Question
For many years now I have suffered from a lack of control over the muscles in my eyes when I get tired or have a late night. My eyes just want to close and I have to fight to keep them open. As a result I end up with double vision and a feeling I am going cross eyed. My eyes seem to shudder like in a spasm and the only solution is to close them and sleep. However this is not always possible when I am out in public or when driving. Now it tends to happen only at night or first thing in the morning on my way to work. It used to happen a lot during the day which caused problems at work.
I suffer from bipolar disorder and take medication for this which I have been on for years, taking many different types of tablet. Originally, I thought it was a side effect of the pills but after changing several times I still have this problem. It is affecting my work and social life and now I am scared to go out in case it happens. Generally I need a lot of sleep but no matter how much sleep I get nothing will prevent an onset. Please can you tell me what is going on and is there anything I can do about it? It is really getting me down.
Answer
I think what you might be experiencing is cataplexy, which is a symptom of narcoelpsy the uncontrollable urge to fall asleep. Go to sleepnet.com click on narcolepsy and read about its symptoms. You need to go to a sleep center and get a sleep study. However first you might want to consult your regular md to rule out anemai, mono, or thyroid trouble which is done with simple blood tests. If it checks out and as you say the daytime wakefulness is being affected. then I would consult a sleep center . feel free to emaail again karel
