Re: Modafinil (Provigil) — I stopped because although it kept me awake my senses were dulled (libido, alertness, emotions etc.)
Zilo Re: Xyrem — This medication has changed my life. I spent 7 years trying medications such as adderall and provigal, which helped me stay awake during the day, but made me feel like a zombie, and never helped with my inability to get a restful nights sleep. When i first started taking xyrem it made me feel nauseated and did not help with my cataplexy. I stuck with it anyway, and after about a month I began to get the results I had hoped for. I was finally getting a full nights sleep, waking up feeling refreshed. After more than ten years of getting of only getting 3 solid hours of sleep a night, in between constant dreaming and waking up every 30 minutes, i could not be more pleased with the results. I have now been taking it for 3 years, along with provigal during the day, and i feel like an actual functional human being again.
Magenta Re: Xyrem — I don't know how well it could work in the long run because each time I tried it I had a bad reaction. Some people do very well with it.
Magenta Re: Modafinil (Provigil) — This had such bad effects that I had to stop, gave me headaches, dizziness, diarrhea.
Magenta Re: Amphetamines (prescription) — I have to stress, I am talking about a carefully monitored prescription medication, not some street drug! I take a very small dose and it is the only thing that wakes me up in the AM & keeps me awake (for the most part) through the day. It has some side effects (rapid heartbeat, tremors, increased anxiety at times) but the capsules don't have the bad effect on the stomach that tablets do.
Magenta Re: Incoherent when sleepy — OK, I realize most people don't sound bright and chipper when half awake, but as I start to get really sleepy, I can sound like a crackhead mumbling. I also am really confused when I wake up sometimes, for minutes, not knowing where I am, sometimes getting mad for no reason. Then, when I'm fully awake, I'm OK.
Magenta Re: Sleep paralysis — This is when you wake up (often not fully) and can't move. Lately I also have had episodes of shaking, like electricity going through me, I don't know if this is related or not
Magenta Re: Excess/inappropriate sleeping — For years I was always tired & sleepy, and would fall asleep in inappropriate places (school, concerts, public transport, even at a club 2x in my late teens or early 20s). I was told for years that it was depression and given meds for this which knocked me out even more. I lost a huge chunk of my life to this and to chronic pain, I was unable to attend college or work steadily - now it is hard to get a job w/ out a real employment history, I'm looked at like some kind of bum when this is never what I wanted. Who wants to sleep up to 20 hrs. a day?!
Magenta Re: Hypnagogic hallucinations — These aren't 'hallucinations' as one usually would think of them, like someone hearing voices due to schizophrenia or a person on LSD, but extremely vivid dreams that start before sleep or continue after waking partly. They're scary stuff and I thought I was a total freak till I heard people in my support group describe the exact same thing.
Re: Modafinil (Provigil) — I stopped because although it kept me awake my senses were dulled (libido, alertness, emotions etc.)
Zilo
Re: Xyrem — This medication has changed my life. I spent 7 years trying medications such as adderall and provigal, which helped me stay awake during the day, but made me feel like a zombie, and never helped with my inability to get a restful nights sleep. When i first started taking xyrem it made me feel nauseated and did not help with my cataplexy. I stuck with it anyway, and after about a month I began to get the results I had hoped for. I was finally getting a full nights sleep, waking up feeling refreshed. After more than ten years of getting of only getting 3 solid hours of sleep a night, in between constant dreaming and waking up every 30 minutes, i could not be more pleased with the results. I have now been taking it for 3 years, along with provigal during the day, and i feel like an actual functional human being again.
Magenta
Re: Xyrem — I don't know how well it could work in the long run because each time I tried it I had a bad reaction. Some people do very well with it.
Magenta
Re: Modafinil (Provigil) — This had such bad effects that I had to stop, gave me headaches, dizziness, diarrhea.
Magenta
Re: Amphetamines (prescription) — I have to stress, I am talking about a carefully monitored prescription medication, not some street drug! I take a very small dose and it is the only thing that wakes me up in the AM & keeps me awake (for the most part) through the day. It has some side effects (rapid heartbeat, tremors, increased anxiety at times) but the capsules don't have the bad effect on the stomach that tablets do.
Magenta
Re: Incoherent when sleepy — OK, I realize most people don't sound bright and chipper when half awake, but as I start to get really sleepy, I can sound like a crackhead mumbling. I also am really confused when I wake up sometimes, for minutes, not knowing where I am, sometimes getting mad for no reason. Then, when I'm fully awake, I'm OK.
Magenta
Re: Sleep paralysis — This is when you wake up (often not fully) and can't move. Lately I also have had episodes of shaking, like electricity going through me, I don't know if this is related or not
Magenta
Re: Excess/inappropriate sleeping — For years I was always tired & sleepy, and would fall asleep in inappropriate places (school, concerts, public transport, even at a club 2x in my late teens or early 20s). I was told for years that it was depression and given meds for this which knocked me out even more. I lost a huge chunk of my life to this and to chronic pain, I was unable to attend college or work steadily - now it is hard to get a job w/ out a real employment history, I'm looked at like some kind of bum when this is never what I wanted. Who wants to sleep up to 20 hrs. a day?!
Magenta
Re: Hypnagogic hallucinations — These aren't 'hallucinations' as one usually would think of them, like someone hearing voices due to schizophrenia or a person on LSD, but extremely vivid dreams that start before sleep or continue after waking partly. They're scary stuff and I thought I was a total freak till I heard people in my support group describe the exact same thing.