Sedative News and Research

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A sedative is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement.

UCSF researchers urge more convincing placebos in psychedelic trials

UC San Francisco researchers are weighing in on one of the biggest challenges in psychedelic science, arguing that clinical trials need more convincing placebo treatments to better measure the drugs' true effects.

16 Sep 2026

Mechanical restraint may increase short-term blood clot risk in psychiatric patients

Mechanical restraint is associated with a small increased short term risk of blood clots among inpatients at psychiatric hospitals, finds a Danish study published by The BMJ today.

1 Jul 2026

New sedative prescriptions increase fall risks for discharged older adults

Older adults discharged from hospital with a new prescription for a sedative, especially a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic, are at increased risk of falls and other negative consequences, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251965.

29 Jun 2026

Simple bedside eye test may predict consciousness recovery after brain injury

A simple bedside eye test may help predict recovery of consciousness in patients with severe brain injuries, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.

28 Jun 2026

European study connects youth mental health to economic parity

Xabi Martinez-Mendia, a researcher at the EHU-University of the Basque Country, has analysed how adolescent psychotropic drug consumption is linked to gender inequality and economic factors in 32 European countries.

10 Jun 2026

Falling fentanyl deaths drive historic drop in American drug overdoses

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have found that U.S. overdose death rates declined dramatically between 2023 and 2024, marking the first recorded drop in all four waves of the nation's overdose crisis.

2 Jun 2026

Study links pediatric sedation strategies with later neurocognitive outcomes

A new Penn Nursing study suggests that the specific sedatives used during critical illness in early childhood may have long-term implications for a child's neurocognitive development.

19 May 2026

Study finds no psychiatric risk from prenatal sedatives

A large South Korean study published by The BMJ today finds no increased risk of psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, in children whose mothers used sedative drugs (benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics) during pregnancy.

29 Apr 2026

UCL study urges clinician vigilance when prescribing gabapentinoids for pain

People who take gabapentinoids, a medication prescribed increasingly frequently worldwide, particularly for chronic pain, face a much greater risk of drug poisoning if they are also taking another medication, finds a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers.

17 Apr 2026

Japanese study evaluates sleep architecture and safety of common insomnia drugs

OSA is a common sleep disorder characterized by oxygen desaturation due to repeated airway collapse during sleep.

12 Mar 2026

Delirium after cardiac procedures carries serious long-term risks

Delirium is a sudden onset of acute confusion in which those affected are disoriented, have impaired attention, and experience altered perception -often accompanied by hallucinations or sleep disturbances.

20 Feb 2026

Simple EHR nudges cut use of high-risk medications

This study demonstrates that simple EHR prompts can enhance medication safety for older adults by increasing deprescribing of sedatives and anticholinergics.

4 Feb 2026

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

Researchers have identified bradycardia-an abnormally low heart rate–as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose.

14 Jan 2026

Acupuncture may help ICU patients recover faster

Acupuncture's multi-pathway effects in ICU patients may reduce complications, support rehabilitation, and improve recovery while minimizing medication use.

6 Jan 2026

Etomidate proves safer than ketamine for emergency intubations

Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published Dec. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

12 Dec 2025

Maxillary nerve block may reduce perioperative opioid consumption in pediatric primary clefts

For infants undergoing cleft palate surgery, local anesthetic injection targeting the maxillary nerve of the face may reduce or eliminate the need for opioid medications to control postoperative pain, reports a study in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

12 Dec 2025

Landmark RSI trial reshapes sedative selection for emergency airway management

9 Dec 2025

Why early- and late-onset depression are fundamentally different

Genetic differences in early- and late-onset depression highlight distinct risk profiles, informing targeted strategies for improved clinical outcomes.

17 Nov 2025

Study links poor sleep to adverse health outcomes in seniors

Sleep problems affect more than one in five residents in long-term care facilities, with pain, daytime napping and certain medications emerging as key contributors.

28 Oct 2025

Caraway seeds inspire new seizure-fighting medicines

A UNLV-led team of researchers has co-opted a common kitchen spice to create a new class of cannabidiol (CBD)-like medicines that show powerful seizure-reducing effects - offering a safer, more affordable, and more effective treatment for childhood seizure disorders than existing frontline therapies.

15 Oct 2025