Narcolepsy Support Group

I battled with docs the same, they said depression for years but don't look at true underlying cause which is what actually makes you depressed cos your quality of life is affected so bad by tiredness etc. Narc is 1 possibility, although personally i have nearly always had the actual urge to close my eyes and it physically hurts my eyelids the pressure of trying to keep them open. You need to get full blood count and also tests for the most common reasons for fatigue, like diabetes and thyroid function, there may be others but i only know of those 2 cos been tested for them for years as they're in family. Once you've ruled other things out, you can move onto other things, have you looked up CFS/ME. You will find so much info on here about that and narc, you can decide what fits your symptoms best and then approach your doc with your theory, so they should be able to take it from there. It took me at least 16 years to get dx of narc, but at least now i can go to doc and say 'i will tell you when i'm depressed and i'll also tell you when i'm not!'. Actually since dx I can honestly say i have not been depressed at all, in the clinical sense of the word, just incredibly stressed and frustrated.
Good luck!

Sorry i've just seen your post about Adderall. Have you already got dx of narc? Is that why you're taking Adderall? Are you doubting whether dx of narc is correct? Sorry about many questions, just trying to clarify how best to advise

I wouldn't say that I fall asleep instantly. I have a warning period before I know I need to sleep. If I don't sleep I wander around in automatic mode, basically asleep whilst awake.

Say I was sitting on a couch next to someone and it's warm, then I might go out instantly mid speech, but not normally.

The fatigue is real downer, some days I just don't feel up to doing anything, just sleeping.

i was never dx with narc. I was put on it for depression/fatigue. I built up a tolerence for it and had to stop it last year because i was on a high dosage and wasn't working.
I am now on a low dosage. I see pdoc with neurology background this week.

MY SLEEP ONSET IS LESS THAN 1/10TH OF A SECOND , THATS NOT INSTANTLY BUT IT'S CLOSE,AND I TO LIKE TO WANDER ,LIKE A LOST CAMMEL IN THE DESERT,BEFORE IT HAPPENS,JUST LIKE ANDREW44 WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN TELL'S .BEFORE I WAS DX THEY SAID I HAD MONO FOR ABOUT FOUR YRS'S, THATS THERE EXPLAINATIONS FOR MY FATIGUE.
SUPRISE THEY WERE WRONG.

Are you meaning cataplexy? I do have N with out C. I can fall asleep anywhere but I can control it. So I dont drop out with out knowing. So yes it is possible. Do a sleep study and that will tell you one way or another what is going on. But I too was told for years I was tired because I was depressed. What a croc of shit. I know I am not depressed I am tired. Demand to be listened to. I tried all the silly antidepressants and it only made things worse. So again demand a sleep study (after all the blood work for other easier fatigue related diseases) and get an answer. I refused to take the depression road again and I actually yelled at my Nuero doc and demanded to be sent to someone else who deals with sleep issues. I am so glad I did cause life is great now!

please read my story it matches your. I have n. I fall asleep at movies. The rest of the time I have fatigue. Your not alone.

I too would only fight falling asleep at movies and maybe as passanger in a car on a long ride but not other situations-just as many of us have said zombie like functioning from super fatigue. Some antidepressants help the symptoms a little so it seems to reinforce the diagnosis of depression. And yes, many other disorders, including most autoimmune disorders have fatigue as a symptom so get 'em ruled out too, but do get ye to a sleep study!.

There is a link to my "patient story" on the Narcolepsy Network website in my profile. You can see if it "rings any bells"

I too have never just fell asleep at a drop of a hat unless I was riding in a car or watching TV or a movie. I do find myself tired all the time, and I do find myself knowing that I am going to drift off at times. I do take an antidepressant which I feel I need. I have tested that theory by not taking it for a week or so, and find that I actually do have depression, but then again who of us is not depressed in some way by this disease.