Symptoms of narcolepsy in horses
Common Questions and Answers about Symptoms of narcolepsy in horses
narcolepsy
Well, without a detailed clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered include low blood sugar, low blood pressure, micronutrient deficiencies, medication side effect, hormonal/ endocrine abnormalities etc. I would suggest considering an initial evaluation by a primary care physician and depending on the cause diagnosed/ suspected, it can be managed accordingly or specialist care may be sought.
my long, sudden spells of unconsciousness sometimes had two combined causes, namely my two rare diseases. I have narcolepsy with cataplexy and generalized dysautonomia. As such, it's possible for me to faint and then go into a cataplexy (paralysis attack) from startling upon waking up, or to faint and then fall into a sleep attack from the narcolepsy and not wake up for an hour or more.
memory problems, insomnia symptoms, chronic pain, and twitchy feelings in muscles are actually very characteristic of narcolepsy with cataplexy, and it can be exacerbated by the hormone shifts that happen with menstrual cycles. In fact, often times, people don't have "Bells Palsy," but cataplexy. Viruses and some vaccines (namely the H1N1) can actually precipitate this, but it can happen seemingly in random fashion, too.
Is it possible I have developed some minor form of Narcolepsy? My husband is very worried, thinking it might even have something to do with the brain. This is not like me at all!
Thank you in advance for any input!
Diagnosis is relatively easy when all the symptoms of narcolepsy are present.Two tests that are commonly used in diagnosing narcolepsy are the polysomnogram and the multiple sleep latency test which are usually performed by a sleep specialist. The drowsiness is normally treated using amphetamine-like stimulants.
The vast majority of doctors have absolutely no idea what it is or what it looks like, and no routine lab tests, MRI, CT scan, x-ray or anything of that nature will detect it. 75% of people with narcolepsy never get diagnosed in their lifetime.
It doesn't look the way you think it looks. Common misdiagnoses are depression, epilepsy, and migraines. I struggled for years to find an answer, and was misdiagnosed several times.
I have been taking 500 mg. of nuvigil for over 2 years. Plus, 60 mg of adderall a day. My symptoms have slowed down a little, but I have to take 2 naps a day and not drive anywhere. I have sleep studies twice a year and it seems to get worse each time. Its very aggravating to me! It seems like something would help. I see a team of specialists at Vanderbilt, but I need something else, but what? Anyone have any suggestions? I have tried everything!!
-Headache (pressure behind eyes, back of head)-feels very different than the occassional migraine I have gotten
-Visual problems (episodes of double vision, blurry vision, pain with eye movement)
-Nausea and vomitting (very frequent)
-Dizziness
-Fainting (both after standing, after having been standing for a period of time, and sitting down)
-Loss of memory
-Problems with cognition (trouble finding correct words/forming sentences, difficulty learning new things, etc...
24 years old white male, fair skinned with dark blonde hair, 6''0", 195lbs, in shape and athletic (work out and jog 5-6 days of the week). University educated and work in government policy, 9:00-5:00.
Previously was a heavy weekend drinker, but have given up alcohol due to dx of narcolepsy (and I get very bad hangovers). Do not use recreational drugs.
and at the same time it should not be happening. i do have narcolepsy and the reason i add this is because i know this in itself has a lot of symptoms ie cataplexy sleep paralysis.
memory problems, insomnia symptoms, chronic pain, and twitchy feelings in muscles are actually very characteristic of narcolepsy with cataplexy, and it can be exacerbated by the hormone shifts that happen with menstrual cycles. In fact, often times, people don't have "Bells Palsy," but cataplexy. Viruses and some vaccines (namely the H1N1) can actually precipitate this, but it can happen seemingly in random fashion, too.
i saw a show yesterday about narcolepsy and they mentioned a vaccination was given to a 13 year old girl and 2 hours later she was experiencing cataplexly (a paralyzing catatonic state that is a symptom of narcolepsy) but they did not say which vaccination.
My doctor said my complaints are highly suggestive of narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness, occasional episodes of hypnopompic hallucinations upon waking, short term memory lapses, etc).
My neurologist has told me that I am now a Zebra! At least in medical lingo, we have to start looking at the Zebra issues. There are definite problems but he does not believe it is MS.
Updates:
Provigil - now I need only a 50mg dose. My insurance has denied the claim but my neuro gives me samples and since I can cut the 200mg pill down, then one 7 day sample pack lasts 28 days.
You may get lot more information regarding the cause, symptoms, necessary investigations and treatment of narcolepsy as you go through this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcolepsy
Are you suffering from narcolepsy? Take care and share your thoughts.
I had it with just sleepiness during the day and what looked like insomnia at night for probably about 15-20 years before I ended up with more serious symptoms of narcolepsy that actually included cataplexy (random muscle weakness that can either be isolated, or widespread).
The cataplexy manifested first in my face, as what looked like episodes of Bells Palsy that came and went when I was tired, stressed, or even when I was happy and smiling.
It is entirely possible to have narcolepsy given your symptoms. The disease manifests differently from person to person, and it progresses with time (usually worsening, then improving in some).
Well I checked back in with the genius neuro that dx me with narcolepsy & cataplexy. Today was the scheduled EMG of my legs.
The EMG of my legs was normal. That is good. That means no obvious muscular or nerve disorder. And I used the time of the EMG testing to go through my long list of questions! The doc was impressed!
(I had been scribbling notes on the back of evelopes. Now I have an excel file that I use to track my doctor appts.
Narcolepsy is a serious neurological disorder involving excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (loss of muscle tone with emotions such as laughter), sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations. Although narcolepsy affects 1 in every 2,000 people worldwide, it's often misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed for 3 to 15 years. When will health professionals WAKE UP to the REAL narcolepsy?
I was reading up about it and this lead me to read about Narcolepsy as Cataplexy is a unique symptom to this condition. I read about the symptoms and I am now afraid that I may be suffering from it.
I have very vivid and sometimes lucid dreams and I wake up almost every hour of the night for short spans of time. Sometimes I cannot tell my dreams from reality and I often hear noises and see things during the night that aren't really there.
I am by no means an expert, but only know about the symptoms of narcolepsy since I just had a sleep study a few days ago. The tech explained that a common misconception is that narcolepsy is just basically "falling asleep in your cereal bowl". It is not however. The major symptom is EDS, excessive daytime sleepiness. Since it is a neurological disorder, your brain keeps telling your body it is tired regardless of how much sleep you get.
I am assuming you had an overnight sleep test along with an MSLT nap test to receive this narcolepsy diagnosis. Did you have any other sleep disorders show up? Do you have episodes of cataplexy?
My sleep doctor is one who (in general) doesn't entertain a diagnosis of narcolepsy until any other sleep disorders are therapeutically treated, as long term sleep disorders can mimic narcolepsy in some respects.
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