Tips For
Those Living With
Narcoleptics
-
If you suspect that your
partner has narcolepsy, convince him or her to have a
consultation and sleep study. A diagnosis of narcolepsy is
not easily made and requires an objective evaluation of
sleep
pattern.
-
Understand that narcolepsy is
a true sleep disorder, an actual disease involving sleep.
The signs and symptoms are not within the voluntary control
of those who have the disease; they are not lazy,
uninterested, shifty, untrustworthy, or manipulative, any
more than any other person. They need your support and
understanding.
-
Educate family, friends, and
employers about the disease, its special needs (such as
daytime naps), and its physical (not psychological) basis.
Simple adjustments in schedules and responsibilities can
allow people with narcolepsy to participate normally in
life.
-
Try to make changes in daily
routines to protect nightly sleep (for example, by keeping
regular sleeping hours), as well as allowing nap times
during the day and before events requiring complete
alertness.
-
 The
sleep paralysis of narcolepsy can be reversed quickly
simply by touching the person who is
paralyzed.
-
To protect people with
narcolepsy from injury, you will have to share the
responsibilities for driving, operating machinery, and
caring for
children.
-
Though there is no specific
cure for narcolepsy, understanding the mechanisms of the
disease, making adjustments to the daily routine,
protecting the nighttime sleep, and the use of medication
all enable narcoleptics and their families to have much
happier and fulfilling
lives.
-
If all else fails, you may
want to try medicines to treat your cramping. Quinine
sulphate is commonly prescribed for cramping; its chemical
properties relax muscles and relieve pain, and also make
the muscles less excitable. It works for about 50 percent
of those with leg cramps, and most patients have either an
excellent response (almost total control of cramping) or
none at all, usually within a week, and certainly within
two weeks. The usual dose is 300 milligrams at night, 200
milligrams for seniors (like many medicines, quinine may be
metabolized and eliminated more slowly in seniors).
Pregnant women must not take it, and it does have side
effects, including buzzing in the ears, headaches, nausea,
and blurred vision. Quinine often reacts with other
medicines such as digitalis preparations, anticoagulants,
and anticonvulsants, and you must take it every single
night, since you don't know when the cramping will occur.
Check with your
doctor.
|
