Escitalopram for recurrent isolated sleep paralysis.
Jonathan P Hintze, Dominic Gault
Journal of Sleep Research December 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13027 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Patients with recurrent isolated sleep paralysis |
| Intervention | Escitalopram |
| Keywords | Antidepressant Hallucinations Hypnagogic Hypnopompic |
| Key findings | Escitalopram successfully treated recurrent isolated sleep paralysis in two cases. |
Abstract
Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis can be very disturbing and provoke anxiety. The majority of patients can be treated conservatively with cognitive and behavioural therapies. However, some patients may benefit from a pharmacologic intervention. With only scant available evidence, there are currently no standardized pharmacologic treatment recommendations for recurrent isolated sleep paralysis. We report the first two cases of escitalopram used to successfully treat recurrent isolated sleep paralysis. Escitalopram, the most selective of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, generally improves subjective sleep quality, making it an appealing treatment option.