Insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness in psychotic patients taking traditional or atypical antipsychotic medications

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate quantitative sleep disorders in forty patients with a psychotic disorder (F 20 or F25 at ICD X International Classification), who are taking antipsychotic medication.We studied 100 patients, affected by schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorder, aged from 20 to 65 years old. These patients were divided in four groups each containing 25 people who were taking neuroleptics or atypical antipsychotic (olanzapine, risperidone or aripiprazole).The variability of quantitative sleep disorder was measured using questions 4-5-6 of Hamilton Depression Scale to evaluate early, intermediate or late insomnia, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to assess EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness)We all know the sedative effects of neuroleptics, furtherless it is not unexpected that most of the atypical antipsychotics are sedating, and thus have the potential to impair judgement, thinking or motor skills giving the patients the sensation of being different from the other people. Many times we forget that the other side of insomnia is the excessive daytime sleepiness….In the future, we have to manage these disorders, if we want to avoid lack of compliance and further drop out of therapy.