| Key to ratings for provigil: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
| | F M | | | | ||||
| Change sort order by clicking arrow under column heading. | ||||||||
| 5 | severe hypersomnia and depression | HAD VERY SCARY CHESTPAINS, BUT ONLY FOR TWO DAYS. bEEN TAKING NOW FOR THREE MONTHS, BUT HAVE HAD VERY BAD HYPERSALIVATION DEVELOP AND GETTING WORSE.ANYONE KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS SIDE EFFECT/ | wOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF ANYBODY KNOWS HAS HAD THIS AWFUL HYPERSALIVATION, AND FOUND A CURE FOR IT? (APART FROM STOPPING THE DRUG).it is so helpful in all other ways, and given me a chance to live a normal life again | M | 56 | 3 months | 11/16/2009 | 2 | sleep apnea with daytime fatigue | I started at 200mg for 2 days then cut back to 50mg for 3 weeks. Now on 100mg at 6:30am. Pain and cramping in legs which is getting worse. Increased difficulty in falling asleep due to overall muscle pain. This has increased daytime fatigue, sore eyes and sleepiness. I am in a total brain fog. | I would rate this at 1 but it may be the best drug for some people. That is not for me to decide. This expensive treatment has been a total failure. | F | 63 | 34 days | 11/13/2009 | 1 | chronic fatigue and sleep disorders | Extreme tachycardia (over 200 beats per minute, very high heart rate!), chest pain and pressure, jitters, and actually increased sleepiness. | Horrible experience. It was a risk given that I already have mild tachycardia, but it threw my heart rate through the roof. It took a couple hours to get back to normal, but it was a disaster. Surprisingly it even made me feel more tired. | F | 24 | 1 times | 10/12/2009 | 1 | sleep apnea | mood swings, changed personality and way of thinking, made me act inappropriately, RUINED MY LIFE!! | F | 35 | 9 months | 10/11/2009 | 1 | narcolepsy | My thinking was all screwed up - had mood swings - couldn't focus on anything. One minute I would be fine the next I was argumentative. Little things that would have never bothered me before became major issues. It almost destroyed my marriage - | I would act inappropriately and had horrible mood swings. My family could see what it was doing to me and got me off this horrilbe stuff. I would have to say they probably saved my life and my marriage. DO NOT TAKE THIS HORRIBLE STUFF!!! | M | 26 | 10 months | 10/10/2009 | 4 | Obst. Sleep Apnea | 'Growling' GI tract | Taking 'Indian' Modalert for 3 months. Works exactly as advertised. 100mg most days is quite enough to stay alert during working hours, 200mg if less than 7 hr sleep the night before. Can remember things that used to escape my memory. Definitely makes me more alert and more confident in my memory. 200mg will stoke me (6'1,235#), more than that approaches drug abuse. Do yourself a favor; lay off it on weekends, monitor your heart regularly, and don't exercise within 6 hr of taking a dose. It works for me! | M | 53 | 120 days | 10/5/2009 | 3 | ADD depression anxiety | tightness in the skin, jittery, insomnia | It depends on the type of Provigil you have. The real stuff, Provigil, works wonders--makes you alert and able to keep at a task--but for me it peters out after a week of taking 200mg daily. The other kinds of modafinil, Modapro and Modalert do little to alleviate depression symptoms. That is especially true of Modapro. | M | 44 | 1 years | 9/18/2009 | 5 | To help stay alert | None | I work swing shift and was having trouble staying alert while driving home in the morning. I have had no trouble since I started taking Provigil. I only take it 7 times a month while on night runs. | M | 55 | 8 months | 9/16/2009 | 2 | MS-related fatigue, cognitive diff. | Disconnected feeling, anxiety, tight-chest, splitting headache, muscle and joint pain, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, loose stools, nausea, weird dreams, sore behind eyes, sore feeling all over body. | This is my third day taking Provigil and the worst symptom-wise. Took 100 mg the first day. After an hour experienced strange, disconnected feeling ("tripping" feeling) that lasted for about an hour. Five hours later, finally felt nice surge of energy that lasted throughout the eve. Weird and unpleasant dreams that night. I skipped a day, then took another 100 mg dose 2nd morning. This time no disconnected feeling, no energy surge, just loose stools, mild nausea and muscle stiffness. By nighttime was sneezing with runny nose and congestion. I didn't connect any of this to the Provigil--assumed it didn't work and that it was time to up my dosage to the rec. 200 mg. So today, day 3, I took 200mg in the morn. w/ breakfast and coffee. Half hour later had same weird out of body feeling. Lasted about an hour; following that, a crushing sensation in my chest. I was panting, anxious, w/ nausea and loose stools. Later in day developed splitting headache, sore muscles, and dizziness on top of earlier symptoms. Maybe I'm coming down with something, but after reading some of these comments I'm thinking it's the Provigil. Also taking 4.5 mg LDN at night for MS, no other meds. Can't find info on poss. drug interactions w/ these. I've had MS for 13 years and my fatigue has become debilitating. Was hoping something would finally work. I'm so desperate for fatigue relief that I'm willing to keep trying, but not if I feel this bad all the time. Do these side effects go away? I feel l | F | 37 | 3 days | 9/8/2009 | 4 | Idiopathic hypersomnolence | Worsened night terrors/hypnagogic hallucinations. Even more vivid dreams than before. Metallic taste in mouth - found this board trying to figure out if this is a Provigil side effect. This metallic taste only started recently although I've been on drug more than a year. | I have suffered excessive daytime sleepiness since teen years. Out of the drugs I've been prescribed - Concerta, Ritalin LA, Ritalin - Provigil has the best effect. I feel the most awake in the morning -- with the other drugs, I didn't feel awake until I actually took the meds. Drawback: My insurance does not cover, so I may switch back to something else. | F | 45 | 1 years | 9/4/2009 | 5 | Sedation/Parkinsons Medication | None | Best medication I've taken for Parkinson's! I felt almost "normal" while using it. My energy level was back to normal, I was clear headed, able to think clearer, and the ability to function normally was fantastic. I also required less Parkiinson's medication. I highly recommend it's use for patients with Parkinson's. | F | 58 | 1 years | 9/3/2009 | 3 | excessive sleepiness | Nausea, Headaches, Increased Heart Rate, Afternoon Crash, Impaired Depth Perception | Provigil works - started taking it 2 months ago on occasion and it managed to get me out of bed before 8 am, which is great. Unfortunately it comes hand-in-hand with headaches, severe nausea (most times I would wake up to throw up and continue throwing up throughout the morning) and while it's designed to make you focus, I find the associated side effects render me less productive. There is a definite afternoon crash (circa 3pm on a regular 8 to 5 day), which doesn't make me sleepy - just distracted and dizzy. 50% of the times I've taken it, I experience insomnia and can't fall asleep until +/- 3 am. Friendly suggestion: this is a relatively new drug and most of its side effects are still getting added to the list...If you don't absolutely have to take it - don't. | M | 27 | 2 months | 9/2/2009 | 3 | ADHD | Headaches, increased sensitivity to allergens. | This was a great prescription for me, and it was a sad day when I had to give it up. I had minor headaches with it to begin with that never really went away, but I thought I could cope. However, this became paired with a problematic increased senstivity to allergens. I suffer seasonal allergies, but it is usually only for a couple of weeks to a month at most. When I expected allergy season to stop, it didn't and I began to suffer from increased rhinitis, which led to numerous sinus migraines for me. It was a random check one night on Provigil side effects that brought the prolem to light. I stopped the provigil and my allergies disappeared. Currently trying out Nuvigil on the off chance that it doesn't have the same issues. So far, after a couple of weeks, it seems to be working fine. No allergies, and no headaches. | M | 41 | 3 months | 8/30/2009 | 5 | excessive sleepinsess | NONE | LOVE THIS DRUG! IT helps me stay awake and focus better. But sometimes I can sleep after taking it...? Don't know why. However, MOST of the time it wroks wonders! | F | 25 | 3 months | 7/28/2009 | 5 | chronic fatigue | overeating discontinued, lost all excess weight, depression lifted, calmness prevails, focused, alert, desire to learn | somehow this works better than any antidepressants I have been prescribed (a true lifer) for major depressive