Finding the right narcolepsy treatment can be bewildering
Given the number of medications that are available to treat the symptoms associated with the disorder. However, understanding more about the options available can help you find the best narcolepsy medication for you or someone you love suffering from this condition.
A chronic neurological condition, narcolepsy is unpredictable as to when it will strike. Therefore, narcolepsy treatment is essential with respect to the patient’s daily functioning. Many people with this disorder can fall asleep at anytime and about anywhere, so it can be quite distracting as well as dangerous for the patient as well as those he comes in contact with.
Many sufferers have been known to have fallen asleep while driving so the condition can wreak havoc on an individual’s normal routine.
Narcolepsy sufferers can benefit by altering their sleep habits with the implementation of a regular exercise routine in the day in order to facilitate a normal pattern of sleep at night. In addition, staying away from stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol is helpful.
As a result, the kind of narcolepsy medication you choose can be more effective in minimizing symptoms. Usually prescription medications for narcolepsy include stimulants as these kind of remedies help the patient stay awake.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
Narcolepsy, or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), is usually preceded by one of the following developments:
- a weakened or dysfunctional immune system
- infection
- exposure to toxins resulting in tumor growth
- an undue amount of emotional stress
Aside from these findings, EDS sufferers, according to clinical trials, have been shown to have only certain variants in their genes.
However, this particular discovery has not been determined to be the cause for the disorder. Nevertheless, based on this particular piece of evidence, EDS may be the result of a genetic defect as well.
Because there is a lack of understanding as to why EDS develops, the symptoms associated with narcolepsy can’t be totally eradicated
The best narcolepsy treatment, then, involves maintaining a firm exercise routine and following a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and grains, free from foods containing
an overabundance of additives, sugar or flour.
A narcolepsy medication is necessary for treatment in order to keep the individual alert as possible during the day. The narcolepsy treatment medications available to EDS patients
are helpful in normalizing their lives.
A number of stimulants exist on the market that are useful in keeping the patient awake and therefore provide substantial assistance in narcolepsy treatment. Modafinil is a stimulant
that is used in the treatment of EDS as it has fewer side effects versus those occurring from amphetamines.
Methylphenidate-HCI is a generic narcolepsy medication that has also been of benefit to users, especially when it’s combined with other stimulant medicines and the patient has regularly planned naps. Other stimulants used include such medications as Dextroamphetamine-sulfate and methamphetamine-HCI, both which are broadly used by narcoleptic patients.
Cataplexy symptoms
Cataplexy, one of the most common symptoms of narcolepsy, definitively, is manifested by muscle weakness, and can range from a perceptible slackening of the muscles to total collapse. A narcolepsy treatment that is beneficial in this regard is the drug clomipramine. The drug, commonly used, is one of the most effective prescription medicines among
anti-cataplectic drugs.
There are other narcolepsy medications that provide help for the symptoms associated with the disorder, although they are too numerous to list here. Talking with your doctor can assist you in deciding further about which treatment plan is the best for you.
Without question, narcolepsy treatment can give the EDS sufferer a new lease on life. It just entails incorporating the right medicine into a therapeutic program based on good nutrition
and a sound and reasonable exercise routine. Also, a regular schedule of naps has been proven to work exceedingly well. Eliminating caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, and minimizing emotional stress can also aid the narcoleptic patient in leading a more normal life.
