Can an amphetamine make living with narcolepsy manageable??

[*Mattox*]

I was recently diagnosed with severe narcolepsy and I am very fatigued all of the time, have zero motivation and/or energy whatsoever!!! The doctor I am seeing prescribed me Adderall IR tabs and I am on 20 mg 3x a day. This worked pretty well for the first few days but the effects have went down to the point where it is not working at all anymore?? Has anyone experienced this or know of a combination of something that will last and not lose all effects?? I mean I have taken more than the prescribed dose and felt great!! It was probably the best I have felt in a long time just for the fact I was able to complete daily tasks without feeling comatose. I was more engaged in everything I did and although I do like the euphoria and magnified energy I understand that it is not plausible to feel that way all of the time. However, in my situation where all I want to do is sleep it would be nice to think that there is something out there that will aid in my "wakefulness" per say and give me the drive to live a normal life... Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Talk to your doctor about this. I know someone who has narcolepsy and they take Adderall XR or extended release. I'm moving this to basic drug discussion for you.

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

The better drugs for this are the "wakefulness-promoting agents" such as modafinil (provigil) and armodafinl (nuvigil)

http://www.provigil.com/pdfs/prescribing_info.pdf

http://www.nuvigil.com/PDF/Full_Prescribing_Information.pdf

They were specifically designed for this. They are known as eugeroics.

http://smart-drugs.net/modafinil-adrafinil.htm

And amphetamines are prescribed for this, but IR is a bad idea

You can buy adrafinil, the prodrug to modafinil, online. It is completely legal, and effective.

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

These work directly on chemicals involved in sleep - such as orexins and histamine - instead of focusing solely on monoamines such as the amphetamines.

They are also dopamine reuptake inhibitors and D2 partial agonists.

 

[*Mattox*]

yeah, I was on provigil and nuvigil before i started the adderall and it didn't work well for me? Just made my body feel awake but my mind felt as though it was dragging along and it also made me sick at my stomache.. Why are the IR's a bad idea? Is that why it isn't lasting in my situation?

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

Yes, that is why. Because their blood levels peak for a little bit, and then fall. An extended release would release the drug throughout the day., maintaining drug levels throughout the day.

 

[Keif' Richards]

First off, exactly how long did it take for you to become completely tolerant to the beneficial effects of your Amphetamines? Was it literally just a few days? Because if this is the case, I have a feeling that this is not going to be the right drug for you. Tolerance is always a factor with stimulant prescription, but it should not occur so rapidly.

Amphetamines are prescribed as a treatment for Narcolepsy and it's my understanding that they are pretty effective. The main issue that seems to be encountered by patients is tolerance, but just like the overall efficacy of the drug, we can only specualte as to how each individual's experience will unfold. As others have mentioned, there are other options like Modafinil (Provigil) that promote wakefulness without many of the side-effects (and recreational value) of Amphetamines and similar stimulants. I must admit though that I know more about stimulants than I do about the condition of Narcolepsy.

I did read an article a few months ago about a promising treatment for Narcolepsy being high dosages of GHB (Gamma Hydroxy-Butyrate) at night. The trade name, at least in the United States for GHB is Xyrem. The patient who was interviewed in the article said that he had tried everything and that nothing held a candle to the efficacy of GHB in treating his Narcolepsy. He said it had given him a normal life.

I know that this is sort of a tangent, but I thought it might be helpful to at least pass the information along.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to ask, are you taking the Amphetamines all at once or are you spreading the dosages evenly throughout the day?

 

[*Mattox*]

The doctor first put me on 1- 20 mg tab a day for 2 weeks but it literally did nothing for me, however if I took a second one it would wake me up only to get tired again after about 2 hrs.. So when I went back she upped my dose to 1- 20 mg tab 3x daily. I would take the first one with no effect, take the second one about an hour later which did wake me up some but I was having to take the third one an hour or so later and so on.. It just seems like it is something that I am having to continuously take to achieve "wakefulness" And after a few days to a week it just seems like I am having to take a ridiculous amount just to feel awake during the day? I do have a high tolerance to things and I used to be pretty bad in H and benzo's about 5 years ago, however I have been on Suboxone now for about 5 years so I take two 8 mg tabs of that a day as well.. I was just hoping I could find something that would at least help me stay awake and live some what normally lol, if that makes sense.. I like, thegirlwithbluehair also thought maybe an ER version of adderall instead of the IR's would maybe help since the I am having such problems with the IR's.. I will definitely try to find an article on the GHB as well too, thank you!
I should also add that before I started taking any medication for the narcolepsy I was drinking 5 hr energy and red bull everyday like it was nothing sometimes still going to sleep...