u/Frivolous_Fancies

I'm 37f and I take 60mg of Vyvanse everyday. If I do not take my Vyvanse that day (and I do not take it later than 11a, otherwise my sleep is fucked), I will be fighting off sleep all day. I HAVE slept all day in the past after a skipped dose. It's so bad that I have finally asked my psychiatrist for a "just-in-case" Adderall IR prescription, 10mg tablets, for days when it is too late to take Vyvanse but I don't want to sleep all day.

I asked my psych if this is normal and she's like "Noooo... you might need to get checked out for narcolepsy..."

Like...I don't wannaaaaaa. 😭 I have already been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, ADHD, Autism Lvl. 1, Major Depression, and Anxiety this year. I did do an in- office sleep study (sleep apnea runs in my family) this year. I guess I'd have to request the "Nap Test"...

I do have a history of falling asleep ("sleep attacks") during college lectures and long meetings. I depend on the Vyvanse to be awake. Before it, I would get stressed about work tasks even though I know what to do, and then I would take a nap instead. Stress naps? IDK. Wasn't very productive!

Jet lag kicks my ass. I do dream during naps and the ten minutes between snoozed alarms in the morning. Apparently going straight to REM is a symptom of narcolepsy?? Also sometimes I will hear music or conversations drifting off to sleep. I know they're not real, but I kinda think it's cool and I like finding out what random sounds my brain decides to string together before shutting down.

Aaaaanybody else here get diagnosed with comorbid narcolepsy? What is your narcoleptic experience like?

I now know I'm audhd and have more sensory and issues/needs than I previously thought, as well as a craving for structure, predictability, and sameness. Well, it has me thinking about all the times I have traveled.

I have traveled a bit this year and I notice that, in new places, it doesn't feel quite real. I also notice I'm more prone to getting overwhelmed and neglecting my body's needs, which leads to pre-syncope attacks with my Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST, a form of dysautonomia).

Anybody else just... dissociate, in new places? What do y'all do to regulate yourselves when traveling?

I, 37f, just got diagnosed formally with audhd. This was mostly confirmation for me, but also I learned a lot about the specifics of my diagnoses. For instance, I have more sensory needs than I thought. My executive function is in a shitter. Other stuff.

I didn't know that the WAIS-V (basically an IQ test) was part of it?? I had just gotten off of work and was so exhausted by all these patterns I had to recognize. Then I had to do that awful test where I pressed the spacebar every time something flashed...hated that...

* What I am about to say is not trying to be egotistic*

Anyway, my FSIQ is 123 and my WAI is 131. I...was not aware that it was gonna be that high. I shit you not, my flabbers are gust. Nobody told me. I actually did poor in high school (2.7 GPA) and I had to drop college algebra twice after realizing I was going to bomb the first exam. Even after tutoring!

I refused to take adhd meds from about 16-30. This...made grad school *incredibly* difficult, to the point where I (***Trigger warning!!***) wanted to off myself.

Now I'm on my meds, working this great job that I love, and I have great support from my bosses. I just don't feel I have that same support at home. I live with my dad and brother after my mother passed suddenly last year. I get dismissed so much at home and around family that I have been told to have "more self-confidence" at work.

I'm just...sad. I have noticed some people, especially family members, get weird around me. Defensive. They joke at my job (archaeologist) but they don't actually want to hear about it. Literally two weekends ago my one cousin, drunk, was like "...see, I'm not smart!" after I suggested a solution to finding out what model a part he has goes to. I was confused...I just...I dunno. I didn't understand they're likely intimidated or they feel like they can't relate... which just sucks, cause I just feel alone. Nobody wants to talk to me about stuff. They don't cheer for me when I succeed, as they don't know because nobody asks.

I'm debating joining MENSA based on my WAI, if only to try to find people who will just talk to me. I am worried, though, that there will be a lot of Big Egos™️ and I'll find my local chapter intolerable... but I'm hoping not.

I feel like a star that nobody looks directly at for fear their eyes will burn, but I just want to be looked at and appreciated, even if they wear sunglasses to do it. Well... except that star has audhd. Probably has some whack orbit...I think my analogy broke...😅