Provigil??

Cheshiregirl,

Sorry that you're not doing well. Provigil is not a narcotic. I too was on 200mg for a little over a week, and didn't feel a bit different. I don't really know what else to say about the other things. Perhaps others can chime in.

Chesiregirl,
I tried Provigil and like you had high hopes for it. I started out at a very low dose -- a supposedly ineffectual dose -- and was supposed to titrate up over a week or two (can't remember exactly.) Anyway, basically I didn't sleep at all hardly for a week, and became so cranked up on the stuff that I looked (and felt)like a junky needing a fix. I couldn't stop pacing or tapping my hands, heart racing and racing, terrible anxiety kicked in, and I just felt HORRIBLE! I was very frightened and my sister came and spent the night taking care of me. I came very close to going to the ER, but with her help finally made it through the worst of it, and never took it again. Sorry to have such bad news, but I know it is really touted out there, so I wanted you to hear another perspective. Remember, Provigil is a new drug, and being highly promoted.

I've been on Provigil (200mg once in the morning) for about a year now. (diagnosis... CFS... although I'm thinking I have fibro... )

No side effects. I have REALLY bad brain fog in teh morning... only "bad/hyped up" experience I had was one morning I couldn't remember if I took my pill or not... and after thinking about it for a while didn't think I did... so I took another one. I was jittery and bouncing off the walls and felt like I had drank 3 pots of coffee. Then, I went out and got one of those pill things and put one in for each day so I don't forget.

there's been days i still have forgotten to take them, and i was sooooo tired and exhausted all day... I'd remembered what i felt like before Provigil.


If you're really jittery, talk to your doctor about a smaller dose and see if that helps take the edge off. Some people are more sensitive to medications than others... you may be overly sensitive to it.

I have Fibro, CFS & MS.
I just started this drug two weeks ago and love it. I have energy to do things I was unable to do before. I was to the point that vacuuming the livingroom floor would wear me out. I take 400 mg a day. The first day I felt a little anxious, but all medications have some sort of side affect. The next day was much better and now I can make it through the day with out 2 naps. Mind you I'm only 20 and shouldn't need a nap at all.

Provigil is actually made for people with Narcolepsy. It's not a narcotic nor is it addictive.

If you are having such adverse reactions with it I would suggest you talking to your DR about it. Never just stop taking medications. There are severe reactions that can come from that. Trust me.

Jndunnusarmy said...
I have Fibro, CFS & MS.
I just started this drug two weeks ago and love it. I have energy to do things I was unable to do before. I was to the point that vacuuming the livingroom floor would wear me out. I take 400 mg a day. The first day I felt a little anxious, but all medications have some sort of side affect. The next day was much better and now I can make it through the day with out 2 naps. Mind you I'm only 20 and shouldn't need a nap at all.

Provigil is actually made for people with Narcolepsy. It's not a narcotic nor is it addictive.

If you are having such adverse reactions with it I would suggest you talking to your DR about it. Never just stop taking medications. There are severe reactions that can come from that. Trust me.

Amen to that!! Before Provigil simple everyday tasks would wear me out to the point I couldn't get out of bed literally if I overdid myself. What made it worse, is that most of my family either didn't understand, or didn't really think anything like CFS/ME existed... so they'd constantly push me to do this, do that, and then yell at me and call me lazy when I really didn't feel like doing anything... which only made me feel like a worthless person. Of course I didn't get a diagnosis until last year, and I knew I wasn't crazy, but no one believed me.

Now my mom still tends to "forget" about it... or thinks that just because I'm on meds now that I'm miraculously better...

400mg a day might be much for me, but I think a 200 in the morning and a 100 in the afternoon would probably help. I'll eventually address that with my doctor, but I just don't have the money to go at the moment (no insurance, they keep getting me samples every month).

It's not for everyone, but it's been a miracle for me. I could hug the person/people that developed it and tell them how much it's helped me regain a little more of a normal life.