disorder. see my psychiatrist regularly. currently not taking any more antidepressants which cause too much lethargy. just taking provigil 200 mg with coffee before work and good to go for all day. normal human being finally after 40 years of chronic fatigue. | F | 55 | 1 years | 7/24/2009 | 3 | Fatigue, Possible Sleep Apnea | RASH, loss of appetite, mania, over-medicated feeling, acne, thinning hair | Like many others, the first time I took it was great! I had energy, hyper mental clarity, and a feeling of extreme confidence. After a couple of weeks it wasn't working as well, and then the side effects kicked in. I felt sweaty, it seemed like my heart was racing (I have high BP), and the worst was the late afternoon crash I would experience everyday at 3 pm; I would be so drained I could barely finish my work day, which defeated the entire purpose of taking the medication. I also had a terrible rash on my face (my eye almost swelled shut), neck, and arms. At the time I blamed the rash on possible poison ivy since I had weeded the lawn, but now I'm not so sure. My face was also breaking out severely, and I had alway had a beautiful complexion. I stopped taking it when I ran out after 30 days. In about another month I re-filled it, wanting to give it another try since it did help initially, and I had lost weight as a bonus. This time it worked for only a day or 2 before the negative outweighed the positive effects, not to mention the $50 co-pay. I'm convinced that if a drug is not absolutely necessary to sustain your life, it's not worth taking due to the cost and inevitable unpleasant or even harmful side effects. | F | 44 | 1 months | 7/24/2009 | 5 | Narcolepsy (EDS, HH) Positive Side Effects: Wide Awake, Alert, Mentally Acute, Quicker (Normal) Thinking, Easier to wake up in the morning (Still difficult at times) Negative Side Effects: Temporary Depression (non-clinical), Impulsivity, Short Temper, Midly Elevated Blood Pressure | This medication radically changed my quality of life. I initially took it for 2 years at age 20-21. I was unable to continue when I lost my health insurance. Due to this I went without medication and by the time I had medical coverage again I did not want any record of my "disability" and decided to go without it. I remained unmedicated for the next 8 years. EDS and Hypnagogic Hallucinations were my primary symptoms. Unmedicated it required constant napping and over the counter stimulants to remain awake although rarely alert. When I feared that the condition would negatively impact my career I made the decision to return to the medication building up to my present amount of 100mg in the morning and 100mg at noon. I found that it caused severe anxiety during the daily withdrawl period (5-10pm) but allowed me to be very tired by bed time. The effect on my impulsivity and temper have been trying to manage but still manageable. I see many people here have very extreme side effects but many of them are taking doses that I can't even comprehend. I have moderate to severe narcolepsy with very extreme EDS and 200mg is enough to keep me bouncing my leg all day. Either way since everyone is different trying this medication is definitely worth it. It has been a miracle for me. It keeps me awake but most importantly it makes me fully mentally alert which is something I haven't experienced in a very long time. | M | 30 | 3 months | 7/16/2009 | 5 | sleepiness, extreme fatigue | loss of appetite and nausea | I began Provigil about a month ago and it has helped me significantly! For about three months, I felt as though my engery level decreased significantly. It did not matter how much sleep I was getting at night, I always felt extreme fatigue. I could not find the energy to get my day started. I felt as though I needed several naps throughout the day. I eventually found myself having emotional breakdowns because I could not find the motivation/"energy" within me to care for my toddler and care on my obligations as a housewife. On top of everything else, I began feeling depressed. At my "breaking point" my husband called my rhuematologist to notify him of my condition. Within an hour of taking my first 100 mg dose, I noticed a significant difference. I feel as though it has taken two weeks for the medication to work to its fullest potential. I finally feel normal again. It has truly been a miracle for me and my family! | F | 25 | 30 days | 7/6/2009 | 1 | Drug resistant depression/ADHD | Severe liver inflammation | It works better than a stimulant however it is dangerous. Took it 1 year ago for 3 weeks & landed in the hospital with liver & spleen inflammation. Wasn't sure of cause then. Tried again this month, and within 3 days same thing. Other side effects - nausea, headache, crashing feeling in afternoon. | F | 37 | 4 days | 7/5/2009 | 4 | Idiopathic Hypersomnia w/long sleep | Jitters, itchy scalp, headaches | I have been taking 200mg in the am, and 100-200mg after lunch. I have not needed to nap after work, but still get very sleepy by evening. Provigil makes me jittery, and it is about impossible to fall asleep now. After taking it 2 months, my scalp has started to itch and I find myself scratching my scalp in my sleep until I create sores. Hoping my hair does not start to fall out... Still not feeling great, but the provigil does help. | M | 32 | 2 months | 7/3/2009 | 5 | MS fatigue | Slight headache during the first few days of starting it. | I am so glad my doctor suggested trying this drug. I take 100 mg daily. I feel like myself again...clearer thinking and more energy. The best part is, it doesn't feel artificial or over the top for me. I just started taking this drug and I hope things will remain this way for me. It feels like a miracle. | F | 46 | 3 weeks | 6/18/2009 | 5 | Severe fatigue | Headaches, and brusing easily. I truly could not have a normal life without this drug. Started with 100mg, after two years went to 200mg. I just increased to 300mg, this is after 9 years. | F | 52 | 9 years | 6/14/2009 | 3 | Idiopathic hypersomnia | I have mild bi-polar symptoms and I think it increases my hypermania when it flairs up. Other than that it does O.K. | It has been a wonder drug for me. I am 51 yrs. old and have been lethargic and sleepy all my life. Never even considered being tested for narcolepsy untill about 2 yrs. ago. I have all the classic signs except for 1 so they labeled me as having hypersomnia. Idiopathic just means they don't really know "why". It's just a doctors way of sounding intelligent when they really do not have a clue.Anyway, provigil works for me without all the increased heart rate or the "high" feeling. | F | 51 | 1 years | 6/13/2009 | 4 | idiopathic hypersomnia | negative: frotal lobe headaches, insomnia, crabby positive: i am able to stay awake and live my life!!!! | This has been a godsend to me! Everyone on this board knows how frustrating our sleep issues have been from first trying to understand why we were so sleepy and not being able to stay awake - to going from doctor to doctor being told to exercise regularly and eat more sensibly and that will solve sleeping 15 hours a day. When I had the sleep study done and took my first weeks does of Provigil I was back to who I really was. I am happy, happy, happy! | F | 32 | 3 months | 6/12/2009 | 2 | To increase cognitive functions | CAUTION!!! Provigil was extremely addicting for me and I was unable to only take the proscribed amount. I experienced dry mouth, trouble swallowing, upset stomach, trouble sleeping, strained jaw, loss of appetite and weird feeling. | I have an addicting personality. If something makes me feel good I just want to take more and more of it. Provigil was a pleasurable stimulant which was used to help me regain clarity from the fog of other meds I was taking. I have taken Provigil on and off over the last few years. I could never stay on it consistently because I would start abusing it within days of starting back on it. This last time I ordered Provigil online from India because I don't have insurance. Before that I hadn't taking it for about one and a half years. It was delivered about two weeks ago. The first day I ended up taking 1200mg! The side effects I mentioned became very present and the next 24 hours were miserable. After a couple more failed attempts at managing Provigil I just flushed the rest. I'll never take provigil again, in my case the bad far out weighted the good. | M | 28 | 6/10/2009 | 3 | many years of narcolepsy | Itchy scalp and lots of hair fell out within a couple weeks of starting meds. Increased frequency of headaches. | Although I was alarmed at how much of my hair fell out, Provigil helped me function so much better -- fending off the previously irresistible drowsiness, so I could drive safely, and improved my ability to focus and work productively -- that I