Case Report: Sleepless For 168 Hours Straight. (7 Days): A Case of a Young Man unable to Sleep

A young and healthy 23-year-old man presented with an acute inability to sleep for 7 consecutive days and nights. Prior to his first consultation with us he was prescribed zolpidem 5 mg by the emergency room, Trazodone up to 150 mg and Valium 5 mg over the course of 3 weeks by his primary care physician with minimal relief and continued acute sleep loss. He described staying awake and being “aware” all night. He was unable to nap during the day and denied daytime sleepiness or irresistible sleep episodes during the day. He did report feeling tired and somewhat “wired” through the day. He and his parents were extremely worried about his continuous sleep loss. Patient was tearful in clinic as he was convinced (after his own research) that he had contracted a terminal prion related illness called Fatal Familial Insomnia 1.