Does phenobarbital used for febrile seizures cause sleep disturbances?
The effect of phenobarbital on total sleep time, night awakenings, and lengthy awakenings was examined as part of a randomized trial of children with febrile seizures; information about sleep patterns was gathered by parental observation. Children were between ages 8-36 months at enrollment and were examined subsequently for 2 1/2 years. Night awakenings were not more common in children assigned to phenobarbital except for those who were poor sleepers at the beginning of the study. Total sleep time was no different in children assigned to phenobarbital than in those assigned to placebo. It is concluded that sleep problems reported in most young children with febrile seizures treated with phenobarbital did not exceed those reported in children treated with placebo, but a subset of predisposed children did experience an increase in night awakenings.
Developmental Neurology Branch, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland.
D G
DG
Hirtz
T C
TC
Chen
K B
KB
Nelson
S
S
Sulzbacher
J R
JR
Farwell
J H
JH
Ellenberg
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012008:Recurrence; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
D010634:Phenobarbital