[smak451]

I am new to this post and I'm quite desperate to live a normal life (ie. feeling awake during the day). My condition is one of extreme alertness all night (I live in NY) and feel like a zombie during the day. At work, I will have to sneak down to the Muslim prayer room and take periodic naps of about 15 min. to survive -- these periods are brought about my narcoleptic-like symptoms where I feel almost sick, and cannot concentrate and focus on anything, as if my mind simply shuts down. I've had this all my life, and have tried stimulants, regulating sleep hours, melatonin, and nothing seems to work. During the day I can drink a cup of coffee and fall asleep 20 min. later. Ritalin has some small effects that ward off napping, though focus is not restored. At night I'm the absolute opposite -- sharp as a razor, enthusiastic, productive. I'd give the world to switch the two and join the normal world. I have not tried light therapy. Can anyone recommend anything that has helped them? There is a documentary film called "Wide Awake" which describes my condition exactly. I feel as though I've inherited some werewolf gene that has cost me relationships and caused much suffering. It has only been beneficial academically as it aided in uninterrupted study. In desperation I thought about obtaining methamphetamine or something very strong, though I think that route unwise and likely to bring on more suffering than help. The only thing that will work is continual physical exercise -- if I go snowboarding I feel alert and awake all day, normal, though if I stop moving I'm again a zombie. If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it. I'm glad to share my experiences if anyone has questions as well. Thanks.

[firecoral417]

I'm sorry, I really don't have any answers for you. I've been dealing with this for at least 20 years. I just wanted you to know I'm going to rent that Documentary (found it on Netflix). I've never found a permanent cure. Everything I've tried lasts two weeks at the most, if it even works at all. My next step is trying to find a sleep specialist since regular doctors just want to prescribe sleeping pills. I've been keeping up-to-date with this disorder for the past 8 years and it seems that the answer is that it's still incurable in severe cases. Even in milder cases, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another 8(

[smak451]

Yes, that is my understanding. I've been doing much more research and have confirmed through the experience of others that have found a 'cure' through therapy with what is called Ayahuasca, though this is far from traditional Western medicine. I leave it to you to explore should you so desire. Thanks for your reply.

[firecoral417]

Sorry for the late reply. I've been trying to get to sleep earlier than 2... it's not working very well. I got the "BIG" talk at work on Friday -- the one where it basically comes down to losing me or losing the big customer that wants their stuff done early in the morning. I just know I'll get fired because it's not like I haven't already been trying! o_O

So I've been scavenging the internet for night jobs. Found a bunch of day jobs I could interview at, but nothing at night. So I think I'm screwed. Either that or pull the wool over the eyes of a new business with some excuse of why I'm leaving my current job and see how long I can hold onto that one.

I also saw some posts about that Ayahuasca stuff and I'd looked it up on Wikipedia prior to posting here. I had thought about trying to find it somewhere, but it seems to be a schedule 1 drug in the US. Have you been able to get a hold of it? Or do you think it's risky to buy it and have it shipped in the US? I can't really take big risks when I have a 3-year-old counting on me. But if you've had luck ordering it safely, I'd give anything a whirl. Seriously, I'm so fed up with this stupid sleep-thing! >_<

[storm68]

We totally understand you. My son, he is 13, and has dealt with this more severly in the past 2 years. We only found out that he has DSPS last November. I, his mom, found it in books and online by the symptoms he was having. I tried every suggestion for treatment since then. NOTHING worked. Now we have resorted to him taking 50 to 100 mg of TRAZADONE -- a sleep sedative. So far it is working over the summer. We didn't have success with light therapy, melatonine, sleep routines, chronotherapy, etc. But different things work for different people. I would suggest trying all the treatments before taking medication. It is an awful thing to watch my son deal with. His frustration of explaining it to friends -- isn't fun!!! Print it out have your close friends read it and have them read some of the stories on this forum. You know -- your close friends and family.
Most people from what I have read deal with this the rest of their lives, once it starts. Most decide to adjust their schedule to their sleep time. Like working 2nd or 3rd shift. But this isn't always possible, especially when you want to get through middle and high school or spend time with friends during the day or evenings!!!
Well good luck!!!! And remember it could be WORSE!