Going to see my p-doc for hypersomnia

I have been feeling really crappy for about four days now. I sleep for 11+ hours but then all I want to do during the day is fall back asleep. On top of that, I'm having these anxiety fits about driving and I'm in a panic over the weather.

Has anyone dealt with hypersomnia before? I've found a few clinical articles but they seem to be vague on available treatment options.

I would guess that treatment would involve a stimulant. Provigil and Nuvigil are for narcolepsy. They're $$$, but they're also Schedule IV, which means you can get refills and there's fewer hassles for the doctor and they're regarded as not terribly addictive.

Most widely used stimulants are in Schedule II, which means no refills, they're regarded as addictive, and there's more hassles for your prescriber. The costs vary wildly, with generic dexedrine and ritalin being cheap and then there's very $$$ new formulations.

I hope things work out for you.

Thanks, still_crazy. I think the problem is more that I want to just lie back down in bed vs being so tired that I just have a spell where I fall asleep involuntarily. I need to figure out how to describe my symptoms accurately for my appointment tomorrow. I can't stand seeing myself like this. I do feel very fatigued during the day which is strange b/c I'm getting well over 10 hours of sleep.

I'll keep everyone posted about how my appointment goes. I've been having crying fits today, and had to call a family member for help.

Hypersomnia can be a symptom of depression, which, considering the crying fits, it could well be. It's also possible that the fatigue has a physical cause, so you may want to discuss that with your provider as well. I hope you get to feeling well soon.

Hypersomnia can definitely be a sign and symptom of depression. I had an episode last year where I was sleeping 18-20 hours per day, and all I could think about was going back to sleep.

It was probably the worst month of my life as far as depression was concerned. Thankfully, lamictal and Latuda pulled me out of it.

My meds cause hypersomnia, and that causes me to want to not take them (bad advice, don't try this at home).

My friend has Hypersomnia (confirmed through a sleep study) and she has a heck of a time managing it. She takes stimulants which help but cause her other difficulties. I'm a LONG sleeper....I've asked for a sleep study but it hasn't been approved. My normal sleep is 10-12 hours and I'm always tired when stable. Waking up is painful. I hope you get the answers you seek and effective treatment.

I've had both hypersomnia as well as tremendous anxiety surrounding driving, so I really feel for you there.

The sleepiness could be due to a thyroid condition (I was tested for this) or some other physical ailment, even just a virus your body is fighting.

It could also certainly be the result of depression and anxiety, considering your other symptoms.

I would tell the doctor that you've been sleeping more than usual and yet are very sleepy during the day. Do you think you've been crying because you're worried and/or distressed about the sleepiness itself, or because you're sad/depressed in general? That's an important distinction to make, in terms of what you tell the doctor as well.

Thanks for the good thoughts everyone!

I think that I'm sad/depressed in general but the only way my body wants to deal with it is to lie down and get more sleep- which makes it so much worse. I literally forced myself out of bed this morning- wasn't pleasant but I managed. I am feeling a lot better today but part of that is that I know I have to get to my p-doc so I don't feel as hopeless.

I just really envy my friends who can go to sleep at 10PM and wake up by 6:30AM. Oh well, everyone has different abilities.

Well the appointment well. My p-doc believes that my reaction is due to the fatigue side effects of Oxcarbazepine, and he wants me to discontinue use with a follow-up in six weeks So Latuda is going to be my sole medication for now. He advised that it's possible that I'll need to start a new mood stabilizer in the spring time which is typically when my mania flares up.