Effectiveness of Existing Insomnia Therapies for Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Chronic insomnia is common in patients undergoing in-center hemodialysis, yet there is limited evidence on effective treatments for this population. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), trazodone, and placebo for insomnia in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis. DESIGN: Randomized, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03534284). SETTING: 26 dialysis units in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Seattle, Washington. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score of 10 or greater, with sleep disturbances on 3 or more nights per week for 3 or more months. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of CBT-I, trazodone, or placebo. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the ISI score at 7 and 25 weeks from randomization. The change in ISI scores from baseline to 7 weeks with CBT-I or trazodone was no different from placebo: CBT-I, -3.7 (95% CI, -5.5 to -1.9); trazodone, -4.2 (CI, -5.9 to -2.4); and placebo, -3.1 (CI, -4.9 to -1.3). There was no meaningful change in ISI scores from baseline to 25 weeks: CBT-I, -4.8 (CI, -7.0 to -2.7); trazodone, -4.0 (CI, -6.0 to -1.9); and placebo, -4.3 (CI, -6.4 to -2.2). Serious adverse events (SAEs), particularly serious cardiovascular events, were more frequent with trazodone (annualized cardiovascular SAE incidence rates: CBT-I, 0.05 [CI, 0.00 to 0.29]; trazodone, 0.64 [CI, 0.34 to 1.10]; and placebo, 0.21 [CI, 0.06 to 0.53]). LIMITATION: Modest sample size and most participants had mild or moderate insomnia. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing hemodialysis with mild or moderate chronic insomnia, there was no difference in the effectiveness of 6 weeks of CBT-I or trazodone compared with placebo. The incidence of SAEs was higher with trazodone. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.