Psychosis in a 22-Year-Old Woman with Narcolepsy after Restarting Sodium Oxybate

Sodium oxybate, the sodium salt of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), is a safe and effective treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy. Other case reports have described acute psychosis in narcoleptic patients shortly after starting or increasing the dose of sodium oxybate. Here we report the case o f a 22-year-old woman with narcolepsy who developed acute psychosis after restarting sodium oxybate at a previously well-tolerated dose. This case highlights the importance of titrating sodium oxybate to therapeutic doses, even after short-term discontinuation, in order to avoid psychiatric side eff ects.
Source: Psychosomatics - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Source Type: research