felt its good points outweighed the disadvantages. However, when my insurance stopped covering it for a few months, it was so costly that I had to give it up for a while. The withdrawal was exhausting. When coverage resumed, and I restarted the Provigil, a lot more hair fell out and broke off; but, since I needed to function safely, I accepted that loss. When the insurance interrupted coverage again ("doughnut hole" -- a rip-off to discuss in a different forum), once more I had to adjust to life without the meds. So, I've decided to stay off it for now because it's too hard on my system to keep adjusting to the on & off coverage. | F | 61 | 3 years | 5/21/2009 | 3 | Severe fatigue | diarrhea, constant nausea, trouble sleeping through the night | Although the side effects are difficult to deal with, Provigil has made a great improvement in my quality of life. I can work more focused, give appropriate attention to my 6 year old and not feel like I'm sleeping my days away. I have enough enery to live. It's still very early in my treatment. I'm hopeful that the correct dose will decrease my side effects. | F | 31 | 2 days | 5/20/2009 | 3 | IDIOPATHIC HYPERSOMNIA | Jittery, itchy face, dry mouth, decreased appetite. | The first day was the best...I felt like a new person. I do have more energy and get things done. The absolute urge to take a nap is much less, and this is a welcome feeling after 25 years of wanting to crash all the time. It does not completely get rid of the urge to sleep during the day, but makes it more tolerable. I feel awful from it at the moment, because I drank too much coffee this morning along with the medication. I won't be doing that again, as I don't like the current feeling at the moment. Basically, each day I have felt differently on this med. Doc gave me 7 samples of Provigil and will be switching to Ritalin for cost reasons. | F | 38 | 5 days | 5/18/2009 | 3 | Adult ADHD | Loss of appetite. Leukopenia. | 200 mg/3xs daily | F | 33 | 5 years | 5/17/2009 | 4 | sleep apnea/excessive daytime sleep | If taken too late in the day, I experienced difficulty getting to bed at an appropriate time. I have experienced very few other side effects (using 200-300 mg/day). | It's definitely improved the quality of my life. | F | 37 | 3 years | 5/12/2009 | 1 | Have CFS, and POTS | After taking the drugs for 3 days, I began hallucinating, could not sleep. Had to go to the hospital last week because I kept having visions. In the last 2 days my face is breaking out, my left eye is swollen shut and I have have violent diarhea. | PLEASE, PLEASE be informed of the possible side effects. They are VERY SERIOUS and SEVERE!!! I am still afraid what may happen in the next few months from taking this 200mg for 3 days. | F | 18 | 3 days | 5/9/2009 | 5 | daytime sleepiness/ mild narco. | Mild headaches, Tylenol took them away. Dry mouth and nose. Extremely irritable, angry. Not hungry, change in taste. I have noticed that most of the side affects reported are typical in stimulant drugs. | I will undergo the side effects as long as they arent life threatening, I feel I am a danger to other people and myself driving, I fall asleep at lights, run of the road, take out mail boxes and signs, was ready to give up my license. I am not sleepy at all, I was miss diagnosed and have suffered for 20 yrs. Very happy that I can function. I wont have to quit another job or worry about killing some one. If anyone can let me know if you experienced anger and irritability and did it or does it go away? | F | 41 | 2 days | 5/6/2009 | 3 | OSA / SWSD / Excessive Sleepiness | Mild dizziness,headache, at first. Increase in spontineity in speech and thought. | 100 mg/day. To early to tell if effective or beneficial. Im experiencing the stimulant effect/ nothing outragous though. Im somewhat skeptical on the long term benefits. | M | 48 | 3 days | 5/3/2009 | 3 | depression, sleepiness | mild headache first few days, intensified depression | The main reason my doctor prescribed Provigil was that I have extreme morning sleepiness and lack of energy. I've been on Cymbalta for over 2 years, but at the dose I tolerate best it doesn't completely relieve the depression. I started Provigil at 1/3 of a 200 mg tablet (approx. 67 mg) for 10 days, and then increased to 1/2 (100 mg) per doctor's instructions. The first two or three days on Provigil I did have increased energy and motivation, and although that faded somewhat after a week or so I did feel more alert. Some nights I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep, and my sleep schedule became erratic because I would stay up very late until I became sleepy. Earlier this week, after having taken Provigil for about 1 month, I became extremely depressed, anxious, and tearful. I didn't link it to Provigil until I read the comments of others who have had a similar experience. I had also noticed that I was talking a lot, which is out of character for me, but I didn't link that to the Provigil, either, until I read other patients' comments. My doctor has taken me off Provigil and increased the Cymbalta. I may try it again at a low dose because I need some relief from the sleepiness/fatigue, which has returned full force. | F | 54 | 1 months | 5/2/2009 | 5 | Narcolepsy | Decreased effectiveness if taken consistently. Occasional headaches. Panic attacks if I mix high doses with other stimulants. Insomnia if taken after noon. Anxiety with dose of 200mg or more. | This medicine is a life-saver for me. Taking it keeps me from falling asleep in classes, airports, at work, or while eating, but 100 mg doesn't disrupt my sleep cycle at all. It helps me concentrate and keeps my thoughts from wandering off as often, too. Taking it has made me a much better student without negative psychological effects. | F | 19 | 3 years | 5/1/2009 | 1 | extreme sleepiness / sleep apnea | hallusinations, hearing voices, constant fear of death/being killed, anxiety, verdigo, sleepiness, depression, shaking, ringing in ears, loss of apitite, loss of weight, incohirent thoughts, inappropriate social behavior, foggy mind, could not stop talking - as if on cocaine but worse, mental addiction. | I CANNOT STRESS MORE TO ANYONE PLEASE NEVER TOUCH THIS DRUG AND IF YOUR ON IT, GET OFF IT. When i first took this pill i was in love with it, i thought i found the missing link to how to live life normally. I was constantly tired, sleeping all day if i could, but then i could not sleep at night. The first few weeks i took as perscribed 200 mg a day, then i felt it was not enough and begged to get perscribed 400mg a day, which is rare for someone to take and the most a doctor legally can perscribe. From then on i was hooked, taking 5- 7 pills a day which would back fire more and more as time went on, but it was impossible for me to stop cause i couldnt get out of bed anymore without it. i eventually had to sleep two days straight to get off it . . i would consider this a legal herion when it comes to how quick a person can get hooked on it. i believe this because being constantly tired all the time no matter who you are, makes a person feel hopeless in life and depressed, we try eveything but nothing works, we eny others who can live life normally, then we find something that can actually give us the enegy we believe everyone else possesses normally - but its a lie. i would take the way i feel now over provigil anyday. i cant even eblieve who i turned into , i almost lost my child. and my home just because of my behavior, i am completely sane and i found myself on easter upstairs at my parents talking to " ghoasts" i could only see through reflextions or shadows, but | F | 23 | 1 years | 4/30/2009 | 4 | 4/23/2009 | 3 | OSA treated with CPAP but still EDS | itchiness after taking 50 mg of Provigil... I split a capsule in fourths. I usually bounce out of bed today I did not. | Yesterday, My first day on Provigil I was not as sleepy. I was focused. But reading the side effects and experiencing the itchiness and not bouncing out of bed. I will discontinue and maybe give it another try in a few weeks. I think I would rather be sleepy.... | F | 53 | 1 days | 4/23/2009 | 5 | Depression - with Effexor | Headaches,nausea,motion sickness(sensitivity to motion, I didn't have before)loss of appetite, sadly no weight loss yet ;) | The side effects I experienced were because I had to tinker with how I took the medication in time with my other medications (effexor and suboxone). I was taking all my meds together and it made me VERY sick. Now i wait an hour between each med and it's made a world of difference. Let me be clear: PROVIGIL IS A MIRACLE FOR ME. I feel like a brand new person. I don't feel manic or high, or jittery like a stimulant, just CLEAR, FOCUSED, CALM AND HAPPY. My family notices a difference and I thank God every day that I have doctors