Sleep Disturbances and Nightmares in a Patient Treated with Prazosin.
Sam Kosari, Mark Naunton
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine April 15, 2016 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.5708 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | An elderly patient without previously diagnosed mental illness or coexisting environmental risk factors for nightmares |
| Intervention | Prazosin |
| Dose | low-dose prazosin |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Prazosin Risk factors Dreams Aged Male Sleep wake disorders Adverse effects Nightmares |
| Key findings | The authors report that low-dose prazosin was associated with nightmares and sleep disturbances in an elderly patient with no prior mental illness or environmental risk factors for nightmares. They suggest prazosin may be linked to rare psychiatric adverse effects and sleep disturbances, and argue that these can be difficult to identify in elderly patients, particularly those taking multiple medications. |
Abstract
Prazosin is increasingly being used off-label to treat nightmares in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. The literature about the psychiatric adverse effects of prazosin is very limited. We present a case in which low-dose prazosin was associated with nightmares and sleep disturbances in an elderly patient without previously diagnosed mental illness or coexisting environmental risk factors for nightmares. Insomnia and hallucinations are listed as some of the rare side effects of prazosin by the manufacturer. Prazosin could be associated with rare psychiatric adverse effects and sleep disturbances. Particular attention is required in identifying these adverse effects, which can be difficult to distinguish from other drug-related side effects in the elderly particularly because they are often using multiple medications.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study The author | 1980 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares People with recurrent nightmares | 2010 | Case study | n = 5 |
| Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies Adults with learning disabilities suffering from post-traumatic nightmares | 2006 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during rem sleep A lucid dreamer | 1984 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid dreaming treatment for nightmares: A series of cases. Participants with nightmares | 2003 | Case series | n = 8 |