SynthesisDrugs & aging2015
The Effect of Melatonin on Benzodiazepine Discontinuation and Sleep Quality in Adults Attempting to Discontinue Benzodiazepines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Drugs & aging, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Melatonin and health: an umbrella review of health outcomes and biological mechanisms of action.BMC medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Long-term persistence of withdrawal of temazepam, zopiclone, and zolpidem in older adults: a 3-year follow-up study.BMC geriatrics · 2018Trial
- Efficacy of melatonin with behavioural sleep-wake scheduling for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: A double-blind, randomised clinical trial.PLoS medicine · 2018Trial
- Sleep aid usage following benzodiazepine receptor agonist tapering and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in middle-aged and older adults.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026Article
- Dexmedetomidine regulates sleep rhythm and alleviates neuroinflammation in rats under high-altitude hypoxia.Journal of physiology and biochemistry · 2025Article
- Melatonin: A Review of the Evidence for Use in Hospital Settings.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2025Review
- The effect of lemborexant on insomnia in patients with psychiatric disorders: Detailed evaluation using the Athens Insomnia Scale.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2024Article
- Current Therapeutic Strategies for the Management of Benzodiazepine (BZD) Withdrawal Syndrome: A Review.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Alliance for Sleep Clinical Practice Guideline on Switching or Deprescribing Hypnotic Medications for Insomnia.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Current Insights into the Risks of Using Melatonin as a Treatment for Sleep Disorders in Older Adults.Clinical interventions in aging · 2023Review
- Benefits and adverse events of melatonin use in the elderly (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2022Review
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Discontinuation of Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use in Insomnia and Anxiety Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Challenges of the pharmacological management of benzodiazepine withdrawal, dependence, and discontinuation.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2018Review
- Defining 'nutraceuticals': neither nutritious nor pharmaceutical.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2017Review
- Should Melatonin Be Used as a Sleeping Aid for Elderly People?The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAbrupt discontinuation of benzodiazepines often results in side effects including anxiety and insomnia, which can be barriers to discontinuation among long-term users. Melatonin improves the onset, duration, and quality of sleep. By preventing insomnia in those attempting to discontinue benzodiazepines, melatonin may facilitate benzodiazepine discontinuation.
objectivesThe primary objective was to determine the effect of melatonin compared with placebo on benzodiazepine discontinuation in adults attempting to discontinue benzodiazepines. The secondary objective was to determine the effect of melatonin on sleep quality in this population.
methodsWe searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to November 2014. We included randomized controlled trials published in English comparing melatonin with placebo that reported benzodiazepine discontinuation or sleep quality. Two reviewers independently screened trials, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias.
resultsWe included six trials randomizing 322 participants. The mean age of participants was approximately 64 years. The trials used varied tapering strategies to discontinue benzodiazepines over 4-10 weeks while using melatonin. Melatonin had no effect on the odds of successfully discontinuing benzodiazepines (odds ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.21-2.41, p = 0.59). There was important heterogeneity among the trials (I (2) = 76%). The effect of melatonin on sleep quality was inconsistent.
conclusionsMelatonin had no effect on benzodiazepine discontinuation while the effect of melatonin on sleep quality was inconsistent. We cannot rule out a role of melatonin in improving benzodiazepine discontinuation or sleep quality owing to imprecise effect estimates. Larger, well-designed, and reported randomized controlled trials may provide more valid and precise estimates of the effect of melatonin on these outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
26547856What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.