who listen to what I need and the research I did on this drug. | F | 36 | 10 days | 4/15/2009 | 2 | Sleep Apnea | I have sleep apnea and I am still trying to get a good setup on my cpap machine so until then I am always tired. When I took the sample pack it was wonderful to finally not have to take a nap at work. I had to fight with my isurance for 6 weeks to get it and I still have to pay $50. Now I am on the 4th day of taking it again and I am a walking zombie and almost more tired then before. | I would love to feel the affects I felt the 1st week, I have not changed any medication and it seems that my apnea is actually getting better (cpap is working a little better than before) | M | 43 | 10 days | 4/7/2009 | 1 | fatigue from MS & MS medications | The horrible side effect, after about four years' of use, was hypomania, which I didn't associate with the Provigil, and which became full-blown mania within the next year. Early side effects, which I'd been managing, seemed related to getting the dose correct to allow normal sleep -- after the first month or two, I ended up going for many months being awake 36 hours, sleeping 6 hours until I "mixed and matched" a lower dose of Provigil with a high dose of Celexa antidepressant at neurologist's and psychopharmacologist's suggestion | I wouldn't take Provigil over a long period of time. I began taking it after enrolling in a double blind study of Tysabri, a then-new MS drug given by infusion. I thought I was getting the Tysabri, not a placebo, because the first infusion knocked me on my ass so much that I couldn't get out of bed for three days. (It did turn out to be the Tysabri.) Hence the Provigil prescription. Once the balancing of the dose seemed to be settled, I didn't see any problem with it. About four or so years into its use, I began having intrusive, running thoughts that prevented sleep. Others with MS said it sounded like mania, which can come with the MS, and which is treatable. My doctor said it was hypomania, gave me some Ambien, and it went away on its own after only two nights of Ambien -- or did it? I could sleep, but without me really being aware of it, I wasn't even thinking about sleeping, and I wasn't tired. When I did sleep, I wasn't being kept awake by racing thoughts, so all seemed well. Wrong. I ended up with full-blown mania. While manic, I stopped taking all my meds, and the mania lifted. Because I'd taken the Provigil so long with no apparent ill effects, I (illogically) assumed it was the Tysabri which caused the mania. I stopped the Tysabri, added back in the Provigil, and gradually noticed I was beginning to have "magical thinking," a symtpon which presaged the hypomania turing into mania. So, I stopped the Provigil and the magical thinking went | F | 50 | 5 years | 3/24/2009 | 4 | for SSRI apathy | Provigil does raise your body temperature a little bit so I felt hot sometimes. It also has a tolerance build up that is perceptible. So when you take it at first it is stronger and more effective than if used every day. | I think this works but works better if you take a weekend or a few days off here and there. | M | 53 | 2 years | 3/21/2009 | 3 | Mixed connective tissue dz/fatigue | Alopecia, itchy scalp, dark, strong colored urine. | I was prescribed a 200 mg tab to take once a day, but had only been taking 100 mg (1/2 tab). I noticed accelerated hair loss (on Plaquenil too, which had already thinned me out considerably), but felt so much more "with it" on the Provigil, that I hung in there. After about 7 months on the 100 mg daily dose, I began to notice the accelerated hair loss (especially thinning at the temples and "crown"), and then unexplained itchiness in my scalp area. The dark strong colored urine was apparent immediately after starting the med. I am afraid that I felt the need to discontinue this medication, even tho it helped (significantly) with my severe day time fatigue. Concerned that I was going to eventually lose all of my hair and the itchiness was bothersome! | F | 39 | 8 months | 3/17/2009 | 5 | severe narcolepsy | Extremely dry eyes; had dry eye syndrome for several years prior to taking Provigil, then it became much worse after taking Provigil. Still looking for the best dry eye treatment. | This drug is a miracle. I began taking one 200MG pill daily three weeks ago. I went from depression and pain caused by constantly fighting extreme fatigue to feeling NORMAL again. Have eliminated celebrex and flexeril for muscle pain, eliminated pulmicort and singulair for asthma. Rarely take arthritis tylenol. Has changed my life in a very positive way. I've also lost 12 pounds, need weight loss after gaining 50 pounds since narcolepsy set-in perhaps 3 years ago (hard to assess the starting point). | F | 51 | 3 weeks | 3/8/2009 | 1 | sleepiness/weight gain from Seroque | Panic attacks, blurred vision, RASH, RASH, RASH!!!! | I had taken Provigil about 1.5 years ago, and it was wonderful! No problems whatsoever. I had discontinued it because the blurred vision was getting a little intolerable, though. I started again about six months ago, got this nasty rash all over, including my face! I didn't link it to the Provigil until I googled it and read the FDA black box warning about the possibility of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and other possible fatal rashes. My last dose was a couple of days ago. I still have an intolerable rash and I can't wait for it to go away - if it does. | F | 45 | 2 years | 3/6/2009 | 5 | side effect of tegretol | I have to take tegretol for trigeminal neuralgia, it makes the excruciating pain go away, but it makes me so sleepy. I end up sleeping all the time. Provigil has totally cured that with no side effects at all. I take 100 mg in the morning with my morning tegretol. No provigil with my evening tegretol. No trouble sleeping. | F | 61 | 5 days | 3/2/2009 | 3 | Difficulting getting up | feelings of physical tension | I have insomnia and sleep apnea. Even with a CPAP and doses of Trazodone, Seroquil and klonopin, I still have difficulties going to sleep. I find it hard to get up as a result oif the meds I need to get to sleep and stay asleep. I take 100 mg of Provigil to try and become awake earlier. The doctors keep playing with the dosage and the dosages of my sleep meds to try and get a balance, but haven't found one yet. | M | 61 | 2 months | 2/28/2009 | 3 | Fibromyalgia, CFS, EDS | Day 1: 100 mg, felt awesome for about 5 hours. Day 2: 200 mg (as prescribed), massive migraine. Day 3: back to 100 mg - still massive migraine that not even Imitrex could shake. Day 4: 50 mg, awaiting effects... scared about migraines but am not willing to give up yet! | I've read so many great reports on this drug, I had to give it a try. I was prescribed 200mg in the am, but I think that was way too much for me. I'm going to start a bit lower (50mg) and see what happens. Maybe you have to build up to it. I hope so, because I'm not ready to give up yet! I'll rate it again after I (hopefully) find the right dosage for me. I thank the people on this site for sharing their experiences. I consult it any time I am given a new rx. Very helpful! | F | 39 | 4 days | 2/27/2009 | 3 | Idiopathic Hypersomnia | The only side effect that i've experienced is headaches, which seems to be less frequent over time. | I started taking Provigil about a month ago. Originally I took 200mg in the morning. Now I take 200 mg in the morning and 100 mg (half a pill) at around 3 each day. One of my main problems was not being able to wake up in the morning, so I set my alarm for 6am and take my provigil and go back to sleep. Waking up has been less difficult. I still don't feel wonderful, and often get tired. At night I become EXTREMELY talkative. It's almost embarassing that I can't shut myself up. I'll report back after I've taken it for a few months | F | 19 | 1 months | 2/24/2009 | 2 | sleep apnea/EDS | slight headache and nausea and no real benefit | I also have depression, 3 wks after Psych upped my Lexapro, I became really sleepy, went for another sleep test with MLST, CPAP working fine but had a lot of limb movement, ruled out RLS but no mention of PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) which I later found was linked to depression and taking SSRIs, as someone said some times docs just treat symptoms, I didn't need to "stay awake", I needed a good nights sleep! Lowered the lexapro (might stop it) and feel much better | F | 45 | 7 days | 2/24/2009 | 5 | sleep apnea/EDS | mild headaches, feeling of being very "caffeinated", softer stool | I take 200 - 400mg a day, and have found this drug to be a life-saver. Without it, I would be sleeping all the time and barely able to function. Start off at a low dose and work your way upward until you find a dose that works for you (though I wouldn't recommend going