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Narcolepsy & epilepsy
Sun, 02/01/2009 - 11:09I'm new here. It's one of those things that I kept meaning to do. But this has been on my mind a lot lately, so maybe someone has some insights.
I'm epileptic & narcoleptic, taking provigil and lamictol (which is also supposed to help me with bipolar disorder). I was taking carbamezapine with good results, except I wasn't functional. I walked around (when I wasn't sleeping) in a complete fog. I talked my neurologist into trying me on other meds, but so far my narcolepsy and epilepsy both seem to be poking back through to the surface (more frequent seizures and crashing at 7-8 pm, even while eating dinner). Is there anyone else around here with both? If so, what has helped?
I have been diagnosed and
Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2015-01-03 - 19:18
I have been diagnosed and treated for narcolepsy since 2009 or 2010. This was after about a decade of symptoms never diagnosed. Yes, I have cataplexy but refused to tell my dr until recently. y goal had been to take as few meds as possible. Now the treatment may allow a more normal life.Ok... so the reason I responded is to help some of the people who wrote. Lets say you have Narcolepsy and it has not been diagnosed and therefore you never get the meds to counteract the onset of EDS and the lil siezures. We all know that this reality is not cool. However, it is do able. When I am without meds and before I had meds every 2-3 hours there is a need for the brain to reset. This is done in a SHORT nap. I must stress that this should be 12-18 mins only and not 25+ mins no matter what. For those who truly have Narcolepsy we experience the transition into REM much faster than others. Set an alarm and make sure this nap stays short or it will begin affecting your circadian rhythms (normal sleep cycle).If you do not wake up easily by the alarm and have trouble coming back from sleep this may not be narcolepsy at all. One common trade off in this condition is we NEVER deep sleep without some kind of medication. Being a light sleeper is part of the gig. SO think about others who take a smoke break every few hours. Your break will take the same time, just kick back in your car. Oh, the more activity you exert emotionally, physically, or mentally will accelerate the need for a neural reset. Forgive the terminology since I am only relating a an individual and not a trained medical person.