i think you may still be having dreams, but you don't remember them because you are getting a more natural and consistent sleep pattern.

In 'normal' sleep there is a 15-min stage after REM which is restorative sleep, it should erase your memory of the vivid REM sleep. if you wake up after this, you should feel more refreshed.

Unfortunately with N, we tend to have more REM episodes, be stuck in REM sleep for longer, and we wake up while still in it, which is why we remember our dreams and we do not feel refreshed.

Those people who occasionally wake up refreshed and saying 'ooh i had a lovely dream' have had an occasional instance of waking up in REM sleep, and that's fine for them because they are not doing it all the time, and are not suffering from the long-term effects of chronic N and sleep deprivation.

As long as you are waking up refreshed on xyrem, it is doing it's job. I would so love to know how that feels. Congratulations to you on achieving that! :-) Are you missing your dreams now though? lol

I remember a lot fewer dreams than I used to before Xyrem.

I guess I'm just a dead head. I can't remember most dreams, not many beforeXyrem or not many with Xyrem. But I sure do almost feel like a normal person after the Xyrem. It sure has made a difference.

I still have a few dreams while on xyrem that I remember but they are never unpleasant. I'm sure we still dream as the purpose of xyrem is to let us have more normal sleep. Although I still do not wake up refreshed and have been taking it for 18 months now.

You have other things going on that are affecting your energy levels, though, too, Cheri. I had hoped getting this thyroid stuff under control would have helped with that. *hugs*

I'm not on Xyrem, but I take Effexor XR, which has suppressed REM for years. But recently, I've been having a LOT of dreams again. I'm curious if anyone can think of why that might be? Do SSRI's and SNRI's work like the stimulants in that you can build a tolerance?

I hope not, because I'd rather not discover I have moderate or severe Cataplexy, too.

Now, xyremhappy, why do you say you sleep lighter on xyrem than without? I would have thought it would be the other way around, simply because to remember a dream, you have to wake while dreaming.

I feel that the xyrem keeps me for going into rem/and dreaming. All I know is my eyes pop open after 31/2-4 hours and I feel refreshed.

oh you are so lucky, and i am so happy for you :-)

I lost my dreams when I started Xyrem too. I was totally bummed! But I'll take the dreamless world over the jacked up mindless, lost, messed-in-the-head-narc-prior-to-xyrem world aaaaanyday!! I do dreame once in a blue moon... but they are never vivid like they used to be and I don't remember but only a bit and a piece here and there.

Xyremhappy, do you then take your second dose?

I'm confused about xyrem. I've had doctors suggest it but then they say they want me to try other things first. How would it help for someone with daytime sleepiness? I go into my REM within 2 minutes so is the medicine just not for everyone?

Adavis - Well, no medicine is for everyone, and all of us have a very quick sleep latency. Those who have recorded REM get there very quickly, and that is not a factor for determining what medications to take at this point (in most cases, anyway, and not when it comes to treating the symptom of EDS specifically).

The most likely reasons your doctor has for wanting you to try but putting it off are good ones: insurance companies consider it a last resort. They want documentation that just about every other option has been tried and has failed before they will consider paying for this VERY expensive medication. I've heard people on this board mention COPAYS for Xyrem of around $300/month, depending on their coverage.

Xyrem is essentially GHB. Now, it's not what some teenager whipped together in a 5-gallon bucket in his bathroom, but you can imagine the strict controls put on it. It has potentially severe side effects (just like any medication), nearly all users experience some sort of side effect, and although studies show a nearly nonexistent abuse/addiction rate, doctors fear putting patients in that position, which is understandable.

It is also relatively new, so there is not a great deal of data built up regarding long term use or the numbers to be able to comfortably (IMO) make any generalizations about it's use in the general narcolepsy population.

However, Xyrem shows promise for most patients who can deal with any side effects, as it is the ONLY medication so far to actually help regulate the stages of sleep and improve sleep quality, which traditional sedatives and sleeping pills do NOT do. They are not sure why, whether it is cause or effect, but people experience major improvements in cataplexy on the medication as well.

You can get more info from your doctor, or direct to xyrem.com
Jazz pharmaceuticals runs the whole program and from what I hear, the program staff is wonderful.