When an elderly but active gentleman came in to collect his prescription for zopiclone (3.75 mg at night), he seemed anxious and asked if it was longer acting than lormetazepam, which was his last hypnotic. He had asked his GP to change to a longer acting hypnotic because he was waking up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, not able to go back to sleep. The two hypnotics have similar properties but if anything the duration of action of zopiclone is slightly shorter. • The gentleman is 72; he lost his wife 10 months ago and is now living with his daughter’s family. She has two teenage girls. 1: What issues would you want to explore? 2: What would your advice be? 3: Why do you think the GP changed the hypnotics?
When an elderly but active gentleman came in to collect his prescription for zopiclone (3.75
mg at night), he seemed anxious and asked if it was longer acting than lormetazepam, which
was his last hypnotic.
He had asked his GP to change to a longer acting hypnotic because he was waking up in the
middle of the night to go to the toilet, not able to go back to sleep. The two hypnotics have
similar properties but if anything the duration of action of zopiclone is slightly shorter.
• The gentleman is 72; he lost his wife 10 months ago and is now living with his daughter’s
family. She has two teenage girls.
1: What issues would you want to explore?
2: What would your advice be?
3: Why do you think the GP changed the hypnotics?
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