Blacking Out

[paytondellarosa]

Hi. I'm 23 years old and at first I thought I was falling asleep randomly even though I do not feel tired. But the other day I passed out while walking into my bedroom. However, I did not wake up until morning, completely confused of what I was doing on the floor and what had happened. Most nights I will be in the middle of something or on the phone, not feel a bit tired, but instead wide awake. However, when I wake up I have 10 missed calls (of which I did not hear) and the person on the phone with me was scared because I would be in the middle of laughing or saying something and not sound tired and then I would just pass out, again not waking up until morning with no rememberance of what had happened. what is wrong with me?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Without physical examination and investigations,diagnosis is difficult but your symptoms are suggestive of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a neurological condition most characterized by Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), in which a person falls asleep during the day at inappropriate times, such as at work.Diagnosis is by polysomnogram and the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).

I sincerely advise you to consult a sleep specialist and discuss this possibility with him.Treatment consists mainly of central nervous system stimulants, tricyclic antidepressants and atomoxetine (Strattera).

Hope this helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.

[paytondellarosa]

Thank you. however it is not narcolepsy. I have been tested for that before when they started and came back negative. Do you know of anything else it may be?