New Study In Journal SLEEP Finds Effective Treatment For Narcoleptics

Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 06 Sep 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Taking sodium oxybate at night can significantly improve narcoleptics' quality of life, enhance their ability to be productive during the day and provide them with a feeling of self-accomplishment, according to a study published in the September 1st issue of the journal SLEEP.

This study is the first to document the positive effect on everyday life when patients with narcolepsy are treated with sodium oxybate.

"The magnitude of this change was not only statistically robust, but also clinically important, indicating that incorporating this treatment into the patient's medical management can have a profound effect on quality of life," wrote Terri E. Weaver, PhD, the author of the study.

The study focused on 285 patients with narcolepsy, between the ages of 16 and 75, who experienced symptoms of narcolepsy, including cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness with recurrent sleep episodes almost daily for at least three months. After gradually decreasing their intake of narcolepsy medications used for cataplexy, the participants received dosages of sodium oxybate and were later questioned about its effectiveness. The nightly administration of sodium oxybate produced significant dose-related improvements in the persons' activity level, general productivity, vigilance and social outcomes.

Sodium oxybate is currently the only approved medication in the U.S. for the treatment of cataplexy associated with narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes people to fall asleep uncontrollably during the day. It also includes features of dreaming that occur while awake. Other common symptoms include sleep paralysis, hallucinations and cataplexy.

About one out of every 2,000 people is known to have narcolepsy. The chance that you have narcolepsy is higher when a relative also has it. It is very rare for more than two people in the same family to have this sleep disorder. It affects the same number of men and women.

Persons who think they might have narcolepsy are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician, who will refer them to a sleep specialist.

SLEEP is the official journal of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

http://www.Sleepeducation.com, a Web site maintained by the AASM, provides information about the various sleep disorders that exist, the forms of treatment available, recent news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have been conducted and a listing of sleep centers.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine
http://www.aasmnet.org