I was diagnosed with narcolepsy prior my DID diagnosis and I was wondering if it happened to anyone else?

I fell asleep at the drop of a dime. Hey I passed the daytime sleepiness (MSLT) test with flying colors.

I would fall asleep at red lights, so I lost my license. I also fell asleep in my doctors office, so that was the last straw that I couldn't have my license.

As I became more coconscious things came through in my dreams. So I had horrible nightmares.

I had episodes similar to seizures, where I would drop my head and not respond. This apparently happens to some people when they switch. I was told it was cataplexy episodes.

So basically my entire DID diagnosis was explained away by narcolepsy. When my inpatient doctor, who specializes in DID looked further into it and collaborated with my neurologist, they found out that it was highly unlikely I had narcolepsy and that the sleepiness is a response to constant switching.

The one thing that proved this is not being on anti psychotics. We couldn't figure out why being on anti psychotics made me LESS tired and produced far less "cataplexy" episodes. Almost none. When usually they're supposed to make you more tired. But the anti psychotics lessened my terrible anxiety, which lessened me switching so dramatically. Valium gave me so much energy and well now I know why.

My doctor said that this will sometimes happen with people with DID and seizure disorders. That they will be told they are having seizures, and without an EEG will be diagnosed so, only to find out that these supposed petit mal seizures are actually a switch.

I think back to my worst time with cataplexy. I had over 30 cataplexy episodes a day. Only to find out that I dramatically switched 30 times a day. NO WONDER I was tired! I felt like I was never awake.

Stimulants also wouldn't help me, they made me worse. Obviously, because they raised my already high anxiety. They were miserable. They kept me awake for maybe an hour or two, but they left this overhang of constant anxiety.

They also tried use GHB, under the name "Xyrem" to treat my narcolepsy. It made me psychotic. Which was a crappy time for me as well. I spent most of my summer in a psych ward trying to get out of it.

I laughed with my DID specialist after she told me "You mean they used GHB to treat my DID? They used a date rape drug to treat my DID?" She laughed with me. It was a funny moment. But a "well finally this makes sense now". I mean what could I do but laugh? I can't go back and fix it.