Narcolepsy Support Group

I am also experiencing this! I was concerned and wondering why this was happening and am happy to see I am not the only one. I have also had similar experiences with alcohol where I am up all night with my mind racing (feel like you just were thinking all night and didnt sleep at all) but am feeling as though I am exhausted. What is going on with this? Have you got any feedback or have any other information about your experience?

ME TOO!!!! I would take the Xyrem, then lay there for more than an hour getting more and more depressed and suicidal. When the Dr. tried to up the Xyrem dose, I did fall asleep faster, but wound up waking up one night an hour after my 2nd dose wanting to vomit, but couldn't, feeling as though I had to pull my hair out as I was burning up, and I couldn't breath. It resulted in a cataplexy attack. When the ambulance got here, they wouldn't believe that it was my medication and kept asking me what drugs I was messing with.

Alcohol is a bummer too, as I wind up like AJ, unable to sleep and feeling all racy! My Drs and I found that a small dose of Xanax helps me actually sleep at night, with the added benefit of not wanting to go ballistic when my kids act like typical teens!!!!

I was one of the first patients (so I hear) to take Xyrem after it was approved by the FDA.

Xyrem never worked for me. Within 15 minutes of taking it, I would feel high to the point of doing household chores at all hours of the night even though I staggered around like a drunk.

I would usually fall asleep about 4 hours after the SECOND dose, which would be about 6:00am.

Needless to say, my time on Xyrem didn't last very long.

My sleep doctor was stunned (and continues to be) after learning about my reaction to Xyrem. I've asked other MD's as well, every one of them is left speechless...

i took xyrem before it was approved .
back when it was ghb,does it still tast like nasty saltwater ,i liked it problay to much before before i quit takeing it i was drinking straight out of the bottle, althought it would induce some very nasty cataplexy, i wanted to test it to see how long i could go before it took effect ,early on it worked very quickily.
later it took about an hour but only worked for about 2hrs. so instead i up my own dose.and that just made me sick and drunk.
kept wakeing up in weird places , front porch
behind the bathroom door never in my bed,but during the day my cataplexy was not a problem anymore,after i quit taking ghb, cataplexy came back within a year, with a vengence, been that way ever since .

I am now on 3.75 twice a night, and I am also on some other medications, and I always feel as if I am never going to fall asleep, sometimes it takes hours.

I want to up my dose, and I get horrible munchies, which is good, but I always think it is funny because it reminds me of marijuana in a lot of ways...

Hence, why I think a lot of people do that before they get treated..

I no longer have as bad of cataplexy as I used too..(thought I had ghosts in my house..=P)

I

If I ate dinner after 7:00 pm (I go to bed at 10:00 pm after taking my first does of Xyrem 3.75 gms)and didn't wait a minimum of 3 hours before taking the first dose of xyrem, I would experience the wakeful state. Also, I wake up around 2:00 a.m. to take the second dose. Many nights I could get up at 2 a.m. and stay up. That's called middle sleep disorder and is supposedly caused by a dopamine rush after the xyrem wears off.

I would recommend you go to http://xyrem.com/ They have a place where you can ask a question to a qualified individual about your specific situation. There is also a plentiful amount of information about Xyrem. Hope that helps at least a little

Xyrem has worked for me but I found that I have to have an empty stomach for any of my medicine to work. So I have to be sure and eat no later than 7:30 or so depending on what time I go to bed. If I don't have time to eat, I will eat a little but not enough to fill me up. I don't drink alcohol at all anymore. Alcohol and Xyrem NOT a good mix. I was drinking a margarita once a week with friends and I would sleep only a few hours and then couldn't get back to sleep. Do not drink alcohol while using Xyrem. I also have problems waking up during the night when I have caffeine. So if I have to have a Coke, I have it at work during the day and not in the evenings when I get home. I have had racing thoughts when I've taken the Xyrem and awakened too early. I take a Benedryl to try and stay asleep.

omg...i am on the waiting list for xyrem....now im scared!