Sleepy all the time and loosing control of my life.

[Sify97]

For more than 2 and half years i have been having this sleeping disorder where i always want to sleep regardless of how much sleep i get.this is the main thing that dosturbs me.and secondsly i find it very hard to concentrate to do even the simplest things daily.brain fog is there and also im sensitive to strong lighting.my eyes could not bear it up.and also at times i have this unclear vision.its like blurry but that is at times only.and i forget things pretty easily now.before i used to be the brightest in my class and now i have come down from my grades and i dont school anymore because im just too sleepy to keep my self awake in class or hard to concentrate in anythjng.i cant even read a sentence,it wont go to my head and i'd just have to trad time like 10 times to get it into my head.i however consulted doctors and did bloodtests which all came out normal.they then suggested medicines for the excessive sleepiness nothing seemed to work.i cry everyday everynight thinkjng of this.its like everyone is busy with work,school.they have aims i life but im just laying in one place unable to do anythjng in life i feel like i might not get a cure for this and end up being a worthless person like this.i dont want that.my parents and sibilings think that im just making up excuses not to study and im just overthinking it.but no.who would want to demotivate themselves?who would want that?i saw many posts regarding this issue with same symptoms.i hope i get an answer for this and cure my self.please if u have had this issue and found your self a cure please please do let me know.im going crazy and i feel miserable and killing myself cause i feel like i have no future.please.and i forgot to mention im an 18 year old girl who lives her lie everyday searching for an answer to this thing.please help me and others out.please.thank you.

[Sleepyfishh]

Adding on to that, I understand the "lying here" part. So much of my life was just doing nothing, knowing that I had a lot to do, not finding the motivation to do it, and then beating myself up about it later. I lost a lot of hope, but I'm getting back on my feet. BLOOD TESTS DO NOTHING. They're just testing for iron deficiency, probably. You need to do a SLEEP STUDY. They monitor your sleep. Yes a lot of medications are ****, it takes a cobination of things to get through it.
Also it would be very beneficial to see a therapist (not all therapists are alike though, so this may take some adjustments too). It takes a lot to get you over the "I don't even care everything is **** I'm failing" bump so that you can make improvements to help yourself. A therapist would be great.

[Sleepyfishh]

Hey. Keep your head up, there's a lot you can do to work with this. Feeling defeated and depressed comes along with a sleep disorder, I know. I'm just a couple years younger than you. The same things happened to me. I was so smart but all my grades started falling because I could never get anything done. Everyone thought I was just lazy- I thought I was just lazy. But I was tired all the time and unmotivated.
See a sleep specialist. Sleep disorders aren't as explored or well known as other things, so there's a lot of trial and error involved. I saw a doctor, did a sleep study, and was diagnosed with narcolepsy. I didn't think I could have this, because narcolepsy makes me think that I just fall asleep all the time in any situation, and that wasn't me. But it's not what you think, I guess.
With a narcolepsy diagnosis, your school should give you accomodations. This is treated as a disability, just without special education courses. The school is legally required to accomodate you. I now have extended due dates, printed class notes, the ability to leave class to sleep or try to wake myself up. They can't hold anything against you that's a result of your sleep disorder if you have a diagnosis and an accomodation plan with the school. What I'm thinking about doing is taking some online courses in the summer as well, so that I don't have as many classes / as much work to keep up with during the school year. Online course credits will transfer if the course is approved by the school.
Overall, it is important to get as much nighttime sleep as you possibly can. Diet changes (healthier foods keep you more energized), exercise, vitamins, and coffee will help very much. If you don't like coffee you can get OTC caffeine pills.
Your doctor (sleep specialist) will prescribe medication. I started with provigil. It helps some people, but did not help me very much. There's also nuvigil, similar to provigil, but that medication wasn't approved for me because i don't think it's been tested much on minors. I'm now taking 200mg provigil along with 10mg Adderall extended release. Here's the thing about Adderall: it's bad. It keeps me awake most of the time for sure, but negatively affects my mental health. I would advise against it. However, if you end up taking Adderall, demand the extended release. It lasts for 12 hours (more or less). My prescription was filled incorrectly one time, and I had to be on (instant release) regular Adderall. The psychological side effects of this type are much much worse. Being taken off of the drug is a struggle too. Basically, Adderall works because it's a stimulant, but it makes me more amxious, stressed, angry, irritable, and somewhat depressed. With extended, these things are usually bearable, but place some strain on my relationships. On regular, I experienced fits of rage and manic depression. It was scary; I went back and forth between awake and happy, and insane with the desire to kill myself or punch someone and break things. The first day (and kind of the 2nd) on Adderall was the worst. I wasn't angry or anything, but I would randomly start sobbing without reason. Don't be afraid of that. It goes away.
Anyway, I dont want to scare you.
Some lifestyle changes and medication can help very very much. I know a few people who have told me of their daughters with narcolepsy who graduated high school (one at the top of her class) and college and have careers. At first, I was afraid that narcolepsy would hold me back, but I'm managing, and finding ways to do the things I really love and do them well. There's no need to be heartbroken. Go to a doctor, do your research ( especially before you start medication ), find ways to be successful, and get lots of sleep. It'll work out, really. Its a lot happening at once, I know, but you'll be okay. Good luck to you.