Driving with narcolepsy has not been a problem for me once I started taking medication for the condition. However narcolepsy was the main culprit in my, earlier than planned, retirement due to one incident when I backed my county truck into a parked car, drove to the job site and couldn't remember most of the transit. At that time I didn't know what was causing the problem and had five different tests performed on me and all concluded that I was in excellent health..
Six years prior I had complained to my family doctor of nagging depression issues. Among the medications he prescribed was D-Amphetamine. Eventually I was referred to a sleep doctor where I was properly diagnosed but I was the one who brought it up in the first place. Since then I've used Nuviglil, then Provigil twice a day, which worked fairly well, and currently I’m taking Ritalin twice a day which I have found works well for me plus has added bonus of combating depression. So which came first the chicken or the egg? Looking back I can definitely see the effects of narcolepsy since I was in high school and the connection with depression that has dogged me much of my life.Could my life have been different had I been diagnosed in my earlier years? I don't know but I think the majority of medications for this condition are of a more recent development.
One thing my sleep doctor told me was do not tell the DMV about your condition. They will revoke your driver’s license and it will take a couple of years to convince them that you are road worthy. Although, if you’re a real risk, you wouldn't want to endanger anybody else. I've heard of some people who when they feel the urge to sleep pull off the road, nap and then continuing on their way . Falling asleep at the wheel does not worry me while driving thanks to my Ritalin.