sleeping too long?

[arwenmark]

Hi, my husband is in stage 3 maybe early stage 4. He is very unsteady on his feet but can still do most things for himself but lately he has been sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day. Is this normal or do you think it means a sudden decline? He is on Stalevo every 4 hours and has been for some time, because of the sleeping he sometimes misses one or more doses. As I say though I am concerned about the sleeping and the extreme weakness he has when he is awake.

[Xenos]

Feeling sorry for both of you... Did his neurologist say anything, suggest something to try ? Apokinon pumps, I heard, can be of help.

[rhyspeace12]

My husband will do this at times and then it passes. It seems that if he gets very stressed it takes a big toll on him and he sleeps more for several days. If he is on any new medication that can cause it too.

[TheGimba]

Hi, sounds really familiar. Neuro put my husband on caffeine pills...along with his levadopa/carbidopa. They seem to be helping a lot with his mind fog and excessive sleeping. He is much more motivated and is able to sustain activity. He still naps in the afternoon but is functioning much better in general. He has tried other stimulants in the past such as "Concerta" but it had side effects, aggression!!! He decreased caffeine dose, too much can make them agitated and promote tremor...so must monitor closely. Good Luck, sleeping your life away impacts the whole family very negatively.

[arwenmark]

It does impact the family, but I also wonder if from his perspective it is better because he does not have to deal with the PD symptoms while asleep. It is so hard for me because all out marriage I always depended on him for many things, and now he is incapable of them, I miss the man he was and his abilities.