Narcolepsy Forum Posting

Posted by ExhaustedMom on January 31, 2002 at 06:42:32:

In Reply to: Medication Roller Coaster - Need Advice posted by Jayde on January 29, 2002 at 23:06:58:

Hi Jayde. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I wanted to let you know I agree with Big Sleepy- my doctor has nothing but the highest regard for Stanford Sleep Clinic. They are the very best in the field, and do know that you'll be seen by the best. I can relate- I felt the same way on Provigil. In a haze 24/7 and horrible headaches, to boot! The Ritalin your primary gave you was short acting, right? I take only the long acting 20 mg, twice a day, and I manage to stay awake enough. No buzz, no instant awake, but able to get up, motivated, and be able to function. THe short acting stuff, however, may not give you the boost you need to get going. I talked to someone once who told me the short acting was like eating PEZ- good for a minute, then nothing! I can't see where, with your degree of symptoms, that a short acting, twice a day(most short acting is prescribed every 4 hours) will do it. And, maybe Ritalin isn't the best choice for you. Stanford will help. Have faith in them, they are at the forefront of sleep research.

Ok, on to the next issue at hand- school. Jayde, I realize that you are a super-motivated person, both for yourself and your son, wanting to get thru school and onto some sort of career. Certainly the right thing to do, I fully agree. As a mom myself, I know how easy it is to get caught up in what everyone else needs. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you it's ok not to do everything, so here goes- You don't have to do everything! Your N isn't well controlled. You're tired, frustrated, upset, sleepy, and very worried. You have a small child who needs your time and attention, plus you work. Scale back to what you have to do right now. Get your med situation sorted out with Stanford. Maybe wait on the classes until the summer session when you're situated on a new medication plan that keeps you functional. Your son needs your time and attention, and you have to work. Understandable. The school may be the only thing your can bump, just temporarily. I know it frustrates you to have to go to plan B, but sometimes plan B is better! A year ago, I was working full time, chasing 3 kids, and my husband was part time, going back to school. I never stopped. Exhausted, crabby, hated my life. Then one day, my husband came up to me and said he's frustrated with taking a full time class load. Arghhh!!! So, we compromised. He'll take 2 classes, work full time, but I'll cut back. Spend more time with the kids. Do more at home. But that's what makes me feel better. Sure, we wanted him to be done with school ASAP, but hey, why do it if everyone's miserable for the next 2 years? You can still accomplish all you want to do, but not without finding the right treatment for your N, first. Think about it. Scale back what you can. You'll feel so much better for it.

Good luck at Stanford. And, Say No To Provigil! It's not the only med out there. :o) I'll keep you and your son in my prayers. Take care!

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