The government (armed services) gave Provigil to pilots starting at the beginning of the Iraq war to increase and sustain alertness on long flights and bombing missions. Don't know how many mgs. I don't know if it is classified as a narcotic but the pharmacy information says it can be habit forming.

At 200 mgs. at day I am irritable and if it is a day when I am extremely fatigued and didn't sleep the night before I don't want to take it because I need to sleep.

I have fibro and chronic fatigue since 2000. Recently my dr. prescribed 100 mg. a day and I am going to start it tomorrow and take it regularly for 2 weeks to see how well it affects me. I just had a flare that lasted 2 weeks and I didn't feel like starting a medication that would keep me up all day when I was in so much pain and today I woke up without much pain, a little bit of energy, no headache and no "hungover" feeling so typical of these diseases. I actually went to the store and walked around for an hour and I just wanted to get down on my knees and thank God for a good day. Having a day like this every once in a while is what keeps me going.........after 2 straight weeks on the couch all day

I'm not sure that I should reply as I literally just signed up but I wanted to share my experiences with Provigil... I take 400 mg twice a day along with 20 mg of Ritalin and I believe 30 of Adderall ( I have been diagnosed with a rare form of narcolepsy,fibromayalgia,and a few others). IF I don't take my meds with 2 cups of coffee (per my doctor-when my stomach can handle it) then I still struggle intensely to stay awake and often times will still fall asleep for a minimum of many hours if not up to 6 days). I can say one positive thing about Provigil...without it-my Ritalin and Adderall act just like placebos. The Provigil will at least allow me time to fight off my sleep episodes for a time even if only for a  few hours! BUT it does NOTHING without the other meds.

I took Provigil several years ago for my sleep disorder.  Stopped because I thought I could deal without and was expensive.  Three years later, I am on again.  I need it.  I have idiopathic hyper insomnia.  It doesnt make me shaky or hyper and wears off in time to sleep at night.  Helps me through the day and works well for me.  I take 400 a day and other than occasional headaches at night, no problems at all.  It is my lifesaver and worth the money!

My fatigue and brain fog are Lyme related. I don't tolerate most meds very well. I have found that 25mg will help me feel alert with little "hyper" feeling. I'll only be taking it once or twice a week. When I took Provigil several days in a row it actually seemed to make my depression worse.

It is nice for a little boost on occasional days I'd like to get more done or need to be more alert.

I was given Provigil for CFS. I have no history of mental disease or disorders. After one week I was seriously psychotic/suicidal. Crying all the time, confused, paranoid, shaking/sweating, feeling like I was going to have a seizure (no history of seizures), planning my suicide, totally out of my mind and out of character for me. My family got me help. It took about a month to recover once I stopped taking it. It never even helped my fatigue either. I would sometimes take it in the morning and fall asleep an hour later for like 5 hours, which I never do. I was only taking 100mg. If you look on the web, there are documented cases of people, like myself, with no history of mental disorders becoming psychotic while on this medication. One shift worker (female) in a clinical trial had this happen and had to be admitted to a psych ward and given massive doses of anti-psychotics to bring her back to normal. Obviously, this is not a common reaction to this medication, if it was, I am sure it would not be on the market. Just wanted to give you warning that if it is changing your personality get off of it. That was the worst month of my life and I only took it 7 days. Good luck!!!

I signed up to this site to try to find some answers from others who use Provigil. I used it for about a year and then my wife did not care for the useage anymore. She did not believe me when I would tell her that I didnt get High on provigil. She also didnt like that there were new findings about addiction and provigil. The real end thaough came one night when I decided to stay up all night on a weekend. I was worried about work getting busy and her being ill, so for whatever reason I decided to stay up and try to write songs, for whatever reason, like it was my last hurrah. I dont think I was going to make it anyhow. But I was stupidly going to take another Provigil to see if I could watch the sun come up and watch a Friday night lights rerun. Stupid, I know, but Im an early person, my favorite time, then I was going to sack out all day, my way of avoiding the day and responsibilities. So she walks into the living room and right before she sees me Im fumbling the 200 mg pill, drop it, and with my foot, at the same time as I smile and say, "Hi", push it under the couch. Long story, yes, but to shorten... She is just like, what are you doing out here, whats going on, etc. etc. and Im all weirded out because Ive been up and its 3 am, and I now, want that Provigil to dissappear. So that was it for her, I had to give her my Provigil.

