Studies indicate narcolepsy’s affect upon quality of life is comparable to epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.Narcolepsy can cause serious disruptions to daily routine and compromise education, employment, and family opportunities.Many patients manage their narcolepsy with multiple medications and diligent personal attention to their health.A variety of older medications are prescribed off-label as well. Leading FDA-approved treatments for narcolepsy: Provigil, Nuvigil and Xyrem.Narcolepsy is a chronic, lifelong condition.Individuals experience symptoms for an average of 3 -5 years before receiving an accurate diagnosis, however 10 -15 year delays are not uncommon.Many primary care doctors are unfamiliar with the basic symptoms of narcolepsy. The cause(s) of N-C are not well understood.Hypocretin neurotransmitters are essential to proper regulation of sleep and wakefulness. In N+C, it is believed that an autoimmune reaction destroys the brain’s 70,000 hypocretin-producing cells.There are two forms of narcolepsy, Narcolepsy with Cataplexy (N+C) and Narcolepsy without Cataplexy (N-C).Narcolepsy isn’t related to seizure disorders, fainting, simple lack of sleep or other conditions that may cause abnormal sleep patterns. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder.Sleep paralysis, when an individual feels awake but cannot move,while falling asleep or waking.Hallucinations, often frightening, while falling asleep or waking.In severe cases, cataplexy may cause a person to collapse to the ground and stay paralyzed for as long as several minutes. Emotions, such as laughter or anger, will often bring on cataplexy. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone while awake, resulting in the inability to move.
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