beyond 400mg/day as it hasn't been proven to be that much more effective at 600mg/day than 400mg/day). | F | 22 | 1.5 years | 2/17/2009 | 5 | extreme tiredness & foggy thinking | Weight loss...I've gone from a size 18 to a 12...gotta love that! Mild headaches that go away with an aspirin. | Love this medicine! While there are days that are not as energetic as others, my worst day on Provigil is 100% better than my best day off of it. | F | 38 | 2 months | 2/14/2009 | 5 | I have apnea, sleepy in afternoon | I take only half a pill per day. If I take more sometimes I feel like my heart is racing a bit and mild light headedness; but not always. If I'm already tired I don't get that. | I've been on this about six months now. I participated in a lab rat study of a new drug that does the same thing last year but that drug is not yet available so this was prescribed. I take half a pill per day most of the time, I have no problems sleeping and no side effects that I can discern. I have not had issues with low blood pressure (mine is a bit on the high side but not bad). If it gets to be late at night and I have a need to stay up all night I can take an additional whole pill and function the whole night with no problem and sleep as long as I need to the next day without any symptoms of racing heart or light headedness. This pill has been used since WWII to keep pilots functioning on long flights, there have been few reported issues but as folks have already pointed out there statistically will be a few that can't use it. I drink about one or two soda's a day (with caffeine) have not noticed any issues with that. I think this is a great drug and until that other comp | F | 44 | 6 months | 2/4/2009 | 5 | Daytime Sleepiness | Cocaine like cerebral high without the desire to fiend. My brain felt too big, not a headache but mild annoyance. Excessive foot tapping. Too talkative. No hunger. | This is the first medication I have ever been on other than antibiotics and pain pills for wisdom teeth. I have taken every street drug that I can think of but have never been addicted to anything. I have always been content with getting 6 hours of sleep in a day. I am an IT professional and spend most of my day tied to my chair. I have found over time that my brain shuts off when I lose interest in something. This could happen quite often in the 4-5 meetings I have a week and I would nod off like a junky especially in the afternoons. I read about Provigil from an IT forum and thought I should give it a try. My annual physcial was today and my doctor gave me a seven-day trial after I explained to him (honestly) my background. I took 100mg when I sat down in the meeting and have had a splendid productive day. The meeting would have been a total bore, but I felt alive and it almost took on a party atmosphere due to my infectious talking. I liked it...perhaps too much. I have ne | M | 32 | 1 days | 1/27/2009 | 3 | Fatigue, Fibromyalgia | Very little out of body feeling | This is my only second day 200mg. Can anyone comment on taking this in morning and social drinking in evening. | F | 50 | 2 days | 1/27/2009 | 5 | To counter side effects of Cymbalta | I take the maximum dosage,200 mg tablets X 2 daily. Only one, and I didn't realize it might be a side effect until I read other entries on this site: the VERY occasional front lobe headache that quickly goes away with asparin. | The drug I have to take, Cymbalta, leaves me overwhelmingly sleepy. I literally couldn't function w/out Proviil. Recently, the Thurs. before the MLK birthday long weekend. I ran out and, through a snafu, couldn't refill untl Tues. I slept, off and on, both day and night, through the long weekend. | M | 63 | 86 months | 1/25/2009 | 4 | energy and depression | When I started Provigil I immediately felt such an increased level of happiness, excitement, and energy. I am a flight attendant and I used it when I had to get up extremely early for flights. For awhile it seemed to be the best thing since sliced bread but then I noticed that it was making me more agitated as the day went on as well. I would get irritated at things that normally I would have been cool and collected about. But the main problem I found was that it increased my depression tremendously when I would stop taking it for a few days. I take paxil as well. I did enjoy the feeling it gave me for several hours after I took it. | really decreases your appetite. | M | 53 | 3 months | 1/25/2009 | 5 | excessive daytime sleepiness, fatig | Mild headaches, slight nausea, tense jaw, dry/swollen eyes with large doses | Has been a godsend, but PLEASE - YOU people who have posted about getting a rash while on Provigil - TELL YOUR DOCTOR. In rare cases this rash can be a serious problem. It is not a panacea - taking it too regularly diminishes the effects; you can build up tolerance; I find if I drink even a little bit of alcohol it dulls me much faster than if not taking provigil. Make sure you drink lots of water, stretch out, relax your jaw. Try taking the smallest dose you need at the time, then increase if you have to. Like others, I find it has changed my life positively - can do more work, stay awake while driving or in presentations/meetings - GREAT for museums where you tend to get tired! | M | 63 | 6 years | 1/22/2009 | 4 | MS fatigue | none so far | I just started to take it about 4 days ago and so far i have to say that i havent had any side effects yet, actually i kind of like it i wake up in the morning an take it and i notice that i have more energy through out the day i even started to go for walks during my lunch i just hope that i dont have side effect later down the line for a long term use of it. | F | 30 | 4 days | 1/22/2009 | 5 | Brain fog from Hypothyroidism | Bit over caffinated of I take more than half a tablet. Find I only need half a tablet every other day or so. | BRILLIANT! I can concentrate and focus on work and even learn and remember stuff. Previously I would stare at the same page over and over without getting anywhere. Have found long term memory has recovered more than short term but still much better. I'm much less depressed and can cope much better. Still early days but I'm so relieved. | F | 44 | 3 weeks | 1/19/2009 | 5 | Narcolepsy | The only negative side effect I’ve had with Provigil are very mild, occasional headaches, but they are easily taken care of with some Tylenol. The positive side effects though are amazing! I was diagnosed with narcolepsy in my early 20’s…I had always felt like I was more tired than other people but I realized there was something really wrong when (even though I was sleeping 9-10 hours a night) I feel asleep in the middle of an air shift at a local radio station that I was working at! But since starting the drug about 3 years ago I can only think of once or twice where I have fallen asleep inappropriately...miles better than the every few hours I was falling asleep before! Something else I’ve found interesting is that the longer I have taken it, coupled with trying to stay on a pretty consistent sleep schedule, my sleep quality seems like it has gotten better. I used to have a lot of very vivid dreams and hypnotic hallucinations but they seem to happen much less | One thing I’ve noticed (and I think I remember reading this in an article somewhere) is that Ibuprofen seems to interact with Provigil. For me it seems like it might speed up the metabolism of it…I’m not sure, but I know that if I take an Ibuprofen just a few hours after taking a dose of Provigil I feel like I’ve taken too much Provigil…I get that kinda weird, kind of hyper/nervous feeling, and then I’ll ‘crash’ a few hours later and be very tired. But I’ve used this to my advantage too a few times…if I start getting tired in the late afternoon (I just take 200mg in the AM) if I take an Ibuprofen it’s almost like I’ve taken another dose of Provigil but it wears off in plenty of time for me to go to bed. This has not happened when I’ve taken Tylenol. | F | 25 | 3 years | 1/18/2009 | 2 | hypersomnolence | The first day was great. I felt like I had a new lease on life. Second day was okay but not as good as the first. On the third day I noticed a slight rash on my lower legs. On my inner thighs there was a large area that was red and chapped looking. These symptoms would wax and wane. And they would intensify if I took an extra 100mg to get me through the day. The symptoms never got unbearable. But very close. I only took it for one month since it was nowhere near as effective as I expected, cost was $380 (not covered by insurance), and gave this side effect. Now one month later, I still have the same symptoms. | If it works for you, great. But it turned out to be more of a hassle than it was worth. | M | 30 | 28 days | 1/15/2009 | 2 | Fatigue/Medicine side effects | Sweating, less of an appetite, brain