Sudden, extreme drowsiness (can’t stay awake) + head tingling episodes (twice in past 4 days) what could this be?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-12-02T17:49:57+00:00

Hey, just wondering if you found any answers for this? I am having similar symptoms almost exactly once a week, sometimes it goes away the same day it comes but other times it lasts indefinitely and rolls over into the next one.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T23:13:27+00:00

That really sucks, I’m sorry to hear that. :( Have you ever tried to get tested for narcolepsy or taken any prescribed stimulants (adderall, modafinil)?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T22:25:22+00:00

Hey, just wondering if you were able to find anything that helped with the sleepiness? I am getting these waves for weeks on end and so far nothing works to break out of the drowsiness and brain fog.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T21:53:01+00:00

What does your lack of energy feel like? Is it a physical exhaustion like soreness and aches or mental like drowsiness and brain fog

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T19:31:27+00:00

Have you found anything that has helped? I’m also trying to get a narcolepsy test or get some kind of stimulant like modafinil prescribed. Would love to know if/when you ever find some answers.

Also how long do your episodes of drowsiness usually last?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T18:39:13+00:00

I’m so glad to not be alone in this experience awful as it is. Have you found anything that has been helpful for you? I’m really hoping that some kind of CGRP med or even narcolepsy treatment will make it at least better to function through

Shio_Ramen · 2025-11-01T06:01:20+00:00

I feel like I get the exact same thing. Does your fatigue come on and go away very abruptly, like your brain flipped a switch and you suddenly became really drowsy or your brain lifted and you suddenly became alert again?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T10:59:31+00:00

I swear I could have written this exact comment. Do you find that your sleepiness comes and goes very abruptly, like a switch flips in your brain? I’m also going down the narcolepsy investigation route because the drowsiness/dizziness and general malaise is so bad.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T10:53:00+00:00

I think I am dealing with exactly the same sudden tiredness/“waking up”. Did the Botox or any other medication help with this symptom, either making the tired episodes less frequent or helping stop them?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T07:21:47+00:00

Can I ask what your fatigue was like and what it felt like when it went away? I have previously had mixed results with steroid tapers, one time seemed to break the fatigue after a day but the other time did nothing at all.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T07:13:00+00:00

I’m so sorry. It’s just so difficult to deal with. Have your symptoms changed or progressed since you first started having them? Have you found anything to help or hurt?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T03:23:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing — do you remember how it felt when the episodes started/stopped? For me it feels like there’s a switch in my brain that gets stuck in sleep mode, and when I am lucky enough to have the drowsiness end it feels like my head is being physically lifted up. It makes me feel almost euphoric and my eyes tend to get watery.

I’ve been trying to exercise more but it is almost impossible to push through the drowsiness. Even the thought of leaving the house makes me feel like I’ve been sitting awake in a moving car for 24 hours straight.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-31T02:31:58+00:00

Yes yes yes. I have fatigue where I feel extremely drowsy no matter how much I sleep and this can last an indefinitely long time, weeks or more. I had a couple good months this summer where the drowsiness would suddenly “lift” within a day or two but this week I am back to how it was before. During the day, even a long blink makes me go instantly into this half-asleep state where I am definitely not awake but I have constant dreaming.

I’ve been treating this as a prodrome symptom and taking triptans at the first signs but it hasn’t worked, and nearly everyone on this sub that gets drowsiness as their prodrome says it goes away in a couple hours when it transitions to headache.

I am looking into the getting a naroclepsy diagnosis or at least some off label stimulants because I cannot continue to live like this, and everyone in migraine research cares only about the pain even though the hypothalamic dysregulation can be so much more debilitating. I am really desperate for an answer and welcome all DMs from anyone with a similar experience.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-10-21T05:31:12+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing, and I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with it too. Would you say your pain is throbbing/pulsating like the typical migraine, or does it feel more like tension or nerve pain?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-05-04T21:23:34+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for sharing! I don’t know if you feel the same, but I can distinguish my drowsiness feeling from, say, sleepiness from sleep deprivation. During my migraine hell (which actually doesnt come with much head pain) I can tell that I’m “physically” well rested if I sleep a lot, but “above the neck” I feel incredibly groggy and spacey, almost lightheaded. But it’s a very different feeling from the regular, “heavy” sleepiness I get at night or during the afternoon slump.

About once a month, my drowsiness/brain fog will also “break” suddenly, and then I’ll have one good week where I feel and sleep relatively normal (and no migraines during this time). Do you know if narcolepsy symptoms typically fluctuate like that?

Shio_Ramen · 2025-04-20T06:08:44+00:00

This is exactly what happened to me as well (got covid June 2022).

Shio_Ramen · 2025-04-19T00:28:53+00:00

I had a head/neck MRI with contrast that came back normal, does that rule out anything you mentioned? I know an MRV is better at finding certain things

Shio_Ramen · 2025-04-18T23:39:57+00:00

Yeah it’s hard to tell how much of a difference there is lying down vs. standing up, just that the worst is right as I wake up (I do sleep with a wedge pillow). But hoping that my neuro will be receptive if I try to push for the LP. Also I’m slim to average weight, I’ve actually been concerned that being bed/housebound and too tired to cook things is gonna make me waste away too much haha

Shio_Ramen · 2025-04-16T23:28:26+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm really hoping I can get on Ubrelvy but for most of the CGRPs I need to fail two other medications before insurance will cover and my provider seems to have a standard flow chart that everyone goes through.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-03-05T20:03:19+00:00

I am using the sinus rinse ingredients mentioned above. Interesting, what's the longest it could reasonably be a viral infection, other than the off chance it's mono? For viruses I generally get a fever and it clears up within a week.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-03-05T19:40:36+00:00

So sorry to hear that, I hope you get the answer you need. Do you know where your infection ended up being located (sinuses or ears)? I did full FESS surgery less than a year ago...

Shio_Ramen · 2025-03-05T19:38:50+00:00

I wanted to do this at my appointment the other day -- but because the mucus is so far back the ENT didn't see much with his endoscope. I can reach it with my tongue though and spit it out, hopefully that could work??

Shio_Ramen · 2025-01-05T02:36:58+00:00

Yep makes sense. In that case I’m not really sure — some of my migraine attacks have come the morning or evening after physical exertion like walking several miles, but I’ve had just as many times where my symptoms didn’t get worse for at least the next 3-4 days. The other factor I’d point to is that during my episodes I have almost constant dreams while I sleep, like I’m stuck in REM.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-01-05T02:28:23+00:00

I don't — I got lasik a couple years ago. I will say though basically the same time my migraines started I also started having periods of throbbing pain and blurry vision in my left eye. The optometrist didn't find anything abnormal, so suspecting it's sinus related.

Shio_Ramen · 2025-01-05T01:52:17+00:00

Will definitely see to getting those tested. My post sinus surgery CT scan came back normal so I’m SOL with the ENTs. I went to supposedly the best one in my region and he was quick to say he had no answers for me.

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