Afternoon narcolepsy

[mwsteele]

Since I'm new to this horrible condition of RLS I have noticed too that my sleep pattern is completely up the wall and afternoon narcolepsy is regular. Is this "normal" for someone with RLS? Luckily I'm off work because I'm getting about 30 seconds notice that it's about to happen before I'm flat out for a good few hours.

[Hidden]

Sooner or later we all going to sleep, Freddy Krueger knew that

When you say narcolepsy are you talking about sudden uncontrollable falling asleep or a serious fatigue that compels you to lie down?

The exhaustion and sleep deprivation that comes with RLS can be quite debilitating. It is important to try and make up that sleep. I spent years NOT sleeping during the day if I could help it, getting up and keeping active if I got at all sleepy so as to try and sleep through the night, that long term lack of sleep was very detrimental to my physical health and I wish I had had the sense to sleep during the day.

If you got to sleep you got to sleep!

[mwsteele in reply to Hidden]

It's uncontrollable sleep, like I said I'm getting about 30 seconds warning then bam...out of it. It doesn't creep up on me, it's as horrible as this RLS but...by the sounds of it it's part and parcel of the same thing. Yay, lucky me.

[Hidden in reply to mwsteele]

Lucky you is right, sure why the hell would you wnat to be able to control where and when you sleep

Sleep deprivation can kill and its another thing that Drs don't take as seriously as they should.

Are you getting any treatment? You say you are new to this and some of the treatments have sudden onset of sleep as a side effect - the dopamine agonists I think and others like the opioids or anti-epileptic drugs can make you drowsy so add that to the lack of sleep and that could be your answer! On the plus side IF that is the case many side-effects subside in time. AND if its not the drugs, maybe you should be on some!

[mwsteele in reply to Hidden]

I've been prescribed (what appears to be a low dose compared to others I've read here) Ropinirole. I'm already on Sertraline which I've already learnt needs to be changed for something else (if I've understood correctly) and propranolol. I'm taking zapain for pain relief for a shoulder injury...

[Hidden in reply to mwsteele]

The Ropinirole is the likely culprit as sudden onset sleep is a side-effect. Check your drug leaflet carefully. That is a very serious drug with very serious side-effects! The codeine and Lustral could be exacerbating the whole thing.

[mwsteele in reply to Hidden]

Even though I'm on a low dosage? Ok. Back to the doctors it is. Thanks for the advice, I really do appreciate it...this RLS has thrown my life upside down.

[Hidden in reply to mwsteele]

It is likely to be the drug but likewise, depending on the severity of the sleep deprivation it could be the RLS.

I would never had sudden onset sleep until I developed ME then I would go out like a light unknown to myself - that I put down as a narcoleptic type thing, the extreme fatigue I experienced from RLS left me slowing down, slurring speech and then going over it could happen rapidly - over the course of 30 secs - 1 minute but that is a lot slower than a narcoleptic type thing in my experience, but that is only my experience.

I have seen people have sudden very severe reactions from small doses of drugs while others would easily tolerate huge doses of it. We are all different and drugs effect us all differently. Well worth checking it out with the Dr imho.

It really can mess up your life but there are ways around it. I would have saved painting my house so I could do it at night when I was unable to sleep needs must as they say.

Take care.

[mwsteele in reply to Hidden]

And it's back!!! Doubled up dose of Ropinirole as directed by my GP...and this afternoon it happened again. 30 seconds notice and 2 hours unconscious.

[Pippins2]

Suddenly falling to sleep can occur for some people when taking a Dopamine agonists. However any new symptom should be checked out with your GP and obviously driving is out of the question.

[mwsteele in reply to Pippins2]

I think I'm also getting a little PLMD...I shouldn't laugh and neither should you reading this...but this afternoon during my narcolepsy episode I woke up after slapping myself in the face...hard. I know it was me because I live alone. Ok, now you can laugh...I did..I can't cope...what else have I got coming as part of this **** ?!

[RupertMac]

My sympathies to you. I've had this ever since I first had RLS, no matter what medication I've been on. Probably not as bad as yours by the sound of it, but an irresistible urge to fall asleep hitting me pretty suddenly in the afternoons. Usually I'm out for an hour or two.

[John_naylor]

Tramadol makes me alert and I have difficulty getting to sleep. I do tend to fall asleep in the afternoon or early evening if I sit down. I would have put it down to tiredness but it is very sudden, deep and I don't always know I've been to sleep. Annoying, but if it's the price I have to pay for RLS relief, I'll pay it!

[StarMaiden]

i dont understand the term "afternoon narcolepsy". Narcolepsy is the name of a condition, not a symptom. Narcolepsy is also not just the sudden impulse to sleep. It carry's a whole host of symptoms of its own as well as the sudden sleep. I suffer from this chronic neurological condition and really find it quite insulting to have all sudden sleep impulses called a "narcolepsy". Narcolepsy is only narcolepsy when part of your brain attacks itself and becomes damaged, this resulting in the inability to produce enough certain chemicals in the brain.