psychiatrists should become most familiar with the following four common problems ...

Dr. Winkelman, could you recommend a practical approach for psychiatrists diagnosing sleep disorders?

In practicing addiction medicine and psychiatry, I have found that the judicious use of Ambien or Sonata has a place in the management of early abstinence, especially since insomnia is an oft-cited cause of relapse. However, the use of Benadryl and Vistaril are problematic in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety in the substance dependent population.