Medications to Treat Insomnia

Insomnia can be difficult to treat. There are many medications that we use to help patients fall and stay asleep. For your assigned insomnia medication (as posted last week in Announcements) address the following in your initial post:

(Mirtazapine is my medication )

1. 1. Give the drug’s generic and brand name.
2. 2. Is it on- or off-label for insomnia?
3. 3. How does the medication work and what is its mechanism of action?
4. 4. Describe appropriate dosing. What are the starting dose and maximum dose, and are there any dosing considerations based on age? How do you titrate up or taper off this medication?
5. 5. What contraindications are there?
6. 6. Identify any significant drug-drug, food-drug, herbal-drug, and/or substance-drug interactions and any FDA black box warnings applicable to this medication.
7. 7. Why is this drug a good choice for the treatment of insomnia? What types of insomnia is this medication suited to treat?
8. 8. Describe the type of education you would provide to a patient starting on this drug.
9. 9. Identify one research or evidence-based practice article to support your responses and include the citation (with a link if available).

Insomnia can be difficult to treat. There are many medications that we use to help patients fall and stay asleep. For your assigned insomnia medication (as posted last week in Announcements) address the following in your initial post:

(Mirtazapine is my medication)

1. 1. Give the drug’s generic and brand name.
2. 2. Is it on- or off-label for insomnia?
3. 3. How does the medication work and what is its mechanism of action?
4. 4. Describe appropriate dosing. What are the starting dose and maximum dose, and are there any dosing considerations based on age? How do you titrate up or taper off this medication?
5. 5. What contraindications are there?
6. 6. Identify any significant drug-drug, food-drug, herbal-drug, and/or substance-drug interactions and any FDA black box warnings applicable to this medication.
7. 7. Why is this drug a good choice for the treatment of insomnia? What types of insomnia is this medication suited to treat?
8. 8. Describe the type of education you would provide to a patient starting on this drug.
9. 9. Identify one research or evidence-based practice article to support your responses and include the citation (with a link if available).