The sleep aid acts in the same way as melatonin, the natural hormone that has been linked to healthy sleep in numerous studies, with Dr. Roland R. Griffiths telling Reuters Health,, "Our study found no evidence of potential for abuse or impairing effects of ramelteon up to 20 times the recommended therapeutic dose."
During the study, the participants received three different doses of ramelteon, three different doses of the sedative triazolam, or an inactive placebo pill on different days and in random order.
In their report in the Archives of General Psychiatry, the team reports that Ramelteon had no significant effects on cognition or movement control and no apparent potential for abuse.
According to the report, while 11 of the subjects thought that ramelteon at its highest dose was actually a placebo, both subjects and observers agreed that triazolam had a wide range of dose-related effects on motor and cognitive performance.
The researchers conclude that, "Ramelteon represents a useful alternative to existing insomnia medications that could have broad appeal to patients who are otherwise reluctant to use such compounds."
