|
Severe hypersomnia sufferer here (formerly diagnosed with narcolepsy, but I'm missing one of the genetic markers for it, apparently) The orexin theory is considered problematic still. First and foremost, it doesn't begin to explain why GABAergic drugs plays a role in moderating both cataplexy and hypersomniac symptoms. There are also structural neural issues that can result in something essentially identical to narcolepsy, as well as other neurotransmitter imbalances that will also do a similar thing. BTW, modafinil/provigil is wildly different from the other stimulants prescribed for sleep problems. It's a whole different beast from dopaminergic stimulants (eg amphetamines and methylphenidate). If modafinil is not working that well, talk to your doctor/sleep doctor. I was prescribed it for a while and found it terrible and almost counter productive. My problem wasn't that I was falling asleep, but instead being too tired to do anything. It wasn't until I got on more conventional stimulants that I started to actually get my sleep stuff under control. It sucks to have to take stimulants, but they were literally life changing and after a bunch of years, I still experience almost zero side-effects from them. Also as an interesting aside, people with narcolepsy tend to respond to stimulants differently from people taking them for ADHD or recreationally: there's less high and apparently narcolepsy sufferers consistently build very little tolerance. He's definitely right that for almost all sleep disorders (narcolepsy and otherwise) steps 1 2 and 3 of treatment boil down to sleep hygeine. Exercise, diet, and minimizing excessive caffeine consumption are the next big ones, followed by medication. All of those factors work together to minimize symptoms. For me, I wasn't able to get a proper amount of exercise or have the energy to shop and cook properly good food regularly until I started taking medication. Once I got my exercise, diet, sleep hygeine, and medication stuff sorted out, life completely turned around, but the intervening period was seriously lovely.
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2016 22:11
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 19, 2024 13:10 |
|
|
MF_James posted:I don't have too much to add to the actual conversation, I do have sleep/wakefulness issues as well, not nearly as bad as anyone here, and I believe it's due to a mild case of sleep apnea. But, this line interests me, how old are you, and how long have you been on stimulants? A long-term side effect of them is dementia, so you may be in for a "fun" road ahead of you. Find me a study showing this re therapeutic low-dose stimulant use.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2016 19:58
|
|