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Suggest Treatment For Sleep Disorders In An Elderly Person
Question: My husband will be 81 in January. He is overweight (5'10" - 230 pounds) but does keep active between naps. He gets up early 5:30 - 6:00, reads the paper and lays down for a nap. We have breakfast about 8 and then he lays down for another nap. After lunch he needs another nap. Today, he had a late afternoon nap, got up for about an hour and then laid down before dinner. He fell asleep at the table after dinner and has been sleeping for the past hour and a half. He's getting depressed over this and I'm getting worried. He does have sleep apnea and uses a CPAP machine. His doctor suggested taking a sleep aid, milanta I believe. He said to start with one and if that doesn't help take 2, then 4, then 6 until he gets results. He doesn't have any problem falling asleep at night, just keeping awake during the day.
Brief Answer:
Please have him checked metabolically first
Detailed Answer:
Good evening. I am a neurologist from XXXXXXX Ohio and I'd like to comment the following way.
Please have him looked at in terms of general physiological electrolyte balances, CBC with a differential, liver/kidney function assays, and then, make sure a FULL PANEL of Thyroid assays should be done including FT4 and TSH. I would also check random cortisol levels, testosterone levels, and definitely do a urinalysis to be sure he doesn't have a chronic bladder infection which can make elderly people sleep like lights!
He should also undergo another sleep study to look at the possibility of NARCOLEPSY. Could his CPAP need to be retitrated or recalibrated?
Could your husband also be developing some form of Parkinson's disease which comes as part of the syndrome the intense desire to sleep throughout the day? A sleep study will likely see this.
I will leave the question at this point for now and ask your favor of a HIGH STAR RATING with some written feedback if your questions were satisfactorily attended to during our transaction.
Also, if there are no further comments or questions, may I ask you to CLOSE THE QUERY on your end so things can be transacted and archived for further reference by colleagues as necessary?
Please keep me informed as to your husband's progress with his headaches.
The query has required a total of 26 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile a return envoy to the patient.
Please have him checked metabolically first
Detailed Answer:
Good evening. I am a neurologist from XXXXXXX Ohio and I'd like to comment the following way.
Please have him looked at in terms of general physiological electrolyte balances, CBC with a differential, liver/kidney function assays, and then, make sure a FULL PANEL of Thyroid assays should be done including FT4 and TSH. I would also check random cortisol levels, testosterone levels, and definitely do a urinalysis to be sure he doesn't have a chronic bladder infection which can make elderly people sleep like lights!
He should also undergo another sleep study to look at the possibility of NARCOLEPSY. Could his CPAP need to be retitrated or recalibrated?
Could your husband also be developing some form of Parkinson's disease which comes as part of the syndrome the intense desire to sleep throughout the day? A sleep study will likely see this.
I will leave the question at this point for now and ask your favor of a HIGH STAR RATING with some written feedback if your questions were satisfactorily attended to during our transaction.
Also, if there are no further comments or questions, may I ask you to CLOSE THE QUERY on your end so things can be transacted and archived for further reference by colleagues as necessary?
Please keep me informed as to your husband's progress with his headaches.
The query has required a total of 26 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile a return envoy to the patient.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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