Can you drive if you have narcolepsy?

Many people with narcolepsy are able to drive, technically and legally. However, the condition raises the risk of impaired driving, and studies consistently show decreased driving performance among people with the condition.

Does narcolepsy prevent you from driving?

California and Pennsylvania have the strictest laws for driving with narcolepsy. It's mandatory for medical professionals in these states to report any condition that may impair a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle. This includes narcolepsy.

Is narcolepsy a disability?

Your Legal Rights. Narcolepsy is a recognized disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under this law, your employer must make reasonable accommodations, like letting you adjust your schedule or take brief rest breaks, to deal with your narcolepsy symptoms.

Do people with narcolepsy fall asleep while driving?

Research on driving with narcolepsy is limited, but what is known highlights the problem. Several studies of people with narcolepsy have found that more than half have fallen asleep while driving, and over one-third have had an accident due to sleepiness.

Is narcolepsy a physical or mental disability?

Narcolepsy can be considered both a physical and mental disability since it affects both the body and the mind. It causes mental changes, including excessive daytime sleepiness and a loss of concentration. Other symptoms are primarily physical, like: episodes of sudden sleepiness.

Carcolepsy: Why Do We Get Sleepy in Cars?



How did I get narcolepsy?

What causes narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is often caused by a lack of the brain chemical hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates wakefulness. The lack of hypocretin is thought to be caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the cells that produce it or the receptors that allow it to work.

What are two triggers for narcolepsy?

It is often triggered by sudden, strong emotions such as laughter, fear, anger, stress, or excitement. The symptoms of cataplexy may appear weeks or even years after the onset of EDS. Some people may only have one or two attacks in a lifetime, while others may experience many attacks a day.

What are the 5 signs of narcolepsy?

There are 5 main symptoms of narcolepsy, referred to by the acronym CHESS (Cataplexy, Hallucinations, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Sleep paralysis, Sleep disruption). While all patients with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness, they may not experience all 5 symptoms.

How do they test for narcolepsy?

Diagnosis and Tests

Two essential sleep studies to confirm a diagnosis of narcolepsy are the polysomnogram (PSG) and the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). These tests are usually performed in a sleep disorders center and require an overnight stay.

What is Type 2 narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy type 2 (narcolepsy without cataplexy) is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal manifestations of REM sleep on polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing. Cataplexy is absent.

Can dogs sense narcolepsy?

Studies have shown that medical service dogs can detect health conditions, such as narcolepsy, epilepsy, hypoglycemia, and other disorders in people.

Is narcolepsy genetic?

Most cases of narcolepsy are sporadic, which means they occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. A small percentage of all cases have been reported to run in families; however, the condition does not have a clear pattern of inheritance.

Can narcolepsy be cured?

Contents. There's no specific cure for narcolepsy, but you can manage the symptoms and minimise their impact on your daily life. Making some simple changes to your sleeping habits can sometimes help. If your symptoms are more severe, you'll usually need to take medicine.

Does narcolepsy affect car insurance?

If your disability has the potential to impact your ability to drive, it could result in higher premiums. For example, if you suffer from epilepsy, narcolepsy or another condition that could cause you to lose consciousness or control of your faculties, an insurer could raise your premiums or deny coverage altogether.

Does narcolepsy worsen with age?

Whatever the age of onset, patients find that the symptoms tend to get worse over the two to three decades after the first symptoms appear. Many older patients find that some daytime symptoms decrease in severity after age 60.

How fast does narcolepsy progress?

Symptoms typically develop over several months and last a lifetime. The disorder usually begins between ages 10 and 20, although sometimes it starts as late as age 40 or 50. Narcolepsy affects women and men equally, occurring in about 1 in 2,000 people.

Does narcolepsy show up in blood work?

You may also have a blood test to find out whether you have a genetic marker known as HLA DQB * 0602, which is associated with narcolepsy. A positive result supports a diagnosis, but does not make it 100% certain – 30% of people without narcolepsy also have the genetic marker.

What drugs cause narcolepsy?

Drug Abuse as a Cause of Narcolepsy
  • Steroids, including prednisone.
  • Diet pills.
  • Drugs that treat high blood pressure, like beta blockers.
  • Hormones, such as oral contraceptives.
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder stimulant medications.
  • Some antidepressants.


Does narcolepsy show up on an MRI?

Imaging studies such as MRI are useful for excluding rare causes of symptomatic narcolepsy. Structural abnormalities of the brain stem and diencephalon may present as idiopathic narcolepsy. In patients with secondary narcolepsy, MRI of the brain may show various abnormalities that correspond to the underlying cause.

How do you fix narcolepsy?

There is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications and lifestyle modifications can help you manage the symptoms.
...
Medications for narcolepsy include:
  1. Stimulants. ...
  2. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). ...
  3. Tricyclic antidepressants. ...
  4. Sodium oxybate (Xyrem).


What can mimic narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is often misdiagnosed as other conditions that can have similar symptoms, including:
  • Depression.
  • Anxiety.
  • Other psychologic/psychiatric disorders.
  • Insomnia.
  • Obstructive sleep apnea.


When does narcolepsy develop?

Age. Narcolepsy typically begins in people between 10 and 30 years old.

How often should a person with narcolepsy nap?

Thorpy recommends people with narcolepsy take no more than two naps of 15 minutes each. Since patients with narcolepsy have disturbed quality sleep at night, taking excessive daytime naps can worsen their sleep disruption.

Does narcolepsy affect memory?

Narcolepsy can present challenges to daily living: in addition to sleepiness, people with narcolepsy may experience mental fogginess, poor memory, and hallucinations.

Is narcolepsy a form of epilepsy?

Actually they are not related. Narcolepsy can sometimes be misdignosed as epilepsy due to when a person falls out the cataplexy is mistaken for a seizure. Narcolepsy is not diagnosed with an eeg but most sleep dr's will use a multi latency sleep study.