A Smart Pill That Helps Narcolepsy Patients Stay Wakeful
Using a smart pill that helps your doctor track how food moves through your digestive tract could help you get the right diagnosis for unexplained gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea, bloating, constipation, or abdominal pain. Medications can reduce sleepiness and improve alertness in people with narcolepsy.
What is a smart pill?
A smart pill is a capsule that contains an ingestible sensor that begins to transmit medical data after it’s swallowed. The sensor is designed to travel through your gastrointestinal tract and send information about pressure, pH (acidity), temperature, and transit time to a data recorder worn on a belt clip or lanyard that can be viewed later by your doctor.
Smart pill patients often take medications to help them wake up, such as modafinil. Buy Modvigil Online increases dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels in the brain to increase wakefulness.
The drug also decreases cataplexy and may improve sleep quality, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Other drugs in development for smart pills include orexin receptor agonists and hypocretin-blocking medications. Some of these drugs are being tested in early-stage trials to see if they work to reduce narcolepsy symptoms. Others are being analyzed for safety. And one study found that people with narcolepsy who took orexin-blocking medication were less likely to have restless legs syndrome.
What are the benefits of a smart pill?
Smart pill patients who are at risk for accidents when driving, operating heavy machinery, or engaging in other safety-critical activities can improve their chances of staying awake by taking a smart pill. These capsules contain miniature sensors that gather information about pressure, pH, and temperature in the stomach, small bowel, and colon.
Usually used for people who have problems with the movement of food from their stomachs to their intestines (gastroparesis), this smart pill is an alternative to invasive procedures and radiation-based imaging tests that can detect gastroparesis.
During a SmartPill study, a patient swallows a vitamin-sized capsule that sends data about pressure, pH, and temperature throughout their GI tract to a recorder worn on a belt clip or lanyard. The capsule passes with a bowel movement and the data recorded by the SmartPill is automatically transmitted to a computer for analysis by a physician. This test does not require sedation and patients can resume normal activities during the study.
How does a smart pill work?
Smart pill patients with excessive daytime sleepiness can be treated by a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. Medications reduce sleepiness by increasing the levels of wake-promoting chemicals in the brain, like dopamine and norepinephrine.
Among the most effective drugs are amphetamines, such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) or Adderall, and a group of related stimulants called methylphenidate. These are safe and often well-tolerated.
Other wakefulness-promoting medications include modafinil or Artvigil 150 mg. These medications help narcoleptics remain awake longer without cataplexy.
In addition, early-stage studies are testing drugs that target the hormone orexin, which helps keep sleepiness under control in people with narcolepsy. Orexin can be hacked or blocked with drugs known as orexin receptor agonists, and these can help increase wakefulness.
What are the risks of a smart pill?
Narcolepsy is a serious condition that can have significant impacts on your daily life. It affects how you feel and function, especially during the daytime. Many people with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, hallucinations, confusion, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, and mood fluctuations.
One of the most effective ways to treat narcolepsy is to take drugs that relieve some of the symptoms. These include drugs that help you stay alert during the day and stop cataplexy.
The medications also have a number of side effects, but they are generally safe and well-tolerated. Modafinil, for example, is a wakefulness-promoting drug that can improve alertness.
Several pharmaceutical companies are working on developing drugs to help patients with narcolepsy stay awake and focused during the day. One promising approach involves a new class of orexin receptor agonists that keep orexin molecules active longer. Other treatment options include drugs that block the hypocretin system, a protein that stimulates the brain’s REM sleep cycle to make you sleepy.