Table of contents:
- Overview of narcolepsy
- Prescription narcolepsy drugs
- 1. Ritalin (methylphenidate)
- 2.Progivil (modafinil)
- 3.Nuvigil (armodafinil)
- 4.Tricyclic antidepressants (anfranil and tofranil) and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- 5.Xyrem (sodium oxybate)
- Home remedies for narcolepsy
There are some people who suddenly fall asleep in the middle of an activity. Not because they are drowsy, people with this condition experience a nervous breakdown called narcolepsy. This nervous disorder is very dangerous and certainly disturbs your daily life. Therefore, you need to be aware of the various narcolepsy drugs that your doctor prescribes and home remedies for managing narcolepsy symptoms.
Overview of narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder in which there is an abnormality in a person's nerves that can cause a person to experience excessive sleepiness during the day and can fall asleep at any time even though they are active. This one nerve problem interferes with a person's ability to control when to sleep and wake up. In the normal sleep cycle, a person usually starts his sleep with the chicken sleep stage, going to deep sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep (rapid eye moevement).
People with narcolepsy usually go straight to REM sleep, rather than from hen sleep first. In REM sleep, you can experience dreams and muscle paralysis. Symptoms that commonly occur in narcolepsy sufferers are sleep all day long, cataplex (sudden and uncontrollable muscle paralysis), hallucinations, and sleep paralysis (Often referred to as "crushedness" because it feels as if you can't move due to the immense pressure on your body).
Prescription narcolepsy drugs
Following are a number of drugs used to treat and reduce the symptoms of narcolepsy, namely
1. Ritalin (methylphenidate)
Ritalin can help with excessive daytime sleepiness and can increase alertness. Doctors usually recommend not taking it too often to keep this medicine effective for you.
Side effects: Headaches, restlessness, digestive system disorders, and irritability.
2.Progivil (modafinil)
This medication is used to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness.
Side effects: Headaches.
3.Nuvigil (armodafinil)
The drug nuvigil works similarly to provigil which is used to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness.
Side effects: Headaches and nausea.
4.Tricyclic antidepressants (anfranil and tofranil) and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Antidepressants are used to reduce depression that may occur in people with narcolepsy. Meanwhile, Prozac, which is included in the SSRI class, is often used to reduce cataplex, which is a condition in which your muscles suddenly relax or become paralyzed.
Side effects: Stomach pain, dry mouth, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, stomach problems, and sexual dysfunction.
5.Xyrem (sodium oxybate)
This narcolepsy drug is used to treat excessive drowsiness and cataplexia (muscles that relax suddenly) when other medicines are not working.
Home remedies for narcolepsy
Healthy lifestyle changes coupled with medication from your doctor can help you prevent symptoms of narcolepsy. There are several things you can do, namely:
- Many cases claim that a person experiences improvement in narcolepsy symptoms when they get regular and adequate sleep, which is around 7-8 hours per night.
- Quoted from WebMD, a study shows getting a good night's sleep and napping for about 15 minutes is the right combination of sleep for health.
- Don't eat too full and avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine (cigarettes) as both can disrupt sleep.
- Get regular exercise. Exercise can make you feel more awake during the day and sleepy at night.
- Unless your doctor prescribes it, avoid over-the-counter drugs that can cause drowsiness.
