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Utilization of hypnotic medication in the context of cancer: predictors and frequency of use

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Abstract

Objective

The present study aims to document the frequency of use of hypnotic medication among a large sample of randomly selected patients having been treated for various types of cancer, as well as to identify the sociodemographic, psychosocial, and medical factors that characterize the users of this type of medication.

Methods

Five thousand patients who had received treatment for breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer at the L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec were solicited by mail to take part in this study. Among these patients, 1,984 (39.7%) agreed to complete a battery of questionnaires.

Results

Overall, 22.6% of the patients were currently consuming hypnotic medication. Factors associated with a greater utilization of hypnotic medication were older age, greater difficulties initiating sleep, more stressful life events experienced in the past 6 months, higher levels of anxiety, past or current psychological difficulties, poorer role functioning, less severe urinary symptoms, greater use of opioids, and past or current chemotherapy treatments.

Conclusions

These results are consistent with those of previous studies conducted in cancer patients in showing high rates of hypnotic medication use. Moreover, this study identified several factors that might help identify persons at risk of using this type of medication and, therefore, to experience the potential negative effects of chronic hypnotics use.

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Notes

  1. One exception is eszopiclone for which evidence of sustained efficacy for 6 months has been published [4], but it has not been marketed yet in several countries, including Canada.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Initiative (#014420) and the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance (#014459). The authors would also like to thank the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for a studentship and a scientist award held by the first and second authors, respectively.

Conflict of interest

None.

The authors agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laval University Cancer Research Center, 11 Côte du Palais, Québec, QC, G1R 2J6, Canada

    Lucie Casault, Josée Savard, Hans Ivers, Marie-Hélène Savard & Sébastien Simard

  2. School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Lucie Casault, Josée Savard, Hans Ivers, Marie-Hélène Savard & Sébastien Simard

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  1. Lucie Casault
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  2. Josée Savard
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  3. Hans Ivers
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  4. Marie-Hélène Savard
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  5. Sébastien Simard
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Correspondence to Josée Savard.

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Casault, L., Savard, J., Ivers, H. et al. Utilization of hypnotic medication in the context of cancer: predictors and frequency of use. Support Care Cancer 20, 1203–1210 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1199-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1199-4

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