fog, couldn't make decisions, felt like I couldn't talk, couldn't focus. | I was on 100mg in am and 100mg in pm. The first day I took this I felt great! I had energy and was productive and felt awake. I thought it was going to be a miracle drug. Ha! Everyday after the first was hell. I felt mildly awake but asleep at the same time. It made me like a zombie. My husband would laugh at me because it would take me way too long to make simple decisions. Stopped taking it a week later. Switched to Methylphenidate and had similar side effects. Now on Adderall and it's too early to tell if this will work yet. Hope so! | F | 31 | 6 days | 1/15/2009 | 3 | ADD inattentive type | Initially, insomnia, but as the positive effects wore off so did the insomnia. My anxiety levels probably increased too. I have anxiety to begin with. I should note that I was taking both Provigil and the generic form of it, Modalert. Provigil seemed a little brighter, but I noticed the same trend: good concentration for the first 6 or 7 times I took it and then less and less positive effects. After taking both forms of modafinil, I would become more irritable. | M | 43 | 3 months | 1/2/2009 | 5 | sleeping too much | maybe a little high but nothing else | M | 57 | 1 years | 1/1/2009 | 3 | idiopathic hypersomnia | headaches, backache, some jitters, some nausea, "weird" feeling. side effects seem to be reducing as time goes on. | 400 mg in the AM. helps a bit with tiredness, seems to wear off after 6-8 hours and then I'm more tired than usual. with tweaking this drug may help for those with hypersomnia. | M | 46 | 7 days | 12/28/2008 | 5 | Shift Work Sleep Disorder | Mild frontal lobe headache, strange smelling urine, insomnia if taken too late in the day. | very helpful if taken 1 hour before my shift as a nurse 11pm-7am. I do not take it on my days off. I LOVE this med. It has been a lifesaver for me as I have worked nights for the last 9 years. | F | 33 | 8 months | 12/27/2008 | 1 | Severe Fatigue | anxiety, sweating spells for hours, severe shaking, crying all the time, paranoia, depression, INCREASED fatigue, headache, nausea | My doctor prescribed this because I was experiencing severe fatigue related to some medical problems I was having. The first time I took it I felt increased energy, a little on edge, but not bad. Second day and each subsequent day (I only took it 7 days), my side effects got worse and worse. I would lay on the couch for hours shaking and sweating. I was crying ALL the time. I got extremely depressed to the point I was planning my suicide. I was constantly nervous. Luckily I live with my parents (due to my health problems) and my Mom noticed the changes happening to me and got me off of it. By the time I stopped I was almost psychotic. As a side note, I have no history of mental or mood problems, so this was way out of the norm for me. It took two weeks to feel back to normal. Everyone reacts differently to medications, a lot of people love Provigil, it just did not react well with my body. | F | 31 | 1 weeks | 12/18/2008 | 5 | Shift work | None - it is great | I started out with 200mg - WAY too much. 100mg is perfect - I stay alert and don't feel "spacy", which I can't afford in my line of work. I only take it when I work though, which is 7P-7A 3 times a week. An answer to my prayers..... | F | 32 | 3 months | 12/16/2008 | 5 | Shift Work Sleep Disorder, CFS, EBV | mind blowing headaches, nausea, some blurred vision | You have to remind yourself to eat. I took this drug in 1998 and it worked wonders then. I don't remember any headaches though. I have reduced my dose to 50mg instead of the 100 prescribed. | F | 43 | 3 days | 12/10/2008 | 4 | MS FATIGUE | HAVEN'T HAD ANY. | BEFORE PROVIGIL I HAD A HARD TIME STAYING AWAKE DURING THE DAY AT WORK. SOMETIMES DRIVING ON THE LONG RIDE HOME. NOW I ONLY TAKE 100MG A DAY JUST TO KEEP ME GOING. I HAD TRIED 200MG BUT WAS TO MUCH AND MADE ME FEEL ANXIOUS. WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL WITH THIS DRUG. I DID AND I BLACKED OUT FOR 4 HOURS. VERY SERIOUS | F | 44 | 1 years | 12/8/2008 | 5 | Fibromyalgia | Fatigue, brain fog, depression and lack of energy. | Because I am super sensitive to almost all drugs, I take half a tablet (smallest prescribed dosage) when the brain fog and fatigue become exceptionally bad between the times I get injections for the pain. Provigil allows me to feel alert, energetic and non-depressed. If I take it several days in a row, I find it difficult to get to sleep. Other than that, I have no side effects at all. It is a great medication for me. | F | 70 | 2 years | 12/5/2008 | 2 | sleap apnea | feels like being on cocaine | need to stop taking provigil | M | 34 | 2 times | 12/2/2008 | 1 | narcolepsy, fatigue | was still sleepy but body wouldn't fall asleep, felt like bugs crawling over my legs, extreme dry mouth, some SOB, at 400mg was tired yet hyper verbal. | Basically did nothing for my sleepiness. | F | 20 | 7 days | 12/1/2008 | 1 | Depression, sleepiness | Energy for 2 days, then worse tiredness than ever. | Tried 100-200mg at various morning times. Masked symptoms of other problems and did not solve the sleepiness at all. Caused anxiety and irritability. I had a lot of positive hope for this drug when it was prescribed, but was VERY disappointed in the results. Really would not recommend without close doctor supervision. | F | 48 | 10 days | 11/25/2008 | 4 | daytime sleepiness | I have experienced some of the side effects listed in the other postings, but to a slight and transient degree. Some of these side effects may be due to several other meds I am on, or due to a combination of them, even though interactions are not indicated in the literature. Everyone's physiology and tolerance is different, I guess. The latest side effect, and most irritating to me so far, is tingling/numbness in my feet. | I have been on Provigil about 2 years, with doses from 200mg to 400mg per day. Lately, I have been taking 300mg/day in one morning dose. Also, I am told I am a low level diabetic with fasting blood sugar usually around 105. My doc has me on 100mg/day Januvia. When the tingling/numbness began suddenly in my feet, I became worried that the diabetes was progressing, rather suddenly. I am not very regimented in my diet, but I do exercise vigorously(walking hills and lifting weights) at least 4x/week. Anyways, I stopped the Provigil(300mg, 1xday) for 3 days, and the tingling/numbness in my feet stopped. However, my daytime sleepiness, and my irritability and anti-social demeanor(present prior to Provigil) returned very quickly. I took 100mg Provigil this a.m., and my feet are tingling. I am fairly sure I have developed a new(to me) side effect of the Provigil. I am going to call my doc Monday, and ask him if there is an alternative to the Provigil I can try. My family, my friends, and I, li | M | 53 | 2 years | 11/8/2008 | 2 | ADD | I took provigil the whole summer and had nothing but good results. I took a 200mg provigil about 2 weeks ago and i slowly started itching all over my body, my face broke out, I looked like a freakin' cherry tomato. I was wheezing, my nose was running, I felt like i should have gone to the hospital. all of these effects went on for nearly an hour....then they slowly faded away and I felt better. I'm not taking this medication any more because I'm affraid i will have another reaction. | It works for some and doesn't work so well for others. Sometimes it might even work well for a while and then basically turn on you and you will experience a brief state of HELL!!! Be carefull when taking this medication. | M | 24 | 3 months | 10/27/2008 | 5 | Adult ADHD | No Appetite, I am a runner/triathlete so I have to remind myself to eat 6 times a day. One 300 mg take one pill in morning and half in evening. | This is a miracle drug for me. I use to not be able to focus on one thing at work or home long enough to get anything done. On this medication I am totally focused so focused I forget to eat lunch. The things that changed PRO; More focused and my work is not suffering anymore, I complete jobs, I complete goals, I don’t get so board I get lazy anymore, I can sit thru presentation and reports without being jittery or nervous looking. I don’t look like a hyper spaz in public. Things that changed NOT SO PRO: No appetite. Excessive talking, when I drink I want to drink more then I normally would, anxious feeling but not in a way it is uncomfortable enough to stop taking it. Everyone is different but if someone were like me that was borderline alcoholic or smoked I would not recommend it. | F | 35 | 2 years | 10/22/2008 | 3 | excessive tiredness | it was ok | 10/22/2008 | 3 | Excessive Tiredness | I take Provigil to stay awake, because my other 3 medications make me very tired, I sleeping a total of 12-16 hours a night, even being