Does anybody know of -drug induced narcolepsy- I read that certain anti depressants may be the reason for such a diagnoses.
Are you thinking about a specific drug in particular? You may want to check pubmed for studies on the subject:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
You can put the name of the drug and narcolepsy in the search button for example and find out if any study showed a link...
Hi Janria: I have read that also and I have also read that medications for restless legs can cause the symptoms of Narcolepsy. For example Requip. I hope you have a good day and I will ask something in regard to your other post. How are you today? It does feel good to have someone ask but in turn it is difficult to explain how you feel when you have an invisible illness.
Take care,
Accidentprone
From what I know, it is very difficult to determine the effect that medications may have on inducing narcolepsy, or its symptoms as the exact cause is really unknown. There is a sleeping medication that was recently approved, the function of which is (theorized to be) inducing narcolepsy for a controlled period of time. It does this by blocking Orexin (hypocretin) which is a neurotransmitter believed to promote wakefulness. Not a whole lot is known about this process, and while some antidepressants may also affect Orexin (serotonin may have an effect), the actual clinical significance of this is unknown. Some antidepressants have effects on histamine which may cause sleepiness, but not necessarily “narcolepsy.” Depression, of course, may also mess with the sleep cycle, something which is definitely known. So, in short, it’s difficult to say. But if you are taking a medication that you think may be causing or contributing to your symptoms, you should absolutely discuss with your doctor.
Thank you Elodie I was a bit concerned about the antidepressant I am taking and your link cleared my concerns...
Elodie said:
Are you thinking about a specific drug in particular? You may want to check pubmed for studies on the subject:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
You can put the name of the drug and narcolepsy in the search button for example and find out if any study showed a link...
You are absolutely right...yesterday was very rough and even if someone asks...I would not be able to answer in a way that explains the truth...thank you for that...sometimes the experience overwhelms me ..I do not cope on my meds yet although it is on max dosage...I forget that I have taken and instead of allowing myself to nap I think I forgot to take meds and then take another...which means I run out quicker...I understand that the schedule is high and they can not give me more...so today I will apply discipline...and every bit of focus....
Sleepyrph said:
From what I know, it is very difficult to determine the effect that medications may have on inducing narcolepsy, or its symptoms as the exact cause is really unknown. There is a sleeping medication that was recently approved, the function of which is (theorized to be) inducing narcolepsy for a controlled period of time. It does this by blocking Orexin (hypocretin) which is a neurotransmitter believed to promote wakefulness. Not a whole lot is known about this process, and while some antidepressants may also affect Orexin (serotonin may have an effect), the actual clinical significance of this is unknown. Some antidepressants have effects on histamine which may cause sleepiness, but not necessarily "narcolepsy." Depression, of course, may also mess with the sleep cycle, something which is definitely known. So, in short, it's difficult to say. But if you are taking a medication that you think may be causing or contributing to your symptoms, you should absolutely discuss with your doctor.