Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) treatment in severely sleep-deprived child with Epstein–Barr virus encephalitis with lesion of sleep-wake regulation system: a case report

We present the effect of exogenous sodium oxybate (GHB) in a severely tormented boy unable to sleep and unable to be anesthetized due to a lesion in the sleep initiation system involving the tracks between the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus and the reticular system. We bypassed the system by using sodium oxybate's effect on the cortical GHB and GABAB receptors involved in the initiation and maintenance of sleep.