True Life › Ep. Narco

What if you were overcome by the uncontrollable need to sleep at inappropriate times every day? Or if laughing with your friends made you collapse -- paralyzed onto the floor? On this episode of True Life, you'll meet two young people who suffer from Narcolepsy, a neurological disorder that brings on overpowering sleep spells, and Cataplexy, a condition associated with Narcolepsy that causes sudden muscle failure. Julie was diagnosed with Narcolepsy four months ago and she's now having Cataplexy attacks several times a day. Her mother wants her to start taking powerful drugs to control the symptoms, but Julie fears that the potential side effects could be just as disabling as the maladies themselves. Will Julie find a way to convince mom that she can ignore doctor's orders? Katy has been suffering from Narcolepsy for nearly a decade and is controlling her affliction with an ever-increasing slew of pills. But Katy's boyfriend is afraid that the amount of medication she's taking could be harmful to her health and is urging her to stop using it cold turkey. Will Katy ever be able to function without refilling her prescriptions? They struggle just to remain upright from one moment to the next. Can they stay alert?