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What other medications are there available to help with wakefulness for Cataplexy Narcolepsy 1 besides Adderall and Nuvigil please?

A MyNarcolepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭
Manning, IA

Generic for Nuvigil is Armodafinil and for Adderall it’s Amphetamine. These do help but make me very jittery, hate how I feel when I’m on them, n they seem to be keep me up for a day n a half unless I take my prescribed Trazodone which helps me sleep, I’ve tried decreasing dosage but then not effective enough to keep me awake n I have episodes at the most importune n
embarrassing times. I am on these because I had brain surgery to repair an aneurysm and have hardly slept only slept 2-4 hrs or… read more

March 17 (edited)
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MyNarcolepsyTeam

What other medications help with wakefulness and cataplexy in narcolepsy type 1 besides Adderall and Nuvigil?

There are several alternatives that might work better for you without the jittery feeling:

Pitolisant (Wakix) helps with both excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy by working on histamine receptors in your Show Full Answer

What other medications help with wakefulness and cataplexy in narcolepsy type 1 besides Adderall and Nuvigil?

There are several alternatives that might work better for you without the jittery feeling:

Pitolisant (Wakix) helps with both excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy by working on histamine receptors in your brain. It was approved specifically for narcolepsy and may have fewer stimulant-like side effects.

Solriamfetol (Sunosi) is another option that improves wakefulness by boosting dopamine and norepinephrine. Common side effects include headaches and decreased appetite, but some people tolerate it better than traditional stimulants.

Modafinil (Provigil) is similar to the Nuvigil you're taking but works slightly differently. Some people find one works better than the other with fewer side effects.

Sodium oxybate medications (Xyrem, Xywav, Lumryz) are taken at night and can help with both daytime sleepiness and cataplexy by improving your deep sleep quality. This might address your nighttime sleep issues while reducing daytime symptoms.

Given your brain surgery history and sleep difficulties, it's really important to discuss these options with your doctor. They can help find something that helps you stay awake during the day but wears off for nighttime sleep.

March 17

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