Antidepressants Linked to Sleep Disorder

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Younger people who develop a sleep disorder characterized by acting out one's dreams are more likely to also use antidepressants, shows a new study from Mayo Clinic investigators.

However, the researchers aren't sure which came first: the sleep disorder or the antidepressant use.

The authors explain rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) results when the normal muscle paralysis in REM sleep is lost, allowing people to physically act out their dreams often in confrontational or violent ways. Antidepressants are known to inhibit such muscle paralysis, but the researchers believe more study is needed before they conclude antidepressants cause the condition. It could be that RBD causes a psychiatric diagnosis requiring the use of antidepressants or that something else is causing both a psychiatric problem requiring antidepressants and RBD.

Researchers say it does appear people under age 50 are at increased risk for a combination of RBD and antidepressant use. In the study, 80 percent of younger patients were also using antidepressants. There were significantly more women in the younger age group as well.

"From the results of our study, it appears that young-onset RBD is frequently associated with antidepressants," says study author R. Robert Auger, M.D. Since RBD is a relatively rare condition, he doesn't believe it should impact a person's decision to use antidepressants. However, he does call on doctors to be aware of a potential link.

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SOURCE: Presented at the 20th Associated Professional Sleep Societies SLEEP Meeting 2006, Salt Lake City, June 19, 2006