Narcolepsy

Introduction: Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder. Affected individuals are extremely drowsy during the daytime and may fall into a deep sleep at any time. After a short nap, ... more about Narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy: Abnormal sleep disorder leading to excessive daytime drowsiness. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Narcolepsy is available below.

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

• Excessive daytime sleepiness - the most common and usually the earliest symptom; can occur even after adequate nightly sleep
• Daytime sleep attacks
• Napping
• Drowsiness
• Falling asleep during laughter

See full list of 25 symptoms of Narcolepsy

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Narcolepsy:

• Sleep Disorders: Home Testing
  • Home Sleep Tests
  • Sleep Apnea Tests

Diagnostic Tests for Narcolepsy

• Polysomnogram
• Multiple sleep latency test

Read more about tests for Narcolepsy

Wrongly Diagnosed with Narcolepsy?

• Misdiagnosis of Narcolepsy
• Failure to diagnose Narcolepsy
• Failure to diagnose Narcolepsy

Misdiagnosis and Narcolepsy

RLS sleep disorder causing night-time leg sensations often misdiagnosed: A common but relatively unknown sleep-related disorder called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is often misdiagnosed. The typical symptoms are night-time tingling, crawling, or burning sensations in the legs, with the irresistable urge to move the legs. This need for leg movement leads to tossing and turning, or getting up out of bed, all of which interferes with the ability to fall asleep. The sufferer then has the typical symptoms of sleep deprivation during the day: fatigue, tiredness, morning headaches, irritability, poor concentration and so on. This condition is sometimes misdiagnosed as other conditions such as ADHD, sleep disorders, other causes of insomnia, or other causes of leg tingling. Many patients also suffer from a related disorder called Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), which causes leg spasms or other jerky movements. See introduction to RLS or introduction to PLMD....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Narcolepsy

Causes of Narcolepsy

Read more about causes of Narcolepsy.

More information about causes of Narcolepsy:

• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Narcolepsy

Treatments for Narcolepsy

• Medications
  • Central nervous system stimulant drugs
  • Modafinil (Provigil)
  • Amphetamines
  • Dexamphetamine

See full list of 16 treatments for Narcolepsy

Videos for Narcolepsy

Patient Surveys for Narcolepsy

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Narcolepsy
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Prognosis for Narcolepsy

Prognosis for Narcolepsy: Life-long problem but usually manageable.

More about prognosis of Narcolepsy

Reseach about Narcolepsy

Visit our research pages for current research about Narcolepsy treatments.

Clinical Trials for Narcolepsy

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Narcolepsy include:

• Trial Comparing Effects of Xyrem Taken Orally and Modafinil With Placebo in Treating Daytime Sleepiness in Narcolepsy - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - sodium oxybate
• Safety and Efficacy Study of CEP-10953 in the Treatment of Excessive Sleepiness Associated With Narcolepsy - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - CEP-10953
• PROVIGIL (Modafinil) Treatment in Children and Adolescents With Excessive Sleepiness Associated With Narcolepsy or Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Modafinil
• Sleep Disorders of Patients With Diseases of the Nervous System - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Safety and Efficacy of Xyrem Oral Solution (Sodium Oxybate) Compared With Placebo in Narcoleptic Patients - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - sodium oxybate

See full list of 16 Clinical Trials for Narcolepsy

Statistics for Narcolepsy

• Medical statistics for Narcolepsy
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Narcolepsy
• Death and Mortality statistics for Narcolepsy
• Society statistics for Narcolepsy

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Narcolepsy

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Narcolepsy

See all guides and ebooks for Narcolepsy

Stories from Users Related to Narcolepsy

• More than just narcolepsy?
• Narcolepsy
• Did Ephedra Cause her Narcolepsy??
• Was her Narcolepsy Caused by this?

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Narcolepsy, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Narcolepsy

Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology (Excerpt)

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder. Affected individuals are extremely drowsy during the daytime and may fall into a deep sleep at any time. After a short nap, the patient may feel refreshed, but it is only a short period of time before drowsiness returns. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)

NINDS Narcolepsy Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Narcolepsy is a disabling neurological disorder of sleep regulation that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. It may be described as an intrusion of the dreaming state of sleep (called REM or rapid eye movement sleep) into the waking state. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Narcolepsy Information Page: NINDS)

Narcolepsy: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder with no known cause. The main characteristic of narcolepsy is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness, even after adequate nighttime sleep. A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Daytime sleep attacks may occur with or without warning and may be irresistible. These attacks can occur repeatedly in a single day. Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time. In addition, nighttime sleep may be fragmented with frequent wakenings. (Source: excerpt from Narcolepsy: NWHIC)

Definitions of Narcolepsy:

A condition characterized by recurrent episodes of daytime somnolence and lapses in consciousness (microsomnias) that may be associated with automatic behaviors and AMNESIA. CATAPLEXY; SLEEP PARALYSIS, and hypnagogic HALLUCINATIONS frequently accompany narcolepsy. The pathophysiology of this disorder includes sleep-onset rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which normally follows stage III or IV sleep. (From Neurology 1998 Feb;50(2 Suppl 1):S2-S7) - (Source - Diseases Database)

A sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep; "he believes that narcolepsy is attributable to an inability to suppress REM sleep during waking" - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Narcolepsy is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Narcolepsy, or a subtype of Narcolepsy, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)