on this medication. I believe that this medication is immuned to me, due to the fact that this medication does nothing for me, exspecially after the first week of me taking Provigil. I also cannot tell a difference when I have missed this medication, except for the excessive amount of headaches that I receive in the duration of a day that I have missed a dose. | I started on 50mg, due to not having any effect, the medication was doubled to 100mg, still no effect. | F | 16 | 2 years | 10/21/2008 | 2 | To Help Me Come Off Adderall | Incredibly Drowsy and Tired, Weird Feelings, Depression Worse, Hot Flashes, Confused Thinking, No Energy, Weird Taste in Mouth, HEADACHES Constantly! Heart Beating in Weird Rythems, Body Achy, Sore Throat and Ears Acting Up, Weird Dreams! | OMG! First off all my doctor wanted to wean me off of my Adderall dosage some and recommend we try Provigil for its alertness and concentration. Plus comming off or even down from Adderall makes you so tired. So I read up on Provigil online and found allot of people praising this drug like it was a lifesaver for them and the feeling they felt was awesome... OK its prescribed for people who fall asleep or have extreme tiredness I get that. I took this hoping this was my answer to help my Adderall addiction, and after I took it I started to yawn constantly! I felt so incredibly drowsy and tired that I laid down and slept for awhile. I woke up thinking what the hell. So I tried it again the next day hopeing for better results. I fall asleep again and notice weird feelings. I had several hot flashes where my face for example felt hot as hell. My heart would not have a steady rythem. I feel like I am bloated and my breathing is heavier or I find myself taking deeper breathes. I felt really | F | 28 | 3 days | 10/19/2008 | 2 | excesive daytime sleeping | It worked fine for a few weeks -- but then my husband started to complain that I had started to snore for the first time in my life -- and loudly. At first, I could not believe him. As time went on I became sleepier and sleepier in the daytime despite the medicine and I became aware that I had developed difficulty swallowing, a constant sore throat, postnasal dryness and swelling; not only was I snoring in my sleep but also making small snoring sounds while awake, just by drawing breath across the swollen postnasal and throat tissues. My poor sleeping abilities became worse due to this. The my doctor sent me for a sleep study where they determined I should have CPAP therapy. I decided to postpone the CPAP and first try detoxing myself from the Provigil. Why do doctors just treat symptoms and not listen to the root complaint!!!? | I think that this is a great med for some people (not me). BUT...after reading about it I also hope anyone considering its use would enter into it knowing that it might not work and also that it might actually make things worse. Listen to your doctor; ask questions of your pharmacist; do some internet research-- As for me, the swelling is reduced after skipping the Provigil for almost a week, there was noticeable improvement almost immediately but some swelling still lingers | F | 46 | 45 days | 10/13/2008 | 2 | To help with Fatigue - Lupus | I took provigil 100mg dialy for a week in June this year and then stopped taking it. I have had a permanent mild headache since. I have been treated with antibiotics and steroid nasal sprays. | Really not sure why the headache continues. Cant see why such a small amount of provigil could triugger such a persistent headache | M | 7 days | 10/7/2008 | 2 | chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia | Mouth ulcers,ear pain,eye pain,skin pain,sore throat,all on left side of head.Thougt I had the flu.(200 mg) Headaches, chest fluttering, left arm pain,tongue biting, bones and joints in legs hurt SO bad that I was tossing and turning all night in pain, EVERY night. After 11 days symtoms continue to worsen. I can't stand the increased pain and will have to stop it. Also felt extreme exhaustion and depression. No drive to do anything. Mid-day crash and burn. No recovery. | I also have ADHD. It actually did help with staying on task and not forgetting every single detail of things I needed to do, but affected my memory badly,ie., I know I have an SUV in my garage, but can't remember the make and model... I think it'e another drug failure for me. I had to undergo interferon therapy over a year ago and though Hep C is gone, my life is very painful and tired. So much for this one. | F | 51 | 11 days | 10/5/2008 | 1 | Excessive daytime sleepiness | Euphoria first day, headache second day, then arthalgias, fever, flu like symptoms and a CRASH with increased somnolence, hypnogogic hallucinations, emotional lability, increased anxiety. Effects were reproducible! | I thought that I caught a virus from my kids @ first, but on re-challenge, same thing with frank meningitis like symptoms, sore toungue with scabby little lesions like Coxsakie virus (Hand-foot-mouth), and then sleepier than ever with bad dreams (Fell asleep watching the Cubs last nite, thought it was another drug-induced nightmare, but it was real!). These feelings cleared up several half lives after my each of my 7 day free trials. I don't want to risk it again (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me). FTR, I am an MD and also on prozac & trileptal & propanolol for depression/generalized anxiety disorder. | M | 49 | 14 days | 10/5/2008 | 5 | narcolepsy, diagnosed by a mslt | break-through bleeding even though i was taking birth control pills, i discontinued the birth control pills since provigil lowers their effectiveness and i had break-through bleeding; on days when i have taken 400mg i had massive headaches, but i haven't had any headaches at 200mg (the dose we determined i need) | the first day i took provigil i felt 'awake' and 'energized' for the first time in over ten years...it gave me more energy than i was used to, which was a 'normal' level - not hyper...i still have trouble waking up in the morning because i feel so absolutely horrible when i wake that i want to die (this pre-dates provigil, but provigil has not improved this except for the first week on it)...i sometimes snooze my alarm for an hour or more before waking up without realizing that im doing it half the time...but once i get up and take provigil, i gradually awaken to my normal self again within an hour...also, i havent had any sleep attacks during the day at work or had to take a nap at lunch in my car since i started the medication...and i can concentrate again, which is great! im still late for work frequently as i find it near impossible to wake up in the morning, but im lucky to have an understanding boss! | F | 28 | 1 months | 9/24/2008 | 5 | sleep apnea | Initial start of prescription, maybe first 2 days, some 'jitteriness' like if you've had too much caffeine. No other side effects. | What a life-saver! 200mg when I wake up before I eat and that clears the brain fog, keeps me awake during my night shift work where there is alot of slow down time work. I can't imagine life without this medicine! | F | 34 | 2 years | 9/23/2008 | 5 | MS Fatigue | Then only side effect I have experienced is a feeling of "being outside myself" and racing thoughts. | I started Provigil 200mg PRN about 2 1/2 years ago for always being tired. I stopped taking after a few months due to insurance problems. I have recently restarted it and LOVE it. Before I was tired all the time and wanted to do nothing but sleep. I now have the energy and alertness to be more productive at work. I feel like I did BEFORE the MS complications. The first day or two I felt like I was "outside my body watching" but that has lessened. I also had racing thoughts, however, I was like that BEFORE the MS and Provigil. I think the the pros outweigh the cons in my situation, and as long as I am able I will continue to take it~ | F | 27 | 9/16/2008 | 5 | Idiopathic hypersomnia (Narcolepsy) | My father has narcolepsy, and in my early 20s I started the signs myself. I could barely make it the 25 min drive to work in the a.m. after a full nights sleep with out driving off the road. When at work it got so bad that my boss caught me several times nodding off or flat out sleeping at my desk. My head would get very foggy when my sleepiness would come on, and being young and not understanding what was happening this got very frustrating and depressing to me. I would fall asleep very early at night, and still doze during the day where ever I was and when ever. Would even take my lunch break and sleep in my car for an hour in hopes it would make me feel better.I just never felt that I got enough sleep ever. I went to a sleep clinic over night and for a day study. I also went again at the request of the doctor for another day study just to ensure