Multiple sclerosis support - Narcolepsy symptoms from MS

Author

Narcolepsy symptoms from MS

2005-05-19, 5:52 pm

Hi everyone, I've been lurking for about a year and never really had
anything to say. ;) Or maybe I have and don't remember...
I was DX in '01 and I've been on Avonex since '02 with good results. I work
2nd shift (thank goodness) and walk the floor of a large machine shop as a
supervisor. Leg pain (spaz, ice-pick) and fatige (sever lead in XXX syndrom)
hits me about 1-2 nights a week and I have fallen asleep 3 or 4 times while
driving home at midnight. And that is SCARY!!! Luckily I haven't killed
myself or anyone else in a wreck, just some minor body damage that I was
able to fix. I only have the problem after a bad night of fatiuge and leg
pain, but while I'm driving I can't tell when it's coming on.
My Dr. put me on Amantadine but that seemed to increase the leg pain and
didn't really help on the way home. Now I have some Ritalin to use on an as
needed basis.
Does anyone have experiance with similar symptoms or Ritalin.
I'm trying to treat it myself with diet, I've taken to having a protein
shake or power bar every couple hours and that seems to help. I QUIT
SMOKING!!!! Now I'm trying to drop the extra 30lbs from that so I dropped
the sugary pop and coffee
Wish me luck. Gotta go to work!
Bruce

2005-05-19, 5:52 pm

&%%#$%!!! Can I take that back and hit the sell checker first! Hahaha!!!

"BG" <dgiven3@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:9b4je.446$UP.273@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
> Hi everyone, I've been lurking for about a year and never really had
> anything to say. ;) Or maybe I have and don't remember...
> I was DX in '01 and I've been on Avonex since '02 with good results. I
work
> 2nd shift (thank goodness) and walk the floor of a large machine shop as a
> supervisor. Leg pain (spaz, ice-pick) and fatige (sever lead in XXX
syndrom)
> hits me about 1-2 nights a week and I have fallen asleep 3 or 4 times
while
> driving home at midnight. And that is SCARY!!! Luckily I haven't killed
> myself or anyone else in a wreck, just some minor body damage that I was
> able to fix. I only have the problem after a bad night of fatiuge and leg
> pain, but while I'm driving I can't tell when it's coming on.
> My Dr. put me on Amantadine but that seemed to increase the leg pain and
> didn't really help on the way home. Now I have some Ritalin to use on an
as
> needed basis.
> Does anyone have experiance with similar symptoms or Ritalin.
> I'm trying to treat it myself with diet, I've taken to having a protein
> shake or power bar every couple hours and that seems to help. I QUIT
> SMOKING!!!! Now I'm trying to drop the extra 30lbs from that so I dropped
> the sugary pop and coffee
> Wish me luck. Gotta go to work!
> Bruce
>
>

Kami

2005-05-19, 5:52 pm

Good Luck Bruce!!!

Smiles!
Kami

"BG" <dgiven3@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:9b4je.446$UP.273@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
> Hi everyone, I've been lurking for about a year and never really had
> anything to say. ;) Or maybe I have and don't remember...
> I was DX in '01 and I've been on Avonex since '02 with good results. I
> work
> 2nd shift (thank goodness) and walk the floor of a large machine shop as a
> supervisor. Leg pain (spaz, ice-pick) and fatige (sever lead in XXX
> syndrom)
> hits me about 1-2 nights a week and I have fallen asleep 3 or 4 times
> while
> driving home at midnight. And that is SCARY!!! Luckily I haven't killed
> myself or anyone else in a wreck, just some minor body damage that I was
> able to fix. I only have the problem after a bad night of fatiuge and leg
> pain, but while I'm driving I can't tell when it's coming on.
> My Dr. put me on Amantadine but that seemed to increase the leg pain and
> didn't really help on the way home. Now I have some Ritalin to use on an
> as
> needed basis.
> Does anyone have experiance with similar symptoms or Ritalin.
> I'm trying to treat it myself with diet, I've taken to having a protein
> shake or power bar every couple hours and that seems to help. I QUIT
> SMOKING!!!! Now I'm trying to drop the extra 30lbs from that so I dropped
> the sugary pop and coffee
> Wish me luck. Gotta go to work!
> Bruce
>
>

gwajean48

2005-05-19, 5:52 pm

BG,

I have no idea why your doctor prescribed Amantadine for your problems
of falling asleep. Provigil is used for narcolepsy, so you night check
out this drug. At any rate, do something before you kill yourself on
the highway.

Joyce

Kami wrote:[vbcol=seagreen]
> Good Luck Bruce!!!
>
> Smiles!
> Kami
>
> "BG" <dgiven3@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:9b4je.446$UP.273@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
had[vbcol=seagreen]
results. I[vbcol=seagreen]
shop as a[vbcol=seagreen]
[vbcol=seagreen]
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killed[vbcol=seagreen]
I was[vbcol=seagreen]
and leg[vbcol=seagreen]
pain and[vbcol=seagreen]
on an[vbcol=seagreen]
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QUIT[vbcol=seagreen]
dropped[vbcol=seagreen]

Jim Carter

2005-05-19, 5:52 pm

On Thu, 19 May 2005 17:39:17 GMT, "BG" <dgiven3@neo.rr.com> wrote
in alt.support.mult-sclerosis:

>I have fallen asleep 3 or 4 times while
>driving home at midnight.

Do they still sell that stuff for truck drivers, called something
like "No-Doz"? I think they were pretty much pure caffeine
tablets.

Another talk with your doc is in order.

