Back to Journals » Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment » Volume 6 » Issue 1

Armodafinil in the treatment of sleep/wake disorders

Authors Schwartz J, Roth T, Drake C

Published 16 July 2010 Volume 2010:6(1) Pages 417—427

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S3004

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 2



Jonathan RL Schwartz1,Thomas Roth2, Chris Drake2

1INTEGRIS Sleep Disorders Center and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; 2Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA

Abstract: Excessive sleepiness (ES) is a major but underestimated public health concern associated with significant impairments in alertness/wakefulness and significant morbidity. The term ES has been used in the sleep medicine literature for years, but due to its nonspecific symptoms (ie tiredness or fatigue), it frequently goes unrecognized or is misdiagnosed in primary care. In some cases ES arises due to poor sleep habits or self-imposed sleep deprivation; however, ES is also a key component of a number of sleep/wake disorders and multiple medical and psychiatric disorders. Identification and treatment of ES is critical to improve the quality of life and well-being of patients and for the safety of the wider community. The inability of patients to recognize the nature, extent, and symptomatic profile of sleep/wake disorders requires vigilance on the part of healthcare professionals. Interventions to address ES and its associated impairments, treatment of the underlying sleep/wake disorder, and follow-up are a priority given the potential for serious consequences if left untreated. Wakefulness-promoting agents are available that treat ES associated with sleep/wake disorders. This review examines current approaches for managing this debilitating and potentially life-threatening condition, focusing on the place of armodafinil as a wakefulness-promoting agent.
Keywords: excessive sleepiness, wakefulness, armodafinil, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, shift-work disorder

Creative Commons License © 2010 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.