What is the Origin of Z-Drugs?

These medications were developed starting in the late 1980s as an alternative to traditional benzodiazepines, aiming for a more selective action profile with a reduced risk of dependency, tolerance, and next-day sedation. Their creation was a focused effort in psychopharmacology to improve the safety and side-effect profile of sleep aids.

What is the Mechanism of Z-Drugs?

Z-Drugs exert their hypnotic effect by selectively binding to and allosterically modulating the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptor complex in the central nervous system. Specifically, they primarily target the alpha-1 subunit of the GABA-A receptor, which is strongly associated with sedative effects. This binding enhances the inhibitory neurotransmission of GABA, thereby slowing down brain activity and facilitating the onset and maintenance of sleep.

Z-Drugs ∞ Area

Z-Drugs

Meaning

Z-Drugs are a distinct pharmacological class of non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic medications used for the short-term treatment of insomnia and other sleep disorders. The term is a collective, informal designation derived from the fact that the generic names of the most common drugs in this class, such as zolpidem, zaleplon, and zopiclone, begin with the letter Z. They are structurally different from benzodiazepines but share a similar mechanism of action.