Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep unexpectedly, often in inappropriate situations (think of the school child suddenly asleep at its desk or even the driver who falls asleep behind the wheel of their car.) For those who are diagnosed with narcolepsy a regime of various drugs is often prescribed to help control the condition. However when the patient is a breast feeding mother they of course become concerned about the effects of such medications on their child’s health.

New motherhood is of course a very busy and strenuous period in any woman’s life. For any woman who suffers from narcolepsy a sudden sleeping episode may put the infant at risk if she is alone so it is only natural she should wish to control the condition any way that she can. Just as strong however is the desire not to take any medication that could harm the child via ingestion of breast milk.

The most common drugs used to treat patients with narcolepsy are those that are also used as anti depressants. The vast majority of ob gyns recommend that patients stop taking these medications to treat their narcolepsy while they are pregnant, and many recommend that they not be resumed until breast feeding is complete and the baby is weaned. This however is a discussion for patient and doctor to have on an individual basis, as no two cases are the same.

For women who do decide to halt their medication while breast feeding an alternative method of controlling their narcolepsy has to be sought. Many doctors recommend that such patients take naps when they feel particularly tired but this can be a tall order for a woman with a needy infant. Some narcolepsy patients turn to herbal supplements such as melatonin and ginkgo biloba to help control their condition but even those all natural remedies are frowned upon by some doctors when a patient is breast feeding.

For those women who have narcolepsy but want to breastfeed their child, at least for a few months, the best possible thing that they could have is a good support system, with others available to take over the child care duties should she be hit with a “sleep attack”. In fact this holds true even for those woman who chose not to breastfeed, as narcolepsy is as much of a real and chronic condition as any other.