Larry, have you been tested for sleep apnea? Do you snore at all, even if a little and very softly? Sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation that is so severe that you may fall asleep at the wheel whether driving or at a stop light. I have sleep apnea and was sleep deprived almost to the point of being narcoleptic. I would fall asleep at stop lights. I was often dizzy and was in a constant brain fog. I was exhausted all the time from the sleep deprivation and from all the adrenaline my brain sent out all night to get me breathing again. The sleep apnea went undetected for decades because I did not have the usual characteristics of the typical person with sleep apnea - namely obesity or merely being overweight. I was thin. It turns out that my tongue falls back into my throat when sleeping and completely blocks the airway. Anyway, after starting treatment for sleep apnea (c-pap machine), over time I found that I no longer needed Provigil.

When I started on Provigil, I had no side effects except for a bit of insomnia sometimes. But I think that was because I was so darn sensitive to the medicine. After a year or so, I found that I was getting wicked headaches that lasted for several hours after taking the Provigil. I eventually went off of it and found I didn't need it anymore anyway. Perhaps the headaches were a sign that I was alert enough and that I didn't need any stimulation.

Weird, isn't it, how a person can be SO tired yet cannot shut the mind down to sleep, even with sleep meds.

That sounds like big-time anxiety to me.