1. 0998 Duloxetine as a Possible Effective Treatment of Klein-Levin Syndrome Case Report
- Author
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Samuel Hall and Sally Ibrahim
- Subjects
Physiology (medical) ,Neurology (clinical) - Abstract
Introduction Kleine Levin Syndrome (KLS), or recurrent hypersomnia, is a rare sleep disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of severe hyper-somnolence lasting several days to several weeks. Because the etiology is unknown, treatment is mostly supportive. Some pharmacologic agents have been attempted to treat symptoms during episodes with limited success. Report of case(s) Patient is a 17 year-old with a history attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and generalized anxiety disorder who presented to the clinic due to recurrent episodes of severe hypersomnolence associated with derealization and cognitive dysfunction during all episodes, anxiety of being alone, and other symptoms in some episodes such as altered taste affecting appetite, and binge eating. The patient was diagnosed with KLS and tracked episodes which lasted 11-12 days (average) with recurrence every 10-17 days. Labs, 72 hour EEG, MRI and MRA were largely unremarkable. The family declined trial of Lithium. Pharmacogenetic testing showed significant gene-drug interaction with duloxetine requiring higher drug dosage for effects. After psychiatry started duloxetine, the patient experienced a 7 month period without episodes. Then episodes recurred for unclear reason while on duloxetine but with slightly less duration (6-12 days) and shorter time between episodes. Duloxetine was discontinued due to lack of mood effects. Clarithromycin was trialed next for use during episodes without changes. Episodes were tracked for several months with some predictability. Duloxetine was restarted a second time after several months, and the patient showed mild improvement in event duration down to 8-11 days for a few months. Time between episodes also shortened to 8-10 days. Anxiety was only slightly reduced between and during the episodes, though they still continued to struggle with derealization and ability to focus during episodes that effected school and work functioning. Interestingly, they also started to have more insomnia between episodes while on duloxetine. Conclusion KLS is a rare disorder with limited data on effective treatments. To date, this is the first report of a prolonged brief KLS remission with duloxetine. Norepinephrine and serotonin modulation may limit episode duration. More research is needed to determine whether duloxetine can modulate the effects of KLS. Support (if any) None
- Published
- 2023
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