TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- The antihistamine hydroxyzine may be a potential way to treat insomnia in cirrhosis patients although the risk of hepatic encephalopathy suggests it should be used with caution, according to study findings published in the April issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Laurent Spahr, M.D., of University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues randomly assigned 25 milligrams of the histamine H1 blocker hydroxyzine to 17 patients and placebo to 18 patients, aged 36 to 69, with long-standing sleep problems. During the 10-day study, patients took the drug or placebo at bedtime. None of the participants were taking benzodiazepines.
Forty percent of the patients on hydroxyzine reported better sleep, versus none on placebo. Wrist actigraphy showed 65 percent of participants on hydroxyzine experiencing 30 percent or greater sleep improvement. On days one and 10, the two groups had similar protein s100β serum levels and neuropsychological test scores. A bout of acute encephalopathy in one patient stopped when hydroxyzine treatment ended.
"In contrast to placebo, hydroxyzine 25 mg at bedtime improved sleep behavior (subjectively and using wrist actigraphy) in patients with cirrhosis and minimal hepatic encephalopathy," the authors write. "The risk of precipitating overt hepatic encephalopathy warrants some caution when prescribing this drug."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
