Do You Have Excessive Sleepiness? Shift Work Sleep Disorder? Big Pharma Hopes So

[marmar]

from AlterNet:



Posted by Martha Rosenberg at 6:24 am
May 7, 2010

Do You Have Excessive Sleepiness? Shift Work Sleep Disorder? Big Pharma Hopes So


Do you work in customer service? Health care? The restaurant industry? You might be suffering from shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) says a new ad campaign from Frazer, PA-based Cephalon who makes the Schedule IV stimulants Provigil and Nuvigil. One out of four people working nontraditional schedules suffers from this hitherto unrecognized epidemic say radio ads which broke this week in Chicago.

SWSD is characterized by trouble focusing, increased irritability and poor work performance — think ADHD — an accompanying web site, wakeupsquad.com, explains. But don’t think the answer is renegotiating with your alarm clock. “Just improving your sleep may not improve your ability to cope with shift work,” says the site which offers a self-assessment quiz and chance to “take action” and “tell a friend” without saying what that action might be or what you are telling your friend. No drugs are mentioned.

Of course shift work sleep disorder is only one reason for the national epidemic of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Other reasons are obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and narcolepsy – Wink Wink — for which Cephalon’s drugs are also approved, non-restful sleep (NRS), restless legs syndrome (RLS) and middle-of-the-night insomnia (MOTN). You might also suffer from late night TV addiction syndrome (LNTVAS) or experience daytime sleepiness because –surprise — what you are doing and the people you are with are Boring. (The reason they say speed makes people more interesting.)

Then there’s all the people with sleepiness-from-treating-their-insomnia and insomnia-from-treating-their-sleepiness in a kind of pharmaceutical jet lag that began when insomnia meds like Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata and Rozerem first appeared on TV. Late night TV. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/07/do-you-have-excessive-sleepiness-shift-work-sleep-disorder-pharma-hopes-so/

[Bluenorthwest]

1. I get the point but 'narcolepsy- wink wink' is not cute

Narcolepsy and other disorders on that list don't need to be mocked like TV addiction or having boring friends. The 'wink wink' is kind of harsh considering those with narcolepsy nod off at random times. The dangers of such a disorder are not hard to imagine, really. But that would require the author have one, as well as empathy, and that the author put facts before attempts at humor.
I'd say that some of the drugs this person is laughing about are some of the most deadly and dangerous substances ever on the market, making speed look like a well rounded choice. So the smug, the snark, it is not fitting in my book. Just not the way I'd do it at all.
Sloppy work is not mitigated by the importance of the subject matter.

[Demeter]

2. I Sure as Shooting Wouldn't Take a Pill For It

and yes, I do experience a non-standard sleeping schedule, thank you, since 1993.
And it's not narcolepsy.

[izzybeans]

3. As the son of a shift worker I can attest that it causes severe

physical and psychological problems.

My father long retired still can't sleep right. At least he's happy now.

Shift work is not something I would wish on anyone. Pills won't help eliminate the cause.