Sleepwalking, a possible side effect of antipsychotic medication

Medications as a Trigger of Sleep-Related Eating Disorder: A Disproportionality Analysis

Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is a parasomnia with recurrent, involuntary, amnestic eating episodes during sleep. There is growing evidence of the association between SRED and medications. Therefore, we aimed to rank drugs showing the strongest association. VigiBase® (WHO pharmacovigilance database) was queried for all reports of “Sleep-related eating disorder”. Disproportionality analysis relied on the Reporting Odds Ratio, with its 95% Confidence Interval (CI), and the Information Component. Our VigiBase® query yielded 676 cases of drug-associated SRED. Reports mostly involved zolpidem (243, 35.9%), sodium oxybate (185, 27.4%), and quetiapine (97, 14.3%). Significant disproportionality was found for 35 medications, including zolpidem (387.6; 95%CI 331.2−453.7), sodium oxybate (204.2; 95%CI 172.4−241.8), suvorexant (67.3; 95%CI 38.0−119.2), quetiapine (53.3; 95%CI 43.0−66.1), and several psychostimulants and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Patients treated with nonbenzodiazepines or SNRIs were significantly older (mean age: 49.0 vs. 37.5; p < 0.001) and their SRED were more likely to be serious (62.6% vs. 51.4%; p = 0.014) than patients treated with sodium oxybate or psychostimulants. Psychotropic drugs are involved in almost all reports. In patients with SRED, an iatrogenic trigger should be searched for.

Quetiapine-induced sleep-related eating disorder: A case report

This is the first case report of two depressed Malay females prescribed quetiapine, the first patient developed sleep related eating disorder (SRED) on 200 mg per day and the second patient at 50 mg per day. Both resolved with discontinuation of the drug. Assessment for SRED should be done at every follow up.

Effect of subjective sleep quality on learning and memory in drug-free patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to elucidate the association paths between subjective sleep quality and the learning and memory ability of drug-free patients with schizophrenia.

METHODS

150 patients with schizophrenia were recruited. Information on clinical and socio-demographic was obtained, and a neurocognitive battery was administered. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the quality of subjective sleep. The Verbal Learning Test and the Visual Learning Test that were taken from the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery were used to assess the patient's ability to learn and recall. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to examine the relationship between subjective sleep quality and learning and memory ability .The model was further modified and fitted.

RESULTS

There were significant negative correlations between learning and memory variables and the PSQI scores or the PANSS scores. Significant direct effect of PSQI on Verbal Learning and Visual Learning, and significant indirect effect of PSQI on Verbal Learning and Visual Learning through psychotic symptoms were found in the most plausible SEM model that explains the data.

CONCLUSION

Subjective sleep quality has a direct impact on the ability to learn and memory, and indirectly affects the ability to learn and memory through psychotic symptoms in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. Sleep quality could be an intervention target for improving cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.

A safety signal of somnambulism with the use of antipsychotics and lithium: A pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis

AIMS

Antipsychotics and lithium are widely used in psychiatry, particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Recently, some cases of somnambulism or sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) have been reported in patients treated with these drugs. This study investigated the risk of reporting somnambulism or SRED associated with the use of antipsychotics and lithium.

METHODS

The World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase), comprising >18 million adverse events, was queried. All somnambulism or SRED reports related to antipsychotics or lithium were identified. The association between antipsychotics or lithium and somnambulism or SRED was computed using the proportional reporting ratio (PRR) and information component.

RESULTS

Among the 5784 cases reporting somnambulism or SRED, 508 suspected at least 1 antipsychotic or lithium. Most patients were aged 18-64 years (62.0%), and 37.0% were men. In most cases (77.6%), antipsychotic or lithium were the only drug class involved, and 53.3% of cases suspected quetiapine. Somnambulism was reported in 88.6% of cases and SRED in 18.1%. A significant association was found for second-generation antipsychotics (PRR 3.44, 95% confidence interval 3.13) and lithium (PRR 2.03, [1.22; 3.37]), but not for first-generation antipsychotics (PRR 0.99, [0.68; 1.44]).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a significant signal of somnambulism or SRED related to second-generation antipsychotics and lithium. While case reports mentioned mostly quetiapine and olanzapine, almost all second-generation antipsychotics were associated with somnambulism or SRED.

Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Persistent Delusions: Prevalence, Clinical Associations, and Therapeutic Strategies

Sleep disturbances accompany almost all mental illnesses, either because sound sleep and mental well-being share similar requisites, or because mental problems lead to sleep problems, or vice versa. The aim of this narrative review was to examine sleep in patients with delusions, particularly in those diagnosed with delusional disorder. We did this in sequence, first for psychiatric illness in general, then for psychotic illnesses where delusions are prevalent symptoms, and then for delusional disorder. The review also looked at the effect on sleep parameters of individual symptoms commonly seen in delusional disorder (paranoia, cognitive distortions, suicidal thoughts) and searched the evidence base for indications of antipsychotic drug effects on sleep. It subsequently evaluated the influence of sleep therapies on psychotic symptoms, particularly delusions. The review’s findings are clinically important. Delusional symptoms and sleep quality influence one another reciprocally. Effective treatment of sleep problems is of potential benefit to patients with persistent delusions, but may be difficult to implement in the absence of an established therapeutic relationship and an appropriate pharmacologic regimen. As one symptom can aggravate another, comorbidities in patients with serious mental illness all need to be treated, a task that requires close liaison among medical specialties.

Sleepwalking and sleep-related eating associated with atypical antipsychotic medications: Case series and systematic review of literature

BACKGROUND

Sleep walking (SW) is a parasomnia behavior characterized by repetitious occurrence of ambulation during a partial arousal from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Sleep-related eating (SRE) is one of the complex sleep behaviors that may accompany SW. Emerging evidence suggests that NREM parasomnias can be associated with atypical antipsychotic medication use.

METHODS

We present a case series (n = 5) and a systematic review of the literature of cases of SW, with or without SRE (n = 23), associated with atypical antipsychotic use.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight cases of SW, with and without SRE, with a mean age of 44.8 years (S.D. = 15.04) and a male predominance (75%; n = 21) were identified. Quetiapine was the most commonly implicated medication with SW and SRE (n = 14). Remission from SW/SRE was noted in all cases with measures including antipsychotic dosage reduction, discontinuation of medication, switching to an alternate medication, and use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for comorbid obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep walking (SW), with or without sleep related eating (SRE), can be a rare but reversible side effect associated with use of atypical antipsychotics. More research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying SW and SRE associated with atypical antipsychotic use.

Women who suffer from schizophrenia: Critical issues

Many brain diseases, including schizophrenia, affect men and women unequally - either more or less frequently, or at different times in the life cycle, or to varied degrees of severity. With updates from recent findings, this paper reviews the work of my research group over the last 40 years and underscores issues that remain critical to the optimal care of women with schizophrenia, issues that overlap with, but are not identical to, the cares and concerns of men with the same diagnosis. Clinicians need to be alert not only to the overarching needs of diagnostic groups, but also to the often unique needs of women and men.

Suicidality in sleep disorders: prevalence, impact, and management strategies

Sleep disturbances are associated with suicide-related thoughts and behaviors, and the incidence of sleep concerns and suicide has increased recently in the US. Most published research exploring the sleep-suicidality relation is focused on select sleep disorders, with few reviews offering a comprehensive overview of the sleep-suicidality literature. This narrative review broadly investigates the growing research literature on sleep disorders and suicidality, noting the prevalence of suicide ideation and nonfatal and fatal suicide attempts, the impact of several sleep disorders on suicide risk, and potential sleep-disorder management strategies for mitigating suicide risk. Aside from insomnia symptoms and nightmares, there exist opportunities to learn more about suicide risk across many sleep conditions, including whether sleep disorders are associated with suicide risk independently of other psychiatric conditions or symptoms. Generally, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials examining the modification of suicide risk via evidence-based sleep interventions for individuals with sleep disorders.

Psychiatric Illness and Parasomnias: a Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Little is known about the presence of parasomnias such as nightmare disorder, sleep paralysis, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and sleep-related eating disorders (SRED) in people with mental illness. A predominant view suggests that psychotropic medications might be contributing to parasomnias. This article summarizes knowledge regarding the relationships between psychiatric disorders and parasomnias, and possible confounds. A systematic search of the literature in the past 10 years identified 19 articles.

RECENT FINDINGS

There were significantly elevated rates of parasomnias in psychiatric disorders (average prevalence of nightmares was 38.9%, sleep paralysis 22.3%, SRED 9.9%, sleepwalking 8.5%, and RBD 3.8%). Medication usage was only one of many risk factors (other sleep disorders, medical comorbidities, and substance abuse) which were associated with parasomnias. A strong association exists between mental illness and parasomnias which is not fully explained by medications. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to develop a better understanding of the unique and shared variance from multiple risk factors.

