Narcolepsy

Are there any natural treatments for narcolepsy and cataplexy? Narcolepsy is a condition in which people fall asleep suddenly during waking hours. If they lose muscle control, it is called cataplexy. Some narcoleptics can even fall asleep and collapse while crossing the street. There are no natural remedies for this serious ailment, unless you consider gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). This compound is made in very small quantities by the body. Doctors can now prescribe it by the name Xyrem.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, seeking to expand its specialty drug portfolio, plans to acquire Cephalon Inc. for $6.8 billion. Teva, which is based in Israel, has a large manufacturing plant in Irvine. That plant resumed operation in April after closing for a year following a warning by the Food and Drug Administration over quality-control problems. Sales of Copaxone, used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, constituted about 30% of Teva's earnings in recent years, said Judson Clark, a healthcare analyst with Edward Jones & Co. That dominance has been threatened recently by new multiple sclerosis drugs from rival companies, Clark said.

A government advisory panel decided Wednesday that a drug abused in date rape can be useful as a treatment for a rare but dangerous complication of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. The panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration had been asked to consider whether prescription sales should be permitted for gamma hydroxy butyrate, or GHB, under the brand name Xyrem.

Paul Tremblay is either brave or crazy to call his first mystery "The Little Sleep." There's the obvious nod to Raymond Chandler, suggesting that Tremblay means to place the novel in a lineage of some kind. There's the unnecessary burden of expectation, the tropes acknowledged or neglected, the heritage of hard-boiled fiction dating to 1939. And yet, "The Little Sleep" is less reminiscent of Chandler than of a work by another writer: Jonathan Lethem's 1999 breakthrough, "Motherless Brooklyn."

A UCLA psychiatrist has found the first clues to the mechanism of narcolepsy, the mysterious sleeping disorder that affects more than 250,000 Americans, causing them to lapse into sleep at inappropriate moments. They also have a characteristic muscle problem called cataplexy, a loss of muscle tone--often leading to collapse--caused by sudden excitement or even laughing. Working with a dog model of the disease, Dr. Jerome M.

California researchers have found a new clue to the cause of narcolepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by intense sleepiness and episodes of cataplexy--an abrupt loss of muscle tone that is often triggered by sudden strong emotions. They have found that cataplexy is caused by the same brain cells that cause loss of muscle tone during so-called "rapid-eye-movement," or REM, sleep. Narcolepsy affects an estimated one in 2,000 people in the United States, a total of more than 125,000.

Tracy Heim's awareness of narcolepsy never extended much beyond the movie-screen image of people falling asleep in their soup. That was until she had three car accidents and started zoning out in mid-conversation during telephone calls at work. When the doctor she worked for suggested she might have narcolepsy, she dismissed the idea as absurd.

California researchers report that they have found the long-sought cause of narcolepsy, a mysterious sleep disorder that affects at least 125,000 Americans. The condition is caused by the death of a few cells deep within the brain, researchers from UCLA and Stanford report today. The results suggest that it may be possible to treat victims of the disorder, which is characterized by overwhelming sleepiness, and could lead to new ways of attacking other sleep disorders, experts said.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a novel drug that keeps people with debilitating sleepiness awake and attentive yet has few of the side effects associated with caffeine, amphetamines and other commonly used stimulants. The drug, modafinil, was approved by the FDA for people with a serious sleep disorder called narcolepsy, which affects 1 out of 1,000 to 2,000 people and is characterized by sudden, overwhelming waves of intense sleepiness.

Two related genes known to affect hunger are also the long-sought cause of the excessive sleepiness of narcolepsy, according to Stanford and Texas researchers. The genes' effects were studied in dogs and mice, but the genes also have been found in humans. Researchers say the discovery may bring a narcolepsy cure within reach. Two reports on the subject are appearing in the journal Cell. The dog study is in today's issue and the mouse study is scheduled for publication Aug. 20.

Are there any natural treatments for narcolepsy and cataplexy? Narcolepsy is a condition in which people fall asleep suddenly during waking hours. If they lose muscle control, it is called cataplexy. Some narcoleptics can even fall asleep and collapse while crossing the street. There are no natural remedies for this serious ailment, unless you consider gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). This compound is made in very small quantities by the body. Doctors can now prescribe it by the name Xyrem.

Tracy Heim's awareness of narcolepsy never extended much beyond the movie-screen image of people falling asleep in their soup. That was until she had three car accidents and started zoning out in mid-conversation during telephone calls at work. When the doctor she worked for suggested she might have narcolepsy, she dismissed the idea as absurd.

A drug implicated in date rapes and nightclub deaths won federal approval Wednesday for treating a rare type of sleeping disorder, under special restrictions aimed at stopping its diversion to nonmedical uses. GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, has an unusual four-decade history of use as an anesthetic, a body-building supplement and a party drug popular on the rave scene.

Cephalon Inc., which makes neurological drugs, agreed to buy French drug maker Group Lafon for $450 million in cash. By gaining full control of Lafon's Provigil drug for narcolepsy, Cephalon expects to add about $80 million in sales and 3 cents a share to earnings in 2002. The West Chester, Pa.-based drug maker increased its 2002 earnings forecast to $1.03 a share. Sales will be $400 million to $410 million, Cephalon said.

A government advisory panel decided Wednesday that a drug abused in date rape can be useful as a treatment for a rare but dangerous complication of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. The panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration had been asked to consider whether prescription sales should be permitted for gamma hydroxy butyrate, or GHB, under the brand name Xyrem.

California researchers report that they have found the long-sought cause of narcolepsy, a mysterious sleep disorder that affects at least 125,000 Americans. The condition is caused by the death of a few cells deep within the brain, researchers from UCLA and Stanford report today. The results suggest that it may be possible to treat victims of the disorder, which is characterized by overwhelming sleepiness, and could lead to new ways of attacking other sleep disorders, experts said.

A drug implicated in date rapes and nightclub deaths won federal approval Wednesday for treating a rare type of sleeping disorder, under special restrictions aimed at stopping its diversion to nonmedical uses. GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, has an unusual four-decade history of use as an anesthetic, a body-building supplement and a party drug popular on the rave scene.

Scientists are hopeful that new studies showing narcolepsy to be genetically transmitted may lead to a cure for the sleep disorder that afflicts 250,000 Americans. The neurological disorder causes its victims to lose control over when they sleep and can result in hallucinations. Dr. William Dement, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Stanford University, said that research in several countries has shown that defective genes are present in the blood of patients with narcolepsy.

Two related genes known to affect hunger are also the long-sought cause of the excessive sleepiness of narcolepsy, according to Stanford and Texas researchers. The genes' effects were studied in dogs and mice, but the genes also have been found in humans. Researchers say the discovery may bring a narcolepsy cure within reach. Two reports on the subject are appearing in the journal Cell. The dog study is in today's issue and the mouse study is scheduled for publication Aug. 20.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a novel drug that keeps people with debilitating sleepiness awake and attentive yet has few of the side effects associated with caffeine, amphetamines and other commonly used stimulants. The drug, modafinil, was approved by the FDA for people with a serious sleep disorder called narcolepsy, which affects 1 out of 1,000 to 2,000 people and is characterized by sudden, overwhelming waves of intense sleepiness.