The thing is, for me personally, the things I try to predict for myself; such as staying up all night and watching the sun rise, and vegging out the next day, etc. These things rarely happen as you think they are going to, they never work out like you pictured. I would probably have ended up going into work, coming home, painting, and then crashing at night.

All right here is the predicament. Provigil worked very well for me. In the following ways:

alert, aware, in the moment, inspired, motivated, able to concentrate, much less worry, not nervous!, better at social events, not depressed! I did not feel high at all. I felt like doing productive, good things, and I felt like being and talking with people, especially my family.

Just because I was thinking about how it would be does not mean I am actually going to do it. So I screwed myself out of an extrememly beneficial medicine for me, because I stayed up late, and tried to hide the Provigil I had. Im so mad at myself. I should have just told my wife why I was up, and that I was going to take a Provigil. I could have proven to her that I could take that Provigil, and actually go right to sleep and not wake up until 8am! That is not an addictive, life ruining, health threatening drug, its like a wonder drug! Im pissed, I took something that was improving me, and therefore improving the life of the people I love, around me! It was good for them!

Now it has been about a month of no provigil, only Zoloft, with the exeption of a couple around the time my wife happened upon me looking like- every thing was normal, except its 3 AM. I had actually stopped on my own, due to weight (needed to gain), and just to try it and not have to be on pills. Things are not going well, and its definetly in my brain, or chemistry, You know how you just know certain things? My family is beautiful, my job is great, I have an outstanding life and it is full of opportunity.

I want to be there for my wife and daughter, and not battling the following things I wasnt battling while on Provigil:

DEPRESSION, Lack of inspiration, or motivation, nervous, dont want to do anything but go to work and come home and watch tv and nod off early, with about a half dozen episodes of "sleep paralyses" Anyone had those? My sleep is worse off Provigil than it was on, I have had a sinus infection for a freaking month it seems. I dont have the life, its like everything was in line in my mind, with the Provigil and the Zoloft.

I dont even think the Zoloft is doing anything. Does the combination make it effective?

I was going to ask, but I already know the answer- Provigil is a great anti depressant for me!!! me! Why has Provigil all of a sudden gotten a rap as an addicitive stimulant? The problem is, as it is with many drugs, the longer you take it, the less effective it becomes, so you have to take a little bit more.

Since I have been off it for so long, is the tolerance I built up lessened any appreciable amount?

I started Provigil because I was nodding off all the time, had sleep paralyses, and was not leading the type of life I wanted to, because I physically couldnt. I could never stay awake.

Can someone respond to some of this? IT seems like my people dont have the type of effectiveness I do from Provigil? Are people expecting too much feeling from it? Or is it the opposite, bad feelings?

Boy! It sound like you are having a pretty bad time going without your meds.

I understand your wifes concern about your dosage and behavior. Any kind of medication can be harmful when not used as directed. Perhaps you both can speak with your doctor about this and find a solution.

I have never experienced any kind of "craving" for Provigil. But when I don't take it; I can experience fatigue, involuntary nod offs and just misery in general. My productivity will grind to a halt and then depression sets in when I don't take care of myself.

Allowing anyone (besides your doctor) to take away medicine that you need is a topic for another forum.

Let me urge you to invite your wife to speak with your doctor so that she can better understand what Provigil is and why you need it. And you might expect a lecture from the good doctor about responsible use of medications too.

I hope you can work this out and start feeling better soon. Good Luck!