Posted by susie on November 08, 1998 at 17:35:09:

In Reply to: Re: narcolepsy? food and vitiams -B-12? posted by wendy on November 08, 1998 at 14:16:18:

Hi Wendy,
I do not know of any foods or vitamins that would have a dramatic effect on narcolepsy symptoms.
I have read posts and talked to some people who find that certain types of foods, and diets, make a real improvement. You might do a search of the forum on that. Perhaps people who have had such an experiences will reply to these posts. It is important to remember though that not everyone is the same, and what may make a major difference to one or a few people make have no discernable effect in others.
The postings on B-12 were about a published paper in which one man who had had symptoms somewhat similar to the person with severe recurrent hypersomnia, had responded dramatically to treatment with B-12. But the condition was not narcolepsy. I even tried the B-12 myself for a couple of weeks, at the same dosages used in the publication. I could tell no improvement (or adverse effects either).
It would be best to make certain you do have adequate vitamin and mineral intake, without going to excess. The brain is very active and uses a lot of energy and vitamins.
Severe deficiency of some vitamins can certainly affect the brain's ability to function well, but this applies to everyone.
Narcolepsy is caused by abnormalities in the basic chemistry and connections in brain areas involved with waking and sleeping. There are chemical imbalances in these brain areas that cannot be corrected by certain foods or vitamins. That is why effective prescription medications are needed.
susie

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