Abstract
Background. The increased practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) worldwide has raised concerns regarding herb-drug interactions. The purpose of our study is to analyze the concurrent use of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) among Taiwanese insomnia patients taking hypnotic drugs. Methods. The usage, frequency of services, and CHP prescribed among 53,949 insomnia sufferers were evaluated from a random sample of 1 million beneficiaries in the National Health Insurance Research Database. A logistic regression method was used to identify the factors that were associated with the coprescription of a CHP and a hypnotic drug. Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of hip fracture between the two groups. Results. More than 1 of every 3 hypnotic users also used a CHP concurrently. Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (Augmented Rambling Powder) and Suan-Zao-Ren-Tang (Zizyphus Combination) were the 2 most commonly used CHPs that were coadministered with hypnotic drugs. The HR of hip fracture for hypnotic-drug users who used a CHP concurrently was 0.57-fold (95% CI = 0.47–0.69) that of hypnotic-drug users who did not use a CHP. Conclusion. Exploring potential CHP-drug interactions and integrating both healthcare approaches might be beneficial for the overall health and quality of life of insomnia sufferers.
Highlights
Inadequate sleep and sleep disorders are common, and are associated with an increased risk of poor health, diminished work and academic performance, and negative safety outcomes that have critical clinical and economic ramifications [1]
Many poor sleepers have turned to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) remedies to manage their symptoms because they believe that such treatments exert fewer subjective residual effects [4]
TCM remedies are promoted as natural, and harmless, complementary, and alternative medicines that can be used in Western countries [5, 6], data are limited regarding their safety when used in combination with hypnotic drugs, regarding the risk of herb-drug interactions, such as that resulting from interference with the clearance of either of the drugs
Summary
Inadequate sleep and sleep disorders are common, and are associated with an increased risk of poor health, diminished work and academic performance, and negative safety outcomes that have critical clinical and economic ramifications [1]. TCM remedies are promoted as natural, and harmless, complementary, and alternative medicines that can be used in Western countries [5, 6], data are limited regarding their safety when used in combination with hypnotic drugs, regarding the risk of herb-drug interactions, such as that resulting from interference with the clearance of either of the drugs. The increased practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) worldwide has raised concerns regarding herb-drug interactions. The purpose of our study is to analyze the concurrent use of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) among Taiwanese insomnia patients taking hypnotic drugs. Exploring potential CHP-drug interactions and integrating both healthcare approaches might be beneficial for the overall health and quality of life of insomnia sufferers
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