Question:
anyone had to take provigil?

i've been prescribed this medication for my lack of enery and increased tiredness during the day. any response??? thanks alot from all of you wlos?!    — JOY C. (posted on October 15, 2003)

October 15, 2003
Hi Joy, I currently take Provigil and it makes a world of difference for me - even on a low dosage. I was diagnosed with a mild form of narcelepsy. If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me privately. Laura Johnson
   — laura J.

October 15, 2003
Hi Joy and Laura - I'm a Provigil girl also. I have severe Primary CNS Hypersomnia. Bscially I am as close to Narcolepsy as one can get without going into REM sleep. I was diagnosed in 1997 I think. I have heard of Provigil being prescribed for what you describe but it's one heck of an expensive drug for that. Personally I would not be using it without a sleep study saying I had a need for it. There are other things that can cause the increased tiredness. In this case it sounds like the doctor is using a strong expensive drug to treat a possible sleep disorder. Much better if you find out what's up. The tiredness and lack of energy go hand-in-hand. My guess is you are not sleeping well at night (getting quality restorative sleep) and therefore the effects carry over into the day. It might be a simple as prescribing a low dose anti-depressant to help you sleep better. This is very typically done. JMO, but I'd be asking why the doc is prescribing a Narcolepsy drug when you haven't been diagnosed with any kind of daytime sleep disorder. No need to be screwing with CNS drugs if you don't truly have a need for them. Better to find out what the problem really is. Feel free to write me also if you want.
   — zoedogcbr

October 16, 2003
Hi there. I go for my sleep apnea and narcolepsy tests in about a week and a half. I was talking to my husband about the narcolepsy (I have had extreme daytime sleepiness for as long as I can remember) who is a pharmacist. (He has his doctorate in it. ) He hasn't mentioned Provigil but he did tell me that Ritalin is often used for narcoleptic patients. I believe this comes in generic form. Maybe this is something you can talk to your physician about if cost is an issue (re Chris D's comment on cost.) I'm not giving any type of advice only MO. :)
   — Katherine H.

October 16, 2003
I take Provigil when absolutely necessary. I have fibromyalgia and some days just cannot get out of bed. My Pain Mgmt specialist thinks I have Excessive Daytime Sleepiness along with mild sleep apnea. I sometimes fall asleep in the parking lot at work before work or during lunch, and have problems driving. The Pain Mgmt specialist recommended I have another sleep study (last one in '97) but I haven't done that yet. My insurance won't pay for this expensive drug (@$8 a pill) but if it gets me up and able to work, I am more than willing to pay that price. If I ever have the study done my insurance will pay with a positive diagnosis. The surgery has change the frequency of the debilitating fatigue (probably because I can now exercise) but it is still a problem. Best of luck to you.
   — Dianne C.

October 16, 2003
Dianne, Provigil does not have to cost $8 a pill. It is available over the internet by prescription for about $165-180 for 30 days of 200mg. Unfortunately it is a federally controlled drug so you cannot buy it in a larger quantity to get a better price. <p>Katherine's suggestion of using Ritalin may be an option, but there again it should be used for sleep disorder related things. It messes with the CNS and not something one wants to do unless it's truly needed. I did straight Ritalin for over 2 years as Provigil wasn't out yet. First they tried Cylert and it made me sleepier. They claimed it could not, but it did. I tried the sustained release Ritalin and that never worked well for me. I took the regular ritalin 20mg 3 times a day. The generic form is methelphenidate and is quite reasonable in comparison. I used to get (240) 5mg pills for around $90, but that is about 3 years ago. Walgreens was way cheaper than KMart on that drug. The problem with ritalin for me was that I kept going up and down all day long. I would crash at about 3-1/2 hours then take my meds and up flying for a while and then crash etc. It cycled like this all day long - not fun. So when Provigil came out I asked my pulmonologist about it. He said I could try it but he doubted it work work for me because my condition was so severe and if it did work he assumed I would need at least a 400mg dose. He had tried it on about 25 paitents at that time and it had not worked for anyone with my situation. Well for me it was a miracle drug. I do fine on 200mg. I take it in the morning and then take 5-10mg of ritalin at lunch and supper. The ritalin helps to tweak the provigial so it gets me through the day. The best part is on the combo therapy I don't have the crashing any more. I will get a slight boost after taking the ritalin but I never drop way down as the provigil doesn't wear off that fast. All I know is this combination makes me feel totally normal. Until the last year I was his only patient on the combo therapy but now he has more. The provigil is more expensive than just ritalin but it is such a better life for me it is worth it, even if I had to pay for it. Unfortunatley next year the co-pay is going up to $35 for it but that's life. If I must live with this stupid disorder then thankgoodness Provigil was developed.
   — zoedogcbr

October 16, 2003
My answer looks completely different from everyone elses... I take Provigil for my ADD!
   — Lynette H.