Can Insomnia Medications Stop Addictions?

IN YOUR DREAMS –

Jan. 3, 2023 – An article recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry discusses the findings of researchers at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and other institutions on the role of the orexin system in drug addiction. The orexin system, which regulates sleep patterns, reward pathways, and mood, has been found to drive drug-seeking behavior. It has been observed that many drugs of abuse increase orexin production in both human and animal brains, and blocking this system can reverse addiction in animals. In addition, a separate study has shown that one of the three FDA-approved insomnia medications that block orexin can reduce opioid cravings in human subjects.

“There’s still much to discover about how orexin drives drug craving, but we know more than enough to justify testing orexin antagonists in clinical trials as addiction treatments,” said Gary Aston-Jones, coauthor of the review and director of the Brain Health Institute. “We’re applying for funding from the National Institutes of Health and looking to hire a physician-scientist with clinical trial experience to lead these efforts.”