Semester off from college?
I’ve always been a highly motivated, strong student, but I just cannot keep up with my work anymore due to narcolepsy and the way my stimulant medication exacerbates my already intense anxiety. I also wonder if I have ADHD or if the executive functioning issues are related my narcolepsy.
It my heart because it’s my senior year of college and I was supposed to be doing a thesis and applying to grad school— but I think I might need to take a semester off to figure out meds. I still have papers from last semester I’m just not able to complete anymore because I can’t stay awake. My doc is trying to put me one new meds but I’m scared because I would need to move home and be in the sleep lab.
Anyways, has anyone else had to make a decision to take off of school? What was that like for you?
Sending support! I can so relate to the heightened anxiety from stimulants as I have experienced the same! It can be so horrible and really difficult to weigh up whether the positives outweigh the side effects. There should be a department in your college that is dedicated to student wellness. If you are struggling and considering taking a semester off, of course do what's right for you but know that it's always a great investment to look after your health first. You have not long been diagnosed and still looking to find a treatment that works for you and that can take some time. For things like this you should be able to take either a semester (or even longer!) off or even just more time to hand in your assignments and additional support. Have you spoken to your tutor at college (not sure if it works the same in the US but in the UK we usually have an assigned tutor that we can go to for anything like this)? Re your meds, is there a way that you could try something different without having to do another sleep study? I have not heard of this being needed after diagnosis. I thought this article might be of help, re accommodations: https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/living/school-accommodations. Let me know if this is of help, We are here to support you! Best Wishes, Lauren (Team Member) 
, I hope others in the community may be able to share their experiences. It can be a really hard decision to make. Narcolepsy sure can make school very difficult.
In the meantime, I tried looking through our advocates' articles, but couldn't really find any that mirror your specific case. Tara's article, https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/stories/young-adult-symptoms, mentions during her senior year of high school, "basically dropping out and doing my classes on my own time at home," which I'm sure was also a hard decision to make.
Best,
Minel (Team Member)
