Posted by awake at last on August 21, 2002, at 12:29:45
In reply to Re: Check out Provigil - good chance of Narcolepsy » awake at last, posted by The Undercracker on August 20, 2002, at 11:20:52
I think it's a matter of which came first, the chicken or the egg.....
Narcolepsy is hereditary, so if you grandfather has it, it is very likely that you could (cataplexy does not occur in all narcoleptics - so don't let that confuse you). There is a lot of research out there now comparing the relationship between Narcolepsy, ADD and Bipolar...they have all been linked to the genetics of chromosome 22.
Bipolar mania is caused from a disturbance in the sleep/wake cycle - this could be caused from the Narcolepsy - but there are many people that have been diagnosed with both Narcolepsy and bipolar and require treatment for both.
From everything I've read it does appear the Bipolars do better when treated for Narcolepsy.
Here are some sites you might find interesting regarding the two:http://www.modafinil.org/modafinil/modafinil-depression-2.htm
http://bipolar.about.com/library/weekly/aa000203a.htm?once=true&;
http://www.narcolepsy.org/narc.links.html
http://www.frii.com/~parrot/affect.html
http://bipolarweb.net/the%20bipolar%20spectrum.htm
Here's a thread from a Narcoleptic site from a man with both:
http://www.sleepnet.com/narco7/messages/786.html
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> Thanks for the input. My grandfather has Narcolepsy... where you just randomly drop off into sleep right? I myself have never experienced that side of it. However, he is the grandfather on my mother's side, and I seem to have the same genetic makeup of my mother more than my father (we've laughed about immaculate conception a few times). Do people often have Narcolepsy and Bipolar, or is that a case where they can be confused?
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> -UC
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> > I'm probably sounding like a broken record because I've mentioned this to several here. But many have mentioned symptoms prior to taking meds that are classical of Narcolepsy. I was diagnoses incorrectly for 4 years with depression, tried many AD's to no avail - and some made things worse. ADD and Narcolepsy are both treated with stimulants ie. Ritalin, but they are addictive and cause major high's and low's.
> > I have been taking Provigil now for 6 months and have totally recovered. Though it is only FDA approved for Narcolepsy currently, it is being tested for ADD as well. I highly suggest you speak to your doctor or a neurologist about the possibility of Narcolepsy - the symptoms you described definitley make it a possibility - especially the lack of attention - no energy and definitley the sleep paralysis. There are many good sites regarding Narcolepsy - check it out.
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poster:awake at last
thread:116493
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020821/msgs/117243.html