Coping with Cataplexy: Narcolepsy Nerd Alert

Cataplexy is a unique form of muscle weakness experienced by some people with narcolepsy, but how can you recognize this symptom? What are the emotional triggers? And how do you cope with cataplexy? In this Narcolepsy Nerd Alert broadcast, sleep medicine physician Dr. Katie Sharkey and Rising Voices speaker Katie Mehin shared their insights.
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Dr. Katie Sharkey, MD, PhD is a sleep medicine physician and associate professor of Medicine and of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She earned her MD-PhD and completed a combined internal medicine and psychiatry residency at Rush University in Chicago, IL. Dr. Sharkey is a recognized expert on sleep and circadian rhythms, particularly as they relate to mood regulation and women’s health. She is an Associate Editor of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Frontiers in Sleep, and serves on the editorial board of Sleep Health.
Katie Mehin is a project analyst for an educational tech company specializing in empowering adult learners to thrive in higher education. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two elementary-age sons. She was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy as a college sophomore, almost five years after the initial onset of her symptoms. As a trained speaker with Project Sleep’s Rising Voices program, Katie hopes to spread awareness of this neurological sleep disorder to help others in obtaining more timely diagnoses.

[@patriotsusan4881]

Just discovering this for myself past few weeks- also experience this playing tennis- my fav sport… makes me feel better hearing you all discuss cataplexy and advise - going to book with neuro Md just found- thank you!

[@Project-sleep]

Thanks for watching and we're so glad it was helpful.

[@GlennSPearce]

I was in my local ER for somethin g unrelated when I had a cataplectic episode. I began head bobboing and losing strength in my core. The nusre saw and asked if I was alright and I said I have narcolepsy followed by a complete cataplexic episode in which I collapsed to the ground with my ass in the air and my laptop bag tight around my neck. I was left like that for over an hour. I heard people ask if I was alright and if they should just leave me ther4e and the nurse said everything was fine. someone finally removed my laptopbag so I could breathe freely but they left me there on the floor like that for over an hour. I sleep walk a lot and have sleep paralysis too.

[@Project-sleep]

Thanks for sharing this with us. You are not alone.

[@MuhammadNasir-qi9to]

What is norcolapsy treatment

[@avtech1845]

Do you take medicine for the cataplexy. I do and it works great!

[@patriotsusan4881]

What do you take?