Meanings
plural Z-drugs
- Any of a group of nonbenzodiazepine drugs with effects similar to benzodiazepines, used in the treatment of insomnia.
Estimates of effect size direction, while not attributable to a specific intervention or intervention type, were mixed with 47 % of trials being positive, 41 % negative, and 12 % undetermined, suggesting a lack of clarity regarding how to best deprescribe benzodiazepines and Z-drugs.
2015 July 4, André S. Pollmann et al., “Deprescribing benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in community-dwelling adults: a scoping review”, in BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology, volume 16, →DOISynonyms: Z
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of a group of nonbenzodiazepine drugs with effects similar to benzodiazepines, used in the treatment of insomnia.
Origin
Most of their names start with the letter Z, e.g. zopiclone, zaleplon, zolpidem.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Z-drug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-drug
“Z-drug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-drug. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Z-drug,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-drug.
Source: Z-drug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.