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A medication currently used to treat drug overdoses appears to help patients regulate brain chemicals linked to hypersomnia
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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2 Comments
Add CommentThis is fascinating -- it means the brains of these people synthesize some sort of endogenous tranquilizer, a sort of natural Valium. It raises the question of whether the same chemical can be found (at lower levels) in the brains of people who do not suffer from the condition.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOddly, I suffered from hypersomnia for a week. Since 1997 I've had a yet-to-be diagnosed problem where I feel mildly drunk all the time. After many tests and trying various things, my doctor asked me to take Paxil for at least three weeks. I couldn't do it. For the week I took it I slept eighteen to twenty hours every day. I'd wake about noon by 2 or 3 pm I was back to sleep. Then I'd wake again around 7 pm for about two hours. I couldn't work or do much of anything except sleep. It was horrible. I finally had to stop taking the medication.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've always wondered why it affected me that way, but not other people. I also wonder how that was related to what these hypersomniacs are suffering. Obviously mine was chemically induced by some sort of changes in my brain.