Thanks for writing the book, and a case history about sleep

Dear Dr. Abramson,
Thank you for doing all of the legwork for this book!! Being employed on the fringe of the medical profession, I've had my suspicions regarding this and have always tried to avoid prescription drugs as a general rule and have always been fairly healthy and active. However, I was having some problems with excessive sleepiness and after what I believe was a very thorough workup (thyroid, Lyme, etc) I was referred for a sleep study; overnight and MSLT the next day. I was diagnosed with "CNS Hypersomnolence", a cousin to narcolepsy. I don't think the MSLT neurological study was a "lie" but this resulted in me going down the slippery slope of trial and error of various types of stimulants until I found the one that I could tolerate, i.e. Adderall XR and Adderall "regular", of which I was taking both types each day and I STILL couldn't stay awake, and the up/down action of the medication was very annoying. I informed my practitioner that I didn't want to be on these for the rest of my life, and also informed my "sleep specialist" of the same. I was told that I'd be endangering myself and more importantly, others by not taking the medications. I work at home and rarely have to drive anywhere, but through research and consultations with alternative practitioners, I have found a safe, effective way to stay awake through nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. I still have to take a nap now and then but I can actually sit down and not fall asleep, watch a whole movie and stay awake, walk my dog and stay awake, etc. It is much easier on my wallet to buy 2 boxes of herbal tea and a few vitamins a month rather than pay for clinic visits and 2 potentially addictive prescription drugs. I don't believe we (humans) were meant to live as our culture and economy now dictate and the govt. and drug companies know it, are fabricating diseases as well as telling us to "make time for 8 gazillion other things" for a more fulfilling life, and giving us all the pills we need in order to do that. Well, I'm refusing to be a sheep.