The effect of therapeutic doses of atypical antipsychotics on daytime sleepiness

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs in therapeutic doses on daytime sleepiness and quality of life due to this side effect. Two groups as patient and control group, 60 volunteers in each group, and a total of 120 volunteers were included in the study. The patient group consisted of 60 volunteers hospitalized in the psychiatry clinic of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Research and Practice Hospital. Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which consists of a questionnaire that determines the degree of falling asleep/drowsiness in 8 different situations during the day and Sociodemographic and Clinical Information Form was administered to both groups. In the study, according to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scoring; The daytime sleepiness score was 4.78±3.081 in the healthy control group and 6.83±3.923 in the patient group. It was determined that patients using therapeutic doses of atypical antipsychotic drugs had a significantly increased level of sleepiness compared to the healthy control group. The mean daytime sleepiness in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale of patients using Clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic drug, was found to be 12.00±1,000. Within the scope of the study, according to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scoring system, the drug that causes the most daytime sleepiness among antipsychotic drugs was determined as clozapine. In addition, it was determined that the use of atypical antipsychotics adversely affected the quality of life of the patients due to its side effects. For this reason, in order to protect/minimize the side effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs and their negative effects on their quality of life, appropriate treatment can be given to the patient by paying attention to criteria such as drug selection, dosing, and time of use.