Enhancing Hypnotic Medication Discontinuation in Primary Care

January 22, 2026 updated by: National Jewish Health

Enhancing Hypnotic Medication Discontinuation in Primary Care Through Supervised Medication Tapering and Digital Cognitive Behavioral Insomnia Therapy

Many individuals with insomnia seek treatment in primary care settings, where they often receive prescription hypnotic medications as their first and sometimes only treatment. However, extended use of these medications can lead to reliance and increased health risks, such as falls and cognitive impairments. While evidence-based approaches like physician-supervised medication tapering exist, they're not widely available in primary care.

Most primary care providers are willing to explore non-drug treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI), but accessing such treatments can be challenging outside of specialized sleep centers. This gap between research and practice underscores the need for cost-effective interventions to manage insomnia and help patients reduce their reliance on hypnotics in primary care.

In response to this need, the project aims to conduct a large randomized trial comparing a combined digital CBT (dCBTI) and medication tapering intervention with medication tapering alone. We'll recruit 430 patients reliant on hypnotics from 8-10 primary care clinics affiliated with the University of Colorado Medical School. The main goal is to assess the effectiveness of dCBTI+SMT compared to SMT alone in reducing hypnotic use and improving insomnia symptoms.

Additionally, we'll evaluate factors affecting the adoption and implementation of these interventions at the patient, provider, and system levels. This information will inform future implementation strategies to disseminate effective treatments in primary care.

Furthermore, we'll gather data to identify which patients benefit most from dCBTI+SMT. Overall, this study will provide valuable insights into the feasibility, clinical utility, and acceptability of these interventions in managing insomnia and reducing reliance on hypnotic medications in primary care. Ultimately, this project represents a crucial first step toward making accessible and cost-effective strategies available to improve the quality of life for millions of chronic users of sleep aids.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Treatment-seeking insomnia sufferers most often present in primary care where their first and usually only treatment is a prescription hypnotic medication. More than 65% of individuals prescribed hypnotics use them for more than a year, and more than 30% remain on them for more than five years. Such agents may be useful for acute insomnia and certain cases with chronic sleep difficulties, but prolonged hypnotic use can lead to dependency and increased morbidity (e.g., falls, cognitive/driving impairments). Reducing or discontinuing hypnotics after prolonged use is a challenging task for both prescribing physicians and the patients who use them. Although evidenced-based physician-supervised medication tapering (SMT) protocols have shown efficacy, such interventions have yet to be disseminated widely in primary care. Most primary care providers (PCPs) are willing to refer their insomnia patients to alternative evidence-based non-drug treatments such as cognitive behavioral insomnia therapy (CBTI), but such treatment is often difficult to access outside of specialty sleep centers. Given this gap between research and clinical practice, there is a pressing need to develop and validate cost-effective interventions to facilitate the management of insomnia and hypnotic tapering in primary care. This study has been carefully designed to address these issues. Investigators will conduct a large randomized trial (RCT) to compare the combined digital CBT (dCBTI)/SMT intervention, to the SMT intervention delivered alone for producing hypnotic discontinuation and insomnia symptom improvement. A sample of 430 hypnotic-reliant patients drawn from 8-10 primary care clinics within a practice-based research network affiliated with the University of Colorado Medical School in Aurora, Colorado will serve as study participants. The main objective of the project is to compare the performance of dCBTI+SMT with SMT used alone for achieving hypnotic reduction/discontinuation and insomnia symptom improvement. In addition, investigators will incorporate an Effectiveness-Implementation assessment into the RCT to identify patient- provider- and system-level factors that may impact adoption, implementation and maintenance of the types of interventions tested. Findings from the effectiveness/implementation should help design future trials of implementation strategies identified herein to promote dissemination of dCBTI and SMT interventions into primary care should these treatments prove effective in the current trial. Investigators also will gather exploratory data to determine who responds best to dCBTI/SMT. This study will provide new and useful information about the feasibility, clinical utility, and patient-, provider-, and system-level acceptability of these interventions to manage insomnia and reduce/eliminate hypnotic use in primary care. This project should serve as a necessary first step toward the eventual dissemination of accessible, cost-effective strategies to manage a significant public health problem and improve the quality of life of millions of chronic users of controlled-substance sleep aids.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
430

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80206
        • Recruiting
        • National Jewish Health
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • a history of extended (> 6 consecutive months) and frequent (>5 nights/week on average) use of benzodiazepine (BZD) or non-BZD hypnotic medications;
  • a desire to decrease/eliminate hypnotic use;
  • a history of insomnia that meets DSM-560 criteria for insomnia disorder; and
  • willingness to provide written informed consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • a lifetime diagnosis of any psychotic disorder, suicide attempts, or bipolar disorder;
  • presence of an unstable, untreated, or terminal major medical or psychiatric disorder;
  • alcohol or drug abuse within the past year;
  • current use of a BZD for another disorder in addition to insomnia (e.g., seizure disorder, restless leg syndrome, anxiety disorder);
  • pregnancy;
  • significant cognitive impairment as suggested by a score of ≤ 24 on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE);
  • current use of medications known to cause insomnia (e.g., high dose corticosteroids);
  • untreated comorbid sleep disorders;
  • use of a sedating antidepressant or antipsychotic medication solely for sleep; and
  • consuming >2 alcoholic beverages/day ≥5 times/week or any use of marijuana ≥5 times/week.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Digital cognitive behavioral therapy combined with structured medication tapering
dCBTI delivered in tandem with SMT during intervention phase.
Behavioral: Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Adaptive cloud-based software delivering cognitive behavioral therapy tailored to the needs of the individual patient.
Other Names:
  • Sleepio
  • dCBTI
Behavioral: Structured Medication Tapering
A structured tapering of hypnotic (or other) medication to promote successful discontinuation by patients seeking to discontinue use.
Other Names:
  • SMT
Experimental: Structured medication tapering alone
Structured medication tapering delivered alone with general sleep hygiene information.
Behavioral: Structured Medication Tapering
A structured tapering of hypnotic (or other) medication to promote successful discontinuation by patients seeking to discontinue use.
Other Names:
  • SMT

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hypnotic discontinuation rates
Time Frame: Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation
Rates of successful hypnotic discontinuation among participants
Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation
Insomnia remission rates
Time Frame: Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation
Rates of insomnia remission among participants
Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Jewish Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 15, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 24, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 30, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 22, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HS4047

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Not planned.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Insomnia

Clinical Trials on Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings