The Treatment of Insomnia Secondary to Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Evaluating Escitalopram Use With Concomitant High-Resolution, Relational, Resonance-Based, Electroencephalic Mirroring (HIRREM)

Patient autonomy is important. However, what if a patient seeks out poorly studied treatment options? In this case report, we describe a patient with insomnia secondary to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who was prescribed escitalopram but additionally used High-Resolution, Relational, Resonance-Based, Electroencephalic Mirroring (HIRREM) therapy. HIRREM is an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based therapy that has been evaluated for use in the treatment of various conditions including insomnia. However, there has only been one randomized clinical trial supporting the use of HIRREM for insomnia, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved HIRREM for insomnia. A few months after the patient initiated HIRREM therapy and escitalopram cessation, the patient’s insomnia did not recur. We propose a case for how we approached educating a patient who was seeking out an alternative poorly tested therapy by helping him perform a cost-benefit analysis composed of treatment efficacy, cost, and side effects.