VIDEO: Expert reviews treatment updates for sleep disorders

In this video, Raman K. Malhotra, MD, FAASM, neurologist and sleep specialist at Washington University, discusses “exciting findings” on treatments for narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia that were presented at the virtual SLEEP 2020 meeting.

Another important update from the meeting was about modafinil, a medication for sleepiness that has been linked to an increased risk for congenital malformations, according to Malhotra.

“Women of child-bearing age who are on modafinil need to know that they are at higher risk of congenital malformations, specifically with the heart,” he told Healio Primary Care. “We need to be concerned about patients who are planning on having children or who are child-bearing age on this medication.”