Medication induced sleepwalking: A systematic review

Medications that trigger sleepwalking may inadvertently put the patient at risk of injury to themselves and/or others, and contribute to poor treatment adherence. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to identify drugs that may increase the risk of sleepwalking. A search of CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ScienceDirect was conducted with the keywords 'sleepwalking' OR 'somnambulism'. Of the original 83 sourced papers, 62 met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently included for review. Twenty-nine drugs, primarily in four classes-benzodiazepine receptor agonists and other gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) modulators, antidepressants and other serotonergic agents, antipsychotics, and β-blockers-were identified as possible triggers for sleepwalking. The strongest evidence for medication-induced sleepwalking was for zolpidem and sodium oxybate. All other associations were based on case reports. This research highlights the importance of considering sleepwalking in risk profiles in clinical trials, particularly for drugs that enhance GABA activity at the GABA_A receptor, enhance serotonergic activity, or block the activity of noradrenaline at β receptors. The results also have implications for prescribers to consider sleepwalking as a potential adverse effect and ensure that: 1) the patient is educated about a safe sleep environment; 2) they are encouraged to report the onset or exacerbation of sleepwalking, and 3) alternative treatments are considered if sleepwalking occurs.

Psychiatric disorders and sleep issues

Sleep issues are common in people with psychiatric disorders, and the interaction is complex. Sleep disorders, particularly insomnia, can precede and predispose to psychiatric disorders, can be comorbid with and exacerbate psychiatric disorders, and can occur as part of psychiatric disorders. Sleep disorders can mimic psychiatric disorders or result from medication given for psychiatric disorders. Impairment of sleep and of mental health may be different manifestations of the same underlying neurobiological processes. For the primary care physician, key tools include recognition of potential sleep effects of psychiatric medications and familiarity with treatment approaches for insomnia in depression and anxiety.

Quetiapine-induced sleep-related eating disorder-like behavior: a case series

Introduction

Somnambulism or sleepwalking is a disorder of arousal from non-rapid eye movement sleep. The prevalence of sleep-related eating disorder has been found to be approximately between 1% and 5% among adults. Many cases of medication-related somnambulism and sleep-related eating disorder-like behavior have been reported in the literature. Quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic medication, has been associated with somnambulism but has not yet been reported to be associated with sleep-related eating disorder.

Case presentation

Case 1 is a 51-year-old obese African American male veteran with a body mass index of 34.11kg/m² and severe sleep apnea who has taken 150mg of quetiapine at bedtime for more than one year for depression. He developed sleepwalking three to four nights per week which resolved after stopping quetiapine while being compliant with bi-level positive pressure ventilation therapy. At one year follow-up, his body mass index was 32.57kg/m².

Case 2 is a 50-year-old African American female veteran with a body mass index of 30.5kg/m² and mild sleep apnea who has taken 200mg of quetiapine daily for more than one year for depression. She was witnessed to sleepwalk three nights per week which resolved after discontinuing quetiapine while being treated with continuous positive airway pressure. At three months follow-up, her body mass index was 29.1kg/m².

Conclusion

These cases illustrate that quetiapine may precipitate complex motor behavior including sleep-related eating disorder and somnambulism in susceptible patients. Atypical antipsychotics are commonly used in psychiatric and primary care practice, which means the population at risk of developing parasomnia may often go unrecognized. It is important to recognize this potential adverse effect of quetiapine and, to prevent injury and worsening obesity, discuss this with the patients who are prescribed these medications.

Sleep disturbances and suicidality: a common association to look for in clinical practise and preventive care

Suicidality and suicide has been associated with many risk factors, while recent clinical and epidemiological studies increasingly point to a potential link between sleep loss or sleep disturbances and suicidality. This review on studies of sleep disturbances associated with suicidality, i.e., suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and completed suicide suggests a frequent association especially with insomnia and nightmares but also hypersomnia and sleep panic attacks. In suicidal insomniacs with comorbid psychiatric disorders, there is some evidence for an even independent predictive nature of sleep problems for suicidality. Considerations on the shared neurobiology, risk assessment and treatment options complement the overview. Thus, sleep disturbances may qualify as an individual treatable target of personalised medicine in the clinical routine as well as in suicide prevention programmes. A more detailed assessment of sleep problems and identification of specific risk domains in primary or secondary prevention of suicidality seem to be a future area of high importance.