Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep control characterized by a tetrad of symptoms: sleep attacks, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. A diagnosis is made from a careful history. The incidence is estimated as high as 0.3% of the population. Unfortunately patients go for many years before the diagnosis is made and often experience disruption of their employment, social and family life, and may experience a number of car accidents because of falling asleep at the wheel. An unknown number of narcoleptics kill themselves on the highways before the diagnosis is ever made. Sleep attacks can usually be controlled by methylphenidate, and if the other symptoms persist they can often be effectively managed by imipramine.