I once waited for a stop sign to turn green (shift work).
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

Jeff Boman

2005-05-19, 10:52 pm

The ironic thing for me: for years before MS, I thought I was narcoleptic
the way I always fell asleep in classes at school.

Mind you, for you it's far more serious. I hope you get it solved before
you or someone else gets hurt!

--
MSInformation: Busting myths and bringing hope
http://m-sinfo.org/newslettersubscribe.html
Also a message forum:
http://m-sinfo.org/mscommunication

2005-05-20, 8:55 am

Thanks Kami

I caught that on my way out the door.
Sometimes someone says just the right thing in just the right way when you
need it most!

Joyce, I think I dose off from exhaustion not Narcolepsy. I tend to push
myself through the fatigue and pain to keep my job...work is not very
sympathetic. Quitting or even going on disability is not an option right
now. Provigil was offered but I do not want to take a daily, or twice daily
scrip. I asked for something I could take on an as needed basis and was
prescribed Ritalin. I was told this is fast acting and will ware off in a
couple hours...just what I was looking for if it works like that for me. And
to make everyone in Ohio feel safer...my ride home is not on the highway and
is only 7 miles!
Bruce

"gwajean48" <gwajean48@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1116537213.569677.271830@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> BG,
>
> I have no idea why your doctor prescribed Amantadine for your problems
> of falling asleep. Provigil is used for narcolepsy, so you night check
> out this drug. At any rate, do something before you kill yourself on
> the highway.
>
> Joyce
>
>
> Kami wrote:
> had
> results. I
> shop as a
>
> times
> killed
> I was
> and leg
> pain and
> on an
> protein
> QUIT
> dropped
>

2005-05-20, 8:55 am

> I once waited for a stop sign to turn green (shift work).
> --
((UHGG)) now my head hurts!lol

I was drinking way too much coffee already. I do need to eventually go to
sleep at night so I didn't want anything that would last very long, and that
is what all those pills are designed to do. I hope the Ritalin fits the
bill.
Anyone here tried it?

kamel

2005-05-20, 11:57 am

I fell asleep writing a long email to my newly diagnosed friend and ended
up with a long string (six pages) of
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
which I fortunately didn't send it my sleeep.

--

"gwajean48" <gwajean48@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1116537213.569677.271830@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> BG,
>
> I have no idea why your doctor prescribed Amantadine for your problems
> of falling asleep. Provigil is used for narcolepsy, so you night check
> out this drug. At any rate, do something before you kill yourself on
> the highway.
>
> Joyce
>
>
> Kami wrote:
> had
> results. I
> shop as a
>
> times
> killed
> I was
> and leg
> pain and
> on an
> protein
> QUIT
> dropped
>

bobbyD

2005-05-22, 5:52 pm

i use Alertec for my exhaustion probs,,,

it is very effective and also non speed drug,, very clean , minimal side
effects,, one pill does me fine and i only take it if i wake up tired as i
know then how my day will go when i wake up,,,, if i feel like i am still
asleep or need to go back to sleep i take one Alertec pill,, works great,,
and i sleep well at night too.

i have tried all the fatigue meds for Ms use and found this to be the best
for me,, with the least negative side effects,,

bobbyD

"BG" <dgiven3@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:05eje.373$9v1.321@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
> ((UHGG)) now my head hurts!lol
>
> I was drinking way too much coffee already. I do need to eventually go to
> sleep at night so I didn't want anything that would last very long, and
> that
> is what all those pills are designed to do. I hope the Ritalin fits the
> bill.
> Anyone here tried it?
>
>

rose

2005-05-24, 5:56 pm

BG wrote:
> I was drinking way too much coffee already. I do need to eventually
go to
> sleep at night so I didn't want anything that would last very long,
and that
> is what all those pills are designed to do. I hope the Ritalin fits
the
> bill.
> Anyone here tried it?

hi bruce,

i haven't had ALL the M.S. anti-fatigue meds, but i've sure had a lot
of them! ritalin was one, as well as provigil (works like a miracle
drug for many, didn't do squat for me!), amantadine (very first
anti-fatigue med ever prescribed for me -- didn't even feel a little
jolt, only way i knew i was taking it was because it made me sick to my
stomach, LOL), phentermine and cylert (both speed, both made me 'not
sleepy' but NOT 'not tired'), prozac (not for depression, just fo
fatigue -- couldn't even feel it), and wellbutrin (again, for fatigue
rather than depression -- i noticed wellbutrin, but again, it was more
like a strong cup of cofee than anything else in my case).

i only kept the ritalin prescription for one month -- the drug was not
doing the trick for me, and it was a huge hassle having to go back to
the neuro EVERY single month to get the refills.

one thing i'll say about the wellburtin -- it's an 'SSNDRI' rather than
a plain SSRI, has FX on your serotonin, norepinephrine (i know i
mangled that spelling), and dopamine, but NOT on your GABA, which (they
tell me) is why it doesn't interfere with your ability to get to sleep
at night. it's new enough not to be generic yet, so it's expen$ive.

have you thought of something like -- pop a provigil in the morning,
don't drink as much coffee during the day, then have a good strong
cuppa a few minutes before your shift ends?

also, just because certain drugs didn't do the trick for ME, it doesn't
mean they won't have the FX that YOU want from them. have you tried
ritalin? does it seem to be helping? a possible non-drug method ight
also be, since you live so close to your workplace, seeing if someone
who works the same shift that you do would be amenable to 'car-pooling'
-- they drive, you kick in a few bucks for gas every week. when
dennis's bike is in the shop, that's the kind of thing that HE does!
;->

best of good fortune to you,
rose

kamel

2005-05-27, 8:53 am

rose

2005-05-28, 8:54 am