Feasibility of Patient-Controlled Sleep with Dexmedetomidine in Treating Chronic Intractable Insomnia

Abstract

Background

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an “on-demand” system which allows patients to self-administer intravenous medications in small bolus doses. Based on the principles of PCA, we developed Patient-Controlled Sleep (PCSL) for chronic intractable insomnia where the traditional analgesics in PCA were replaced with dexmedetomidine (Dex), an alpha-2 agonist widely used for premedication, sedation, anxiolysis and analgesia. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the new method for the treatment of chronic intractable insomnia.

Patients and Methods

Patients with chronic intractable insomnia undergoing PCSL (n=20) were evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) before and after the treatment. The patient characteristics, overall outcomes and related side effects were also assessed.

Results

Fifteen patients completed the treatment protocol. The duration of PCSL varied from a few days to four months, and the dosage of Dex gradually decreased without eliciting signs or symptoms of tolerance or physical dependence. The sleep quality improvement occurred immediately after the therapy in 12/15 patients, and of which, 7/12 patients achieved continuously improved sleep quality in follow-up.

Conclusion

PCSL with Dex might be a potential treatment for patients with chronic intractable insomnia. However, it is an off-label use, and the potential side effects of dexmedetomidine with long-term use needs further evaluation.

Keywords:

• insomnia
• dexmedetomidine
• Patient-Controlled Sleep
• biomimetic sleep

Data Sharing Statement

All relevant data are within the paper and its supporting information files.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Lin Lu MD. PhD. from Peking University Sixth Hospital and Zhong-Cong Xie MD. PhD. from Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital for their helpful suggestions.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.