On our last visit with Dr. Susan Perlman at UCLA, Richard had complained about how he was suffering from parasomnia. He has experienced, on a regular basis, night terrors, sleep talking, bruxism and periodic leg movement. He has even fallen out of bed several times as a result of his nightmares. Needless to say, the quality of his sleep was less than satisfactory in general.
After consulting with her colleague, Dr. Perlman prescribed melatonin, which is OTC, to address the issue. We are happy to report that after taking this drug for a few months, the symptoms have abated. He is now sleeping more soundly which in turn translates to more energy during the day.
I continue to be gratified by how Dr. Perlman is able to tackle problems that plague Richard and other MJDers by using existing drugs or supplements. For example, melatonin is used mainly to help with circadian rhythm disorders like jet-lag disorders. Similarly, she suggested Fluoxetine (trade name Prozac) to help Richard with swallowing and choking problems and that too has worked well in the last two years. I hope and believe that there are many more drugs and supplements out there that one day will be shown to be equally effective in treating various MJD symptoms.
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