that he diagnosed me correctly as I was quite young. The sleep study showed that on average it took me 2 mins to fall asleep.At the study I | I was wrong, I fell asleep each and every time, without even knowing it. My docotor diagnosed me with idiopathic hypersomnia (sleepy brain, form of narcolepsy) and first prescribed dexadrine/dexastrat (sp?) which was what my father takes. It was one fast acting capsule that worked immediately and one pill to last for the day. This was WAY to strong for me, felt like I was on speed or something, made my heart race, it was horrible. My doctor then prescribed Provigil, 200 mg a day to be taken in the morning. For me this medicine is an absolute life saving miracle. I have been taking Provigil for over 5 years and every year that I go in for my check up with the doctor I tell him that it has been a life saver for me. I take it regularly, and very seldom miss a dose. If I do miss a dose and it's later in the afternoon, I find it's best not to take it until the next day, otherwise I do sometimes have trouble falling alseep at night. But when I do miss a dose, I can usually tell by about noon | F | 27 | 5 years | 9/14/2008 | 5 | depression fatique, ADHD | None | Provigil is a MARACLE DRUG for me.It has changed my life completely! Before i started taking it, i couldn't even get off the couch. I had low self esteem and very depressed, lazy, and so severe social anxiety that I wouldn't even leave the house because of the fear and anxiety with interacting with people. Now I'm not tired or depressed anymore. I'm off the couch, going out of the house, doing things like hobbies, went out and got a job. I'm talking more like my old self. I've got the old me back. I feel great. Never better. I thought that i would always feel bad until I found provigil. I've been on every other ADHD medication and Antidepressants, and Tourette/OCD there are. And I finally it, the right combination of meds. I have ADHD, Tourettes, Social Anxiety, and OCD. The perfect combination of meds for me is Provigil, Risperdol, Cymbalta, and Xanax XR. Finally after 5 years of searching I've found the answer. It's wonderful. Progivil is the best thing thats ever happ | M | 19 | 3 weeks | 9/10/2008 | 2 | To counteract the drowsiness | None. It was like a placebo | This drug may have well been a pill filled with flour. It did NOTHING for me. I still slept all the time and was constantly exhausted. It did not keep me awake whatsoever. Everyone praises this drug, but I don't get it, it didn't work for me. | M | 23 | 1 months | 9/3/2008 | 5 | Alleviate sleepiness from Remeron | I am taking 100 mg - 50mg in morning and 50 mg in afternoon. I had headaches the first few days and they went away when I took aspirin. | I was proscribed Provigil to counteract Remeron, an antidepressant I am taking for anxiety. The Provigil not only made me less sleepy but also seemed to reduce my anxiety and depression. I have no side effects except very mild headache. I think this drug is great - expensive though, I hope it comes in generic soon. | F | 53 | 2 months | 9/2/2008 | 3 | sleep apnea | headaches, all over itching | M | 48 | 18 days | 9/2/2008 | 1 | ADD, Lupus fatigue | DANGEROUS!!! Temp. dropped to 95.6, then spiked to 103 in course of an hour. 24 hrs. of severe pain, then a week of weakness. | I took Provigil for a week about a year ago, all fine, but I discontinued due to extreme cost. Still had a few samples left. Took three of them at different times and had severe reaction each time. Ended up in hospital once, very low oxygen saturation, dangerous drop in blood pressure. I thought it was flu and didn't connect it with the Provigil til the third time. Skin rash, aches & fatigue for week or more after each episode. I think it induces major lupus flares for me. BE CAREFUL with this drug. | F | 58 | 7 days | 8/31/2008 | 5 | Nightmares | Speedy heart rate, headaches, irritability, increase in OCD symptoms, panic attacks, delusions, shortness of breath. Severe long and short term memory loss. | My doc prescribed Provigil to me when I stayed at a sleep clinic for a few days to determine the cause of night terrors. I hate pills and rarely took the sleep aids I was prescribed to I tried it out. It is supposed to "keep me up all day so that at night I crash and have deep sleep to prevent night terrors." Horrible headache at first and I was totally "speeding". My OCD symptoms came back...disappointing. Now I have panic attacks and an underlying feeling of dread. I still take it, otherwise I would be asleep at my desk every day. I do feel it is a greatly beneficial drug but you def must determine if the side effects are worth it. | F | 30 | 3 years | 8/27/2008 | 3 | MS RELATED FATIGUE | Difficulty breathing (severe at times), loss of voice/hoarse voice | M | 180 days | 8/16/2008 | 1 | Narcolepsy | Good side effects: More talkative (especially good for me given my problems with extreme shyness), Think more clearly (if experiencing exhaustion-induced brainfog), Increased creativity, Mild euphoria, ---Neutral side effects: Strange smell of urine, Altered sense of taste, Greatly increased thirst, Increased urination, Nausea, Increased heart rate, --Bad side effects: Sore, red eyes, Headache on sides of head, Strong "gut feeling" that I didn't want to take the 2nd dose (back when I first started taking it, I was following the label for dosing twice daily), Delayed sleep if I took the second dose, Occasional distorted thoughts, Increased sound sensitivity, Chest pain, Inability to concentrate on specific tasks, --Really bad side effects: Numbness in center of forehead, Feeling very sick and exhausted for a whole week after stopping previously, Strange, unnatural feelings, Feeling horrible if I allowed myself to nap while on Provigil Crashing a | Let me just say that when I started taking it, the first week was Great. But after that, I took it on-and-off, and the effects were increasingly inconsistent. Sometimes it worked, and worked very well, other times I would be in a stupor for the entire day, even with the medicine. Days when my thoughts were completely distorted became more common, and there were weekends when I would be essentially crashed the entire time but I attributed it to the sleep disruptions at night. The side effects got worse through this time. Last night, I had another horrible crash. I started feeling horribly exhausted at around 10:00, and went to bed. I slept for one hour or less before waking up, feeling the most extreme version of a nightly crash that I had ever felt... except that I wasn't sleepy. The headache, the numbmess, the weirdness, hyper-sensitivity to the environment noise, all of the negative side effects were there... and I was wide awake. Not just awake, but WIRED. I had a completely te | M | 27 | 2 months | 8/16/2008 | 4 | ADD/daytime sleepiness/depression | On a dose of 200mg (once in the morning), jittery movement and rushed talking, extreme impatience with people, extremely decreased appetite, insomnia. However on a dose of 50mg in the morning and 50 mg in the afternoon, barely any negative side affects. | When I was first prescribed Provigil, I was almost obsessed with it, and its "magic" to make me the person I wanted to be. More productive, and much more energy. But with 200 mg (or more) in the morning, I was constantly agitated, I started to pick fights with people (when I'm not normally like that), and I barely ate any food at all (which I liked, but wasn't healthy). At the time I was also taking Prozac and Wellbutrin XL, but started them a year before the Provigil. In March of last year, I had a drug induced psychosis after taking too much cough medicine. I know the main reason was the cough medicine, but I'm still convinced the excessive amounts of Provigil didn't help. For weeks before my psychosis, I wasn't sleeping or eating...and the addition of more drugs that didn't let me sleep or eat just pushed me over the edge. Today though, I take only 50 mg in the morning and 50 mg in the afternoon. I use it to get basic things done, and it does help me a lot in school wit | F | 19 | 2 years | 8/14/2008 | 5 | 8/7/2008 | 5 | Narcolepsey | Felt slightly dizzy the first few days, otherwise I don't experience any noteworthy side effects. | I started taking Provigil about 8 years ago after being diagnosed with Narcolepsey. I originally started out with 200-400 mg per day and now take 400 mg in the AM and 200 mg in the afternoon. This pill has been a sort of "miracle drug" for me - it allows me to function and not be a zombie, and I don't experience any highs or lows from taking it. There are still times that I feel the need to take a nap and can't stay up as late as most people, but I honestly don't know what I would do without it. | F | 24 | 8 years | 8/7/2008 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
