Nuvigil or Provigil

[DianeD]

I'm taking nuvigil and wonder if anyone taking it finds they get jittery. Mine is the lowest dose; sometimes i even cut it in half!

It works to keep me awake (sometimes a bit too well!) but Ive noticed when i take it I will feel like I'm shakiing inside and my legs feel weak.

I'm also wondering how many of you who take it are using it daily or just when you really need to be awake?

[ewizabeth]

I take it everyday, but I wouldn't if I didn't work. Since I work 40+ hours on my feet, I need it. On vacation, I don't take it or need it.

[StillOkay]

Yes, I find that too. I take Alertec (name for Provigil in Canada) once in a while, but I really don't like it. I find it gives me a very artificial "high" and then I crash down when it wears off. And that's on half a pill at a time.

I only take it when I've got a lot planned for the day.

My neuro told me to take it a couple of times a day, timing it so that the crashing part happens when I'm ready for bed. I really want it to work, because the fatigue is so bad, but I'm just about ready to give up on it.

[DianeD]

I feel somewhat like that.

Even if I take it early in the day (best way) I am usually still up and going; sometimes even till one or two a.m.

The fatigue issue is the worst of my symptoms. so I'm just unable to function without some sort of stimulus. I try to live my life around MY schedule, which doesn't seem to co-ordinate with much of the world.

I remember when I used to go to sleep with no problem at a normal time and then wake up feeling refreshed. I never feel that way anymore; it's just a good memory.

Mostly it is comfortable to just have a warm, snuggly blanket and just veg. I have to make myself get going.

Yes, I've had sleep studies which showed nothing, though they are so uncomfortable you really don't rest well (at least me!).

Nuvigil is a help, but at what cost I wonder?

Diane

[a.nukem]

I've been on Nuvigil since August of this year. I started out at the 150 dose and felt the same exact way. I was jittery and couldn't sleep, I'd wake up the next day after tossing and turning and still didn't feel rested. After the first month though my neuro had to bump it up to twice a day because my body had adjusted to it and it wasn't working. Since then I've been on it and haven't had any problems. I get a temporary "high" feeling but after about an hour it slows down and I'm just awake. The fatigue and pain are the worst symptoms for me so that's what my neuro tries to keep the biggest eye on. I have noticed though that if I take it from Monday through Friday morning, don't take my afternoon dose Friday, and then not take it until Sunday I finally sleep well Sunday nights. (I take avonex on Saturday nights so I have to have the nuvigil Sunday). You might just see if after a month or two you actually get more exhausted. Like I said, my neuro had to double mine to twice a day and I just don't take it the second time if I feel I can make it through the day.

[kudos]

nuvigil worked pretty well but made me feel irritable, so I just took it on the days I really needed it. I was just taking half a pill because of this and other side effects (trouble sleeping at night, stomach upset).

[DianeD]

1/2 dose

kudos and a.nukem

I take it most days, but sometimes only 1/2 dosage. It does help, but the crash is rough.

I hate becoming dependent. The other problem for me is that nuvigil is a Tier 3 or 4 drug and when i went to fill a prescription for it they turned it down. There is no substitute for it so I'll have to fight to get it.

I asked the pharmacist what it would cost without insurance and he said it would be 30 pills for $360.00! Is this ridiculous or what?

My neuro gives me samples but I know he can't do that forever.

Wonder if anyone has tried any of the herbal energy pills or potions?

[dstreett57]

I originally tried provigil when my fatigue first started causing me major problems, but it wasn't anymore effective than a $2 cup of expresso. It would perk me up after about a half hour, but only lasted about that long.

Last year my doctor told me about the nuvigil (steady release over a longer period of time) and gave me some samples. I was really hoping this one would do the trick! Unfortunately, on my very first dose I experienced vivid hallucinations. Lucky for me I was home at the time!

This is a supposedly very rare side effect, but it was one of the worst experiences of my life and would have certainly been quite dangerous had I been out driving. I recommend any one trying nuvigil or provigil for the first time to do so over a week end and stay home with supervision!