Cutting Prozac Out of my Daily Meds

Since Xyrem has almost stopped my cataplexy attacks, I decided last fall that I wanted to stop taking the antidepressant I started in July for cataplexy. I didn't like some of the side effects; it was making me more nervous than I already naturally am, and I learned that it can prevent weight loss which I definitely didn't want happening.

Since I work at a school and was worried about the withdrawal effects making me moody around the kids, I had to plan to stop taking them over a break. Between having surgery, longer-than-expected recovery, and turning 21, that opportunity didn't show up until spring break after Easter.

So now, it's been an entire month off of Prozac and I haven't had any weird withdrawal symptoms! All that worrying for nothing lol. There has been a small increase in cataplexy which is manageable, and, strangely enough, I'm once again having hallucinations when I sleep.

Nine months on Xyrem and I wasn't having ANY hallucinations at night or during naps like I did every time I fell asleep before Xyrem. It was a major relief! But now I'm noticing occasional hallucinations when I nap, and sleep paralysis the other night before my Xyrem had fully knocked me out, but nothing so horrible that I can't deal with. I think it's pretty interesting, and definitely not a side-effect of cutting off antidepressants that I had expected. Really, the only change I've made was cutting out my Prozac, so that has to be the culprit.

And now I'm laughing out loud at myself as I write this, because I just realized if I were to say to a non-narcoleptic that I stopped my Prozac then started hallucinating again, I'd probably get some funny looks and psychiatrist referrals. Thank god I'm part of a wonderful community of people with narcolepsy who understand what I mean! :)

Taking A Break

This semester I've decided to take a much needed break from my university life to try to feel like a human being again. Can you believe it, a college narcoleptic that feels less than human?? Crazy, I know.

Things were getting to be too much for me and I was struggling with my grades pretty badly. This for the girl who always was a stellar student before getting narcolepsy is a little tough to swallow, let alone admit out loud to other people. So I mostly kept it to myself, suffered in silence, and tried to find new ways to be successful. Unfortunately that's not as easy as it sounds when your college disability office is being less than helpful and making your life harder rather than easier.

But this summer my friend Katie (another PWN) was telling me about her recent success with Xyrem, the narcolepsy "miracle drug" for many. I finally decided to give it a try... and now I am indebted to Katie forever for convincing and encouraging me to see how Xyrem could help improve my life :)

I honestly feel better than I have in years! After almost 4 years of having narcolepsy and cataplexy, with nights full of sleep paralysis, terrifying nightmares, and disturbing hypnagogic hallucinations, I feel like a new person almost. I can function almost like a normal person again, and its an amazing feeling.

So now I realize that taking a break is probably the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I am currently working at my former Montessori school, working in the office and around the school helping wherever I am needed. And in January I plan on transferring to the University of Toledo to finish my degree and feel good about the grades I earn. I'm even interested in going on to get my Master's degree as well, but let's wait until after my first good semester at UT to talk about that... :)

My Narcaplexy Treatments: Chiropractic Care

Since narcolepsy is a lifelong 'illness' with only a few medications that help narcaplectics fight off their symptoms, we are always finding other ways other than pill-popping to make us feel better. One thing I found fascinating when I attended the Narcolepsy Network 2011 Conference this October was the huge interest everyone took in each other's treatment. The first questions out of anyone's mouth after "Do you have narcolepsy? Cataplexy??" was "What kind of medication do you take?"

The main form of healthcare that I use that helps me is regular visits to my chiropractor, Dr. Nickalis Dumas. Without Dr. Nick, I have no idea where I would be today. 

Dr. Nick was featured in Toledo City Paper's 2009 and 2010 lists of the city's best doctors, and as a runner-up in 2011.

I owe so much to him and his staff for taking care of me and treating me like I'm family (and for my family for convincing me to go for that first visit despite my doubts!). Check out his practice, Rapid Relief Chiropractic Center in Toledo, OH:

Rapid Relief Chiropractic Center