anybody here have narcolepsy, or know somebody who does?

[NTB]

I've never been officially diagnosed, but both my father and my grandfather have, so my odds are pretty good. I've had a new job for less than a month, and already been warned twice for falling asleep in meetings. I'm not doing it intentionally by any means, especially in the meeting today. It's a problem I've had since highschool (I'm 25 now): as long as I'm occupied, I'm fine. But if all I have to do is sit and listen to somebody talk, I'm out like a light. My teachers and professors said something once in a while, but never cared much as long as I kept my grades up. Work is a different story.

So far, the only thing I've figured out is that I'll be OK as long as I stay on my feet. I can stand in our daily morning meetings, but I know that won't always be an option. So I'm going to look into finding a doctor and setting up an apointment next week. Other than that, I don't really know what to do. No amount of sugar or caffeine seems to help, that's for sure.

Nate

 

[QurazyQuisp]

One of my good friends has it, and takes pills for it... he's constantly tired all the time... he can't drive more then 30 minutes without falling asleep. Once he takes his pills he's fine for a while though.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: NTB
I've never been officially diagnosed, but both my father and my grandfather have, so my odds are pretty good. I've had a new job for less than a month, and already been warned twice for falling asleep in meetings. I'm not doing it intentionally by any means, especially in the meeting today. It's a problem I've had since highschool (I'm 25 now): as long as I'm occupied, I'm fine. But if all I have to do is sit and listen to somebody talk, I'm out like a light. My teachers and professors said something once in a while, but never cared much as long as I kept my grades up. Work is a different story.

So far, the only thing I've figured out is that I'll be OK as long as I stay on my feet. I can stand in our daily morning meetings, but I know that won't always be an option. So I'm going to look into finding a doctor and setting up an apointment next week. Other than that, I don't really know what to do. No amount of sugar or caffeine seems to help, that's for sure.

Nate

Get diagnosed and make your job aware of your medical condition. There's a social stigma to your symptoms that will be impossible for your managers to see past without a legitimate authority telling them to. When you go to your managers with your diagnosis tell them, "I was concerned because of the warnings I received and decided to see a doctor about this problem".

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
One of my good friends has it, and takes pills for it... he's constantly tired all the time... he can't drive more then 30 minutes without falling asleep. Once he takes his pills he's fine for a while though.

I'm not quite that bad - like I said, as long as I'm occupied, I'm fine. That includes driving. I drove from here (NW Arkansas) up to St. Louis and back over the recent holdiay weekend, about 320 miles each way, without a problem.

Nate

 

[AreaCode707]

If you get diagnosed, you become a protected class and have some defense against being fired. Additionally, there may be some treatment. Definitely go see a doctor.

 

[her209]

Is that due to narcolepsy or just having a short attention span?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

I used to work at a large government beaurocratic agency and there was one guy who was asleep about 33% of the time. He would usually be just sitting at his desk in a upright posture. He had a few extra chins, so I suspose his girth allowed him to be relaxed, yet vertical. He would also fall asleep in every single meeting.

Of course we all wondered whether his condition was real, or something he fostered. He seemed completely unconcerned when he would awake from a 15 minute snooze during an meeting. It was really difficult to not judge him...but then again, management was completely silent on the issue as well so we could do nothing BUT speculate and wonder.

Good luck!

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: her209
Is that due to narcolepsy or just having a short attention span?

I already said I wasn't doing it intentionally :| The normal morning meetings are just a short "catch-up" meetings so we know what everybody's working on and what still needs to be done. The one today was for myself and the other new guy, to cover procedures for being on call for when we eventually join the rotation. It was stuff I *needed* to know, and tried everything I could to stay awake. I was asking questions during the meeting, because there were things I wanted to clear up, and I basically passed out while he was explaining something.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: HotChic
If you get diagnosed, you become a protected class and have some defense against being fired. Additionally, there may be some treatment. Definitely go see a doctor.

That's what I plan on doing.

Nate

 

[tcsenter]

I was diagnosed with narcolepsy and cataplexy in 2002 at the age of 31. Symptoms appeared around the age of 17 or 18.

It's a problem I've had since highschool (I'm 25 now): as long as I'm occupied, I'm fine.

That likely will change. I've fallen asleep while walking, standing, working, you name it. Its like a black out (microsleep with automatic behavior) that lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.

You lose time during the event, so you have no realization of how much time elapsed. Seems like you might have been day dreaming for two or three seconds, but it was actually two or three minutes.

 

[tweakmm]

Modafil.

Stuff is expensive though.

 

[RKS]

Is it narcolepsy or could it be a symptom of sleep apnea? If you are constantly tired I'd imagine it would be the latter.

 

[BillGates]

I have narcolepsy but it isn't

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: HotChic
If you get diagnosed, you become a protected class and have some defense against being fired. Additionally, there may be some treatment. Definitely go see a doctor.

That's what I plan on doing.

Nate

Yup, you'd be covered under the ADA. So if you need to stand during meetings you would most likely be able to...I don't see how an employer could say that allowing an employee stand is an "unreasonable accomodation".

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Modafil.

Modafinil.

Stuff is expensive though.

Its come down considerably in price, though still costly due to no generic versions available (patent expired in 2006 but Cephalon has managed to use legal maneuvers to extend protection until 2012). The price can vary quite hugely from one pharmacy to the next, so shop around. I can't take Provigil (modafinil) because I had an allergic reaction to it.

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Modafil.

Modafinil.

Damn it, I knew it looked wrong. I even googled.

In regards to price it will drop once the patent expires, but for a prescription it's rediculously expensive. I have really good insurance that gives me free generics but will only pay for a portion of Provigil(Modafinil).

 

[Xyo II]

I had a math teacher in middle school who was narcoleptic. Our class used to do all sorts of things when he fell asleep- some of it was funny, but a lot of it was nasty. Oh well, I feel bad about it now.