Abstracts

Rationale: Insomnia commonly occurred in epilepsy patients due to both the disease itself and the AEDs usage. Zolpidem, as a choice for insomnia, remains unclear for its impact on seizure control. This study aims to find out whether Zolpidem improves insomnia in epilepsy patients and what impact it inserts on seizure control. Methods: Epilepsy patients without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (the sleep apnea scale of sleep disorders questionnaire ≤29 in male and ≤26 in female) were included. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Insomnia was evaluated using Insomnia Severity Index. According to patients’ will, Zolpidem 10mg qn (Stilnox) with AEDs was prescribed to improve insomnia symptoms. Patients were monitored by video-EEG and polysomnography before, one month and three months after Zolpidem prescription.  Results: Ten patients were included. All ten showed improved insomnia symptoms (improved sleep quality and decreased Insomnia Severity Index) and good seizure control (with >50% seizure frequency decrease) three months after Zolpidem prescription. On EEG, spike-wave discharges decreased and duration of Stage 3 and 4 in sleep increased. Conclusions: Though with limited patients and not long enough follow-up period, this study shows Zolpidem’s potential to improve insomnia symptoms and help with seizure control. Further studies are needed to find out whether dosage and medication duration make a difference. Funding: None