LAUSR

Narcolepsy is a disorder of hypersomnolence affecting between 1:5000-1:10,000 individuals. Type 1 Narcolepsy can be differentiated from Type 2 Narcolepsy by the presence of cataplexy. Visual hallucinations are reported in 50-80% of T1 Narcoleptics and ~25% of T2 Narcoleptics. This is thought to be a REM-related phenomenon occurring at transitions of sleep and wakefulness. Auditory hallucinations or paranoid delusions are more rare. We report a case of a 17 year old patient who experienced psychotic symptoms after trialing more than one class of stimulants. This was primarily a retrospective case review. A subsequent literature search was performed reviewing similar reports of psychosis secondary to medications used to treat Narcolepsy. The patient is a 17 year old female who was 10 years old at the time of her diagnosis of Narcolepsy T1. At onset, the patient had reported cataplexy and visual hallucinations occurring at the time of sleep onset and wakening. After finding minimal help with stimulants, by age 15 she was maintained on sodium oxybate 6 grams per night for her cataplexy and started modafinil 200mg BID for wakefulness. She then reported new auditory hallucinations and hyperreligiosity and was admitted to inpatient psychiatry where both medications were discontinued. She was subsequently started on extended release methylphenidate and within 2 months had a recurrence of auditory hallucinations and hyperreligiosity resulting in two consecutive inpatient hospitalizations for psychosis. Psychosis induced by medications for Narcolepsy has been reported in the literature where sodium oxybate and stimulants are the most common offending agents. Symptoms primarily related to modafinil or armodafinil are less frequently described. Most medications used to treat Narcolepsy may directly or indirectly act on dopamine pathways, which in theory have the propensity to lead to psychotic symptoms. Small studies of patients with Narcolepsy have reported psychosis in less than 1-2% of Modafinil users. Larger meta-analyses of patients with both Narcolepsy and Schizophrenia, have not found an increased likelihood for uncontrolled psychotic symptoms while on modafinil. Further case studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between stimulants and risk of psychosis in Narcolepsy patients.