title: Late-life somnambulism after therapy with metoprolol.
abstract: We present a case involving a 66-year-old woman with a history of childhood somnambulism who presented with a recent recurrence of sleepwalking. The diagnosis of somnambulism was confirmed polysomnographically and linked etiologically to the start of using metoprolol, a lipophilic beta-blocker, for treating her hypertension. The parasomnia disappeared completely after discontinuation of the drug. Recurrence of non-REM parasomnias, such as somnambulism, has previously been described as an adverse effect of the beta-blocker, propranolol, solely in patients with migraine. There was no history of migraine in the patient presented here. The clinical significance of the findings and possible underlying mechanisms are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hensel
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pillmann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008790:Metoprolol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017286:Polysomnography; D017257:Ramipril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013009:Somnambulism / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D028761:Withholding Treatment
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008790:Metoprolol; D017257:Ramipril