title: Modafinil in diurnal sleepiness. A study of 123 patients.
abstract: The efficacy of modafinil, a psychostimulant drug acting on postsynaptic alpha-1 adrenergic receptors, as a treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness was studied in 123 patients. Subjects included 94 narcoleptic patients (76 with cataplexy), 23 hypersomnia patients and 6 patients with disrupted nocturnal sleep (DNS) and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Clinical efficacy of the treatment on each symptom (EDS, cataplexy and DNS) was evaluated on a four-point scale from excellent to absent. The effectiveness of modafinil as a treatment for EDS was excellent in 17% of all patients, good in 63%, fair in 17% and absent in 3%. The incidence of side effects was rather low (14 of 123 patients) and most of them disappeared (11 patients) when doses were reduced.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Sommeil, Explorations Fonctionnelles Neurologiques, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laffont
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002385:Cataplexy / Q000150:complications; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D005260:Female; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077408:Modafinil; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012895:Sleep, REM
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D000077408:Modafinil