The Pharmacology of Parasomnias and Movement Disorders of Sleep

Abstract

The treatment of parasomnias and sleep related movement disorders is not always pharmacologic, indeed, some of these disorders respond to behavioral approaches without the risks of pharmaceuticals. This chapter endeavors to pull forward the disorders in which pharmacologic treatment is the best choice and lay out the pharmacologic properties of the treatments. It is not the goal of this chapter to present an encyclopedic review of the parasomnias and sleep related movement disorders. It is, however, the intent of this chapter to comprehensively review pharmacologic treatments used in the management of the disorders in which drug use is most necessary. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and known risks of these pharmaceuticals are presented and discussed. When more than one pharmaceutical is used clinically within a class of drugs, thorough review of selected drugs is presented. The chapter includes investigations, mostly human studies, of the drugs discussed. The author’s extensive experience in pharmacology, neurology, and sleep medicine take the chapter through pharmacological information a clinician needs to guide the management of these disorders.