Modafinil as an alternative in the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated with affective disorders

Abstract

Excessive daytime sleepiness or an increased need for sleep are an increasingly common reason of medical appointments. For years, the literature on sleep disorders has reported a complex two-way relationship between excessive sleepiness and mental disorders – especially mood disorders, which include winter depression in seasonal affective disorder. Assessment and effective treatment of excessive sleepiness in patients with seasonal affective disorder is an important component of the therapy. Hypersomnia is often a residual symptom of affective disorders, compromising the quality of life and daily functioning. Modafinil is an agent used in adults to treat excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, with or without cataplexy. In addition to the registered indications, previous studies have shown efficacy and good tolerance of modafinil as augmentation treatment of depressive episodes in patients with residual symptoms in the form of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, who received drugs from the group of serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The aim of this paper is to present the problem of excessive daytime sleepiness in the course of seasonal affective disorder and to propose modafinil therapy.