Long term effects of Adderall for Narcolepsy

Has a Dr. checked him for Myasthenia Gravis? Husband's first symptoms were double vision, slurred speech and trouble talking and swallowing. Very tired. Not a common disease, is auto-immune and many Dr's don't even know what it is. Many varieties and can only be diagnosed with special blood tests.

Wow your story and mine a very similar. I was always very active ... this kept me very healthy and in shape. However when I stopped moving, I was soon asleep and for hours if allowed. I could sleep and entire weekend away. Skip ahead to my mid to later 20’s I was always tired. No matter what I tried. This affected relationships with friends and boyfriends because I would plan things but many times have to cancel or was a no show because of the exhaustion. My friends knew me for years so they forgave me but new fiends and boyfriends have been tough. I would always tell my doctor I am so tired that it was Concerning to me. I was ignored. Then the weight began and migraine and a few other Symptoms just did not Make sense. I was tested for Thyroid disorders, Lupus,MS and several other things but was always told I was depressed. I needed antidepressants I tried them
And it simply made
Me feel like not caring and sleeping more. Soon I decided to again start asking but was again dismissed. I stopped the medication for depression and was at a doctors visit and he was asking if I was dating or what .... I said yes I had met someone new and it had been almost a year bait aid may not last because he is a light sleeper and my snoring keeps
Him awake, and he wakes me up because he says I stop breathing. I was immediately sent For a sleep study. The first study was done at a local center in our small town. It showed nothing except fragmented patterns of sleeping for 8 hours then up for 5 but sleeping g again for 2 then maybe up for 7 etc. I explained I fall asleep then have to stay awake to finish homework for college , or simply get work done for our business. I was referred to a university a hospital where I have had 2 overnights studies with MSLT After each. It was concluded I have hypersomnia ( not a proper waking mechanism) I fall asleep with in 3 minutes , I also nap easily no matter the amount t of sleep. I have had. I have tried Ritalin ER, and felt drugged... I have tried Nuvigil and Provigil . 400 mg of provigil and all the caffeine I want .... I still ant to sleep. They are going to introduce Adderall next and lire the provigil. I have been out of medication and never had withdrawal symptoms. I was told many with hypersomnia. EDS , that leads to the type 2 narcolepsy Generally do not have addictive needs. Lol all I want to do is sleep without meds.my doctor was blunt and to the point. J can’t make you feel normal , but I can give you a better quality with medication. Diet, and clean sleep habits.

I have both ADD and narcolepsy (maybe the narcolepsy causes my ADD, I'm not exactly sure) but I was prescribed Adderall for both. To me it drastically helps both of my issues, and on top of that it also prevents my daily headaches. Needless to say, it has been a life changer for me. After a few months, most of the minor side effects disappear.

I take Adderall 10mg twice a day. Why am I falling asleep and can't keep my eyes open.

I have been taking Adderall for my narcolepsy for 10+ years. I’m 54 years old female. I feel awful. I don’t know what to do. I can’t keep up with my life. Do I have any other options?

I realize that these stories and replies are over a year old but I hope this helps someone.

My name is Darlene and I will be 58 this year. I suffered the same symptoms as many of you until I was prescribed adderal for my narcolepsy. I too had no quality of life and slept for days at a time. I don't get up to answer my phone, to eat or even shower. Thank God my kids were young adults and could fend for themselves. But now I am missing out on sharing time with my grandchildren.

Because I have taken it for so many years and am at the max prescibed dose (60 mg daily) because of my age and heart condition I find my self taking more than the daily dise and then of course I run out of medication in between appointments. It now takes almost twice as much to get me out of bed and functioning like a normal person does. But all my cleaning and catching up with laundry is wasted because I sleep all day and night with out it. My life is a vicious circle. I won't even think about leaving the house with out it. And now I am so out of shape from long periods in bed my body suffers to complete basic task.
You all are so young but my years if adderal have lead me to two heart attacks, tooth decay from persistent dry mouth (now have dentures) and these are health problems developed when I took the medication exactly as prescribed.
I am scared to death because of my age I know I can't take this medication for ever and life reverts immediately to the hell it was without it. I am also angry at myself because I feel that I should be able to do all the things I do without taking a pill. Why can't I?

I am 58 and feel the same way. I find myself increasing my daily dose just to accomplish the same task but then I run out of medication before my next appointment and just fall behind anyway. My son's keep telling me that I am not young anymore and I need to accept new limitations. But I too am in search of finding away to maintain a normal quality of life.

If you find a solution please post it. For now know that you are not alone.

Darlene

Well I have been taking it for about 10 years give or take. And so far my long term effects have been: total loss of sexual desire. Tooth decay issues from consistent dry mouth. The medicine sometimes makes me itch all over. The urge to itch is so bad that I have actually scratched so much that I scratch my skin off. I do not believe that itching is a common side effect. I am glad that it is helping you. When I first started taking it I thought it was the miracle drug. Now though I have reached the max daily dose and basically have built up to high of a tolerance. I see my doctor in August and I am going to ask him to switch me to provigil for awhile to give my system a break from adderall. Best of luck to you.

I am in the same boat as you are. I am going to ask my doctor to put me back on provigil (I think it is branded under a different name now) It worked really well for me. I took it along with my adderall. I had to stop taking it when a new insurance company wouldn't cover the script and it is way to expensive for me to purchase out of pocket. I changed insurance companies so hopefully they will cover it. I did look it up once and there are some alternative medications out but I have never taken any of them to know if they help or not. I hope you find a different med that works and that will give me some hope. Take care.

You. Should schedule him a sleep study.
He could have Sleep Apnea and Narcolepsy.