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Sleep Disorders: Circadian Rhythm Disorder (Exams and Tests)
There are several tests that may be used to diagnose circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Your doctor will begin by reviewing your symptoms, taking a medical history, and performing a physical examination.
Other tests used may include:
- Sleep Logs. A sleep log identifies the sleep-wake cycles in a person's normal environment (when at home and not traveling or working odd hours). In keeping a sleep log, a person is asked to maintain a sleep diary describing the previous night's sleep.
- Sleep studies. Performed in a sleep lab, sleep studies monitor a person while they sleep at night and during the day.
- Imaging studies, such as CT scan and MRI, may be done to evaluate for neurological diseases as the cause of your sleep problem.
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale. A questionnaire that rates a person's responses to 8 situations on a scale of 0-3 based on whether the situation was likely to be associated with dozing behavior.
- Actigraphy. A test used to measure sleep-wake cycles over time. The person being studied wears a small, motion-sensing device (an actigraph) on their nondominant wrist, generally for one week.
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Sleep Disorders Guide
TOPAMAX is approved for migraine prevention in adults only.
TOPAMAX is not used to stop a migraine after it starts.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Serious risks associated with TOPAMAX include lowered bicarbonate levels in the blood resulting in an increase in the acidity of the blood (metabolic acidosis). Symptoms could include hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing), tiredness, loss of appetite, irregular heartbeat or changes in the level of alertness. Call your doctor immediately if you get these symptoms. Your doctor may want to do simple blood tests. Chronic, untreated metabolic acidosis may increase the risk for kidney stones or bone disease.
Other serious risks include decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and increased eye pressure (glaucoma). Call your doctor immediately if you have any decrease in vision or eye pain. These problems can lead to blindness if not treated right away.
More common side effects are tingling in arms and legs, loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea, diarrhea, taste change and weight loss.
Tell your doctor about other medications you take. Please see full U.S. Prescribing Information.
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