USE OF MODAFINIL IN THE TREATMENT OF NARCOLEPSY - A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

One hundred and forty patients (104 male and 36 female) aged 42.26 +/- 19.19 (range = 8 to 79.5 years) with narcolepsy-cataplexy were given modafinil (200 to 400 mg) at the Montpellier sleep disorders center fr om 1984 onwards. The follow-up focused on the reduction of excessive d aytime somnolence (EDS), side effects and duration of treatment. in or der to determine if any clinical aspect of narcolepsy could be involve d in modafinil discontinuation, patients were divided into two groups according to continued or interrupted treatment. When modafinil effect on EDS was evaluated according to a scale varying from 0 (no effect) to 3 (excellent effect), 64.1% of the subjects, scored good or excelle nt. The mean duration of treatment was 22.05 months +/- 24.9, ranging from 1 to 114 months. Dependency signs were never observed.