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Lamotrigine Associated with Insomnia
Author(s) -
Sadler Mark
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1999.tb00712.x
Subject(s) - insomnia , discontinuation , lamotrigine , medicine , sleep disorder , epilepsy , incidence (geometry) , adverse effect , hypnotic , retrospective cohort study , medical record , anesthesia , pediatrics , psychiatry , physics , optics
Summary:Purpose: To review the incidence of lamotrigine (LTG)‐associated insomnia in an adult tertiary care epilepsy outpatient clinic. Methods: The records of all patients who had received LTG were reviewed to identify patients who had experienced insomnia after introduction of this drug. Patients were included if they had experienced a sleep disturbance of sufficient severity to require a discontinuation of LTG or a dose reduction. Results: Among 109 patients exposed to LTG, seven (6.4%) had a sleep disturbance of a severity to required a change in therapy. The descriptions of the sleep disturbance were similar among the patients, and the LTG‐induced insomnia appeared to be dose dependent. Unlike the few previous descriptions of LTG‐induced insomnia in the literature, no factors predisposing to this adverse effect were identified. Conclusions: The results of this retrospective review suggest an association between LTG and intolerable insomnia in a small proportion of patients. Physicians should inquire about sleep disturbances in patients treated with LTG.