Provigil

So I won't fall asleep on my driving trips for work. Anyone take this? Is it like speed?

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Petunia said:
So I won't fall asleep on my driving trips for work. Anyone take this? Is it like speed?

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Hi Petunia

Provigil is a novel drug that is structurally distinct from amphetamines. It is indicated to improve wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness (ES) associated with narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). However, it is often used by doctors off-label for antidepressant augmentation, treatment for ADD/ADHD and to combat fatigue, apathy and sexual side effects from SSRIs like Prozac and Celexa, etc.

Provigil makes you more awake and alert - but does not do so in the same ways that amphetamines (or "speed) do. Most people who take Provigil feel more "naturally" awake and alert with better abilities to focus and concentrate - compared to amphetamines that make people feel "artificially" stimulated. Provigil also has less effects on blood pressure, heart rate, etc compared to amphetamines.

One interesting thing about Provigil is that it doesn't inhibit that parts of the brain that allow you to sleep - in other words, if you wanted to take a nap in the middle of the day, you could because Provigil doesn't effect sleep. However, if you were on an amphetamine like Adderall or Dexedrine - it would be difficult to sleep when you wanted to - especially at night because the amphetamines interrupt areas in the brain associated with sleep.

Provigil is a controlled substance - but is Schedule IV - the lowest controlled schedule (same as Xanax, Valium, etc). It has mild abuse potential compared to amphetamines.

From my own experience with Provigil - it certainly made me more awake and alert. I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel, etc. Side effects were minimal if any at all.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry!

I will take it now that I know!

Hi Petunia,
I've been taking it to help with inattentive symptoms for about 2 months now. I do not find it to be like speed, although I have had to cut back on my caffeine. Too much caffeine with Provigil makes me feel too revved up.

Good luck with it.

gg

I have taken Provigil & Concerta for several years to combat excessive daytime sleepiness. Also take several other medications for bipolar, but I haven't had any problems with Provigil.

Kind of, but I didn't find it that strong or fast acting, but it does help. My mom was given it for her chronic fatigue (still think it's depression all issues have been ruled out) she claimed it didn't do anything for her, true too, she would crawl back in bed. I took them a couple of times, and did see a difference from when I didn't try them. I guess everyone is truly different as we all say.
All I can say give it a try, can't hurt, eh?
I think it may help, mom was on 200mg's.

My job requires that I drive long distances and some of my accounts are 3 hours away.

I am always so exhausted due to lack of sleep, plus meds for other chronic illnesses that I suffer from big time drowsiness.

I'm sick of pulling over to the side of the road and I'm sick of struggling to keep my eyes open and focused.

It has become a safety issue.

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

That happens to me so often, when I'm stressed, it is anoying too. I wish you luck with this.
Please take care now,
Roe

Your description, of sitting at the side of the road stunned, sounds like you are a good match with this drug. Of course, your body may not tolerate it well. That's a random thing, and it would totally suck here. You are precisely the person who should give this drug a try.

They don't know how it works. Because the don't know how it works, there have been a heck of a lot of experiments done to try and narrow that down. So far, all we know is that modafanil binds to dopamine receptors in a part of the brain that we thought did something else. If you read this, you'll see a whole list of things that modafanil is not, but precious little about what it is: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic2/modafinil_cp.htm

For most people, it is: a) benign. I.e. it didn't do much of anything. A wasted effort. ; or, b) a god-send.

I pray you are in category b).

Lar

Dear Larry,

I appreciate your positive wishes...

but it's category a for me.

Tried it all last week.

I might have to quit.

It's a very weird drug, Modafanil. It was certainly worth doing the experiment.

Have you tried methylphenidate? Ritalin?

I can't remember.

Lar

Petunia,
It sounds like it's not working out? I'm sorry. I was hoping it would be helpful for you. How much have you been taking? I take 200 mg once a day in the a.m. A friend of mine did better on 100 mg in the a.m. and another 50 mg later in the afternoon, around 2 or 3 p.m.

Thinking of you,
gg

I take 400 mg Provigil in the a.m. with 200 mg Concerta. Have been on these for several yrs. with other meds for bipolar. Works well for me with no side effects.

well i used this provigil product since 3-4 months but it's totally wasted my money. i take this medicine after some time i feel very bad and headache.

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.