Sonata
® (
zaleplon) is a prescription sleep medication used for short-term
insomnia treatment. It is part of a class of medications called sedatives or hypnotics. It is most effective for people who have trouble falling asleep, rather than people who have trouble staying asleep.
It is manufactured by King Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Sonata is part of a class of medications called sedative/hypnotics, which are known more commonly as sleep medicines. Like many other sleep medications, it is a
controlled substance and may be abused.
The medication has been evaluated in several clinical studies for
insomnia. In studies of Sonata for
chronic insomnia, people who took the medicine fell asleep faster than people who did not take it. Similar results were seen in a study of Sonata in people with transient insomnia (insomnia that comes and goes). In these studies, it did not help people to stay asleep longer or to wake up less frequently during the night.
Also, studies have shown that Sonata can cause mild rebound insomnia (worsening of insomnia after stopping a medication). Rebound
insomnia symptoms usually occurred for only one night after Sonata was stopped, after which people returned to their normal sleeping patterns.