Over a couple of months, I came to find that initial worry wearing off as the benefits of the Xyrem became more apparent. I already think way too much about how I feel at any given moment! So I gave myself some time to try and calm down and settle into my new routines.

Typically I find any change in medication really hard to deal with, as trying to figure out how I feel and compare it to other times can be extremely anxiety-inducing in itself. Upon starting Xyrem I was pleased to find that I didn’t have any obvious side effects, other than some slight dizziness, but I kept worrying about the possibility that I was feeling more anxious. So I was already feeling a bit emotionally unstable from the get go. As someone who has had a long and complicated history with my brain (see previous posts that touch on my experience with depression and anxiety), my mental health is always my number one priority, and has been my main concern ever since I first considered pursuing Xyrem.īefore I had even started on Xyrem, still in the process of trying to gain access, I was already feeling the worst I had in years (struggling to make myself heard and feeling consistently let down by doctors who seemed to be unbothered about helping me – despite all the time, effort and money I was putting in). The second issue is a bit more complicated: my mental health. Since then I have been trying to build these up through diet and other supplements, which has definitely decreased the issue but not solved it (I am yet to build up a proper routine though, which would no doubt help to make this more effective!) I asked around about this and found that people on Xyrem have often had issues with potassium and magnesium levels. At one point it was becoming really distracting, as I was in quite serious pain for long periods at a time, and it made it difficult for me to do my regular exercise as even a slight strain or stretch would often set off a cramp. I’ve always had a bit of a problem with cramping and twitching of my muscles (from tiny eye twitches to agonising foot cramps and everything in between) but since starting Xyrem this has increased ten fold. The first issue I’ve been having has been with my muscles.

Xyrem cataplexy