Comparative evaluation of hypnotic efficacy of flunitrazepam in psychiatric in-patients.

Flunitrazepam in 2-mg and 4-mg doses was compared with flurazepam 30 mg and nitrazepam 10 mg for hypnotic efficacy in a double-blind, multiple cross-over trial involving 41 psychiatric in-patients. In the vast majority of comparisons involving a number of sleep parameters differences did not reach significance level. Flunitrazepam 4 mg tended to produce the shortest latency time and the longest duration of sleep but also the most side-effects. Nitrazepam 10 mg appeared to have a slight advantage over the other drugs in terms of patient preference. For severe sleep disturbance flunitrazepam 2 mg tended to be the most satisfactory drug in terms of efficacy and paucity of side-effects.