Narcolepsy

[livingwith]

I am a 24 yr old mother of a three year old. I have always been a person who required a lot of sleep. My mother never had to MAKE me go to bed. I was always asleep by 9:00 and sometimes would nap after dinner. I had never heard of Narcolepsy, neither had my mother.
The older I got the worse it got. I always talked on my cell phone while driving.Never realized it was just a habit to keep myself awake. That was dangerous as well. One day when I was at home with my sick child I realized I had a pr...Read the full article

[Stapleton_dj]

Hello,
Thanks for posting your story. It helps me deal with my narcoleptic issues by just reading everyone's posts. I am 24 years old as well. I do not have a child but I am an elementary physical education teacher (450 students is perfect birth control for now).
I swear that being on my feet, moving, regular exercise and a continuous bed/nap schedule helps me get through everyday. The medicine is just a habit now. At first with provigil and addreall my mother thought I was a "teenage girl" with 24/7 PMS. I have learned to handle the side affects.
I recommend writing down the time you go to bed every night. Write down the time you wake-up in the morning. Write down the times you need that "nap" or multiple naps.
Try to to make a consistent schedule if this is at all possible. Take care.

[sleepy beauty]

I enjoy reading other people stories, because I remember that I am not the only person with Narcolepsy. However, I have had it for much much longer. I am 34 and was diagnosed 21 years ago. I agree that you become dependent on the meds, but I have found that if you change them around every few years it helps. I started out on Ritalin 5 mg 3 times a day. Went up to 10 mg 3 times a day, Went to Ritalin SR twice a day, tried Provigil(which sucked. did nothing but gave me horriblr headaches), tried Concerta, and I'm now on Ritalin LA 40 mg in morning and a Ritalin 20 mg as needed. This Ritalin LA has really been wonderful. Only downfall is that it isn't in generic form and it costs me $125 every month(with insurance). But it's worth it. Don't have the horrible headaches like I did with the regular Ritalin. Anyways, you should talk to your doctor about trying other meds, and even ask him if he has any samples you could try. They normally do. Best of luck to you in the future.