Posted by nolegirl23 on January 25, 2007, at 18:06:48
In reply to Re: Periods of Narcolepsy ??, posted by polarbear206 on January 23, 2007, at 22:34:22
> > I have had this problem all of my life, but for the most part have attributed it to my eating habits..
> >
> > There are certain points of the day in which, no matter what, I cannot stay awake. Usually it is right after lunch or in mid afternoon. I do everything possible, I drink 24 oz. of coffee in the morning, drink Diet Pepsi throughout the day, and no matter what, it is like my body shuts down and my eyes cannot stay open to save my life.
> >
> > When I was in school, I would just fall asleep, no big deal. Now that I am in the workforce, it is becoming increasingly difficult.
> > I don't know if this is a symptom of my depression, or if it is a result of my meds.. I don't know what is going on, but it seems as if after I eat, I have NO choice but to sleep. It is going to happen, regardless.
> >
> > Does anybody know if these periods of extreme exhaustion are a result of depression??
> >
> > BTW, I am on 40 mg. of Lexapro; 4 mg's. of Xanax XR, 50 mg's of Lamictal, and 50 mg's. of Vistaril ( for sleeping at night, when I am SUPPOSED to sleep )
> >
> >
>
>
> Funny you mention narcolepsy. I thought I had it at one time. Same time of the day as you, I would experience overwhelming fatigue. I actually pulled over my car to the side of the road one time when I couldn't stay awake. I remember drinking whole pots of coffee to prevent these sleep attacks. Sounds like your circadium rhythm is out of wack. Does this happen more in the winter and fall months? Is your appetite increased at all? What time of the day are you taking the xanax? Is it prn? I would discuss with your Doc about switching to a more activating antidepressant that targets more than one nuerotransmitter like effexor or cymbalta. I was on 40mg of Paxil at the time I went through this without a mood stabilizer. I wouldn't be surprised if you would increase your Lamictal, you would get a better response, that meaning better sleep without these sleep attacks occuring during the day. People usually respond better at higher doses between 100-200mg.
> Light therapy is another option that is very helpful.
>
> Polarbear
> effexor/lamictal
> klonopin prnThanks for the support and suggestions!
I am actually gradually increasing my dosage of lamictal. My pdoc eventually wants me at 200 mg's.
I take the lamictal at night though (thats when the doc said to take it..), but I find that when i take it at night, I have very strange and agitating dreams. Sometimes these dreams are borderline nightmares.
I'm a laymen, so I don't know what prn means. My Xanax XR is taken once in the morning (2 mgs), and once in the evening (2 mgs).
BTW, what does PRN mean?
In terms of my appetite, I have had an increased appetite but I ignore it ( I have an eating disorder).
Anyways, thanks for the response and advice!
poster:nolegirl23
thread:725748
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070125/msgs/726462.html