Late-life somnambulism after therapy with metoprolol.
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.
Hensel
Jutta
J
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany.
Pillmann
Frank
F
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
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008790:Metoprolol; D017257:Ramipril