My MD gave me a 2 week's worth supply of Nuvigil to try. For two weeks, it helped me greatly. It is the first drug to help me with extreme chronic fatigue. I was excited to think I might be able to live a "normal" life for a change. I just filled the prescription for Nuvigil. I took my first pill yesterday. It did not help. I took my second pill this morning and, again, it did not help. I am on the 150 mg dose. I see my MD tomorrow; maybe he can shed some light as to why this is happening. Has this happened to anyone else? Also, I was shocked to hear that a 30-day supply costs just under $400. My BC/BS pays all but the $50 co-pay which I am responsible for each month. I will find out if I can take a pill as needed and not every day. Otherwise, I can't afford it.
Zweny
Why isn't Nuvigil all of a sudden not working for me?
Question posted by zweny123 on 25 July 2011
Last updated on 8 February 2022
7 Answers
My neurologist told me that Nuvigil worked best if you didn't take it all the time. I found this to be true for myself. I took the bare minimum to start, 50mg and when to 150mg from there. The 150mg was too much and the 50mg not enough and after 7 years I could no longer sustain the initial effects of the drug which is a same because it helped tremendously. I have Multiple Sclerosis.
I've been taking Nuvigil for Narcolepsy about 10 years and then like 4 years ago my insurance wouldn't cover it so I take the generic Armodafinil, it didn't work as well. And now I fall asleep several times a day, every day I feel like it doesn't work at all but if I stop taking it, it's worse.
Yes I found the same issues as the rash started at the same time - insurance forced me to get the generic which is garbage - the original Nuvigil is obviously a dead topic - somebody just does not want us to be well. I never got the allergy issues and was 85% more functional without all that residual blah. The pill looks the same but is not the same as it was several years ago. The same goes for Provigil.
This whole subject - has implicit confirmation drama bias - for Narcolepsy with Epstein Barr as the depth of overlapping circumstances pre-existing conditions I have never taken any Rx medications that could have caused the medication to have decreased effectiveness. I could not hold down a job without treatment battle plan. Until reading this "others " similarly situated I had lost my job and went into economic ruin. My legs swelled really bad over 2 years then I ended up with a P.E. matter of both lungs being filled with blood clots.
I can not get the brand name original formula - I would like to know if anyone taking the Brand name Nuvigil is having better luck then generic - I believe they are marked the same and some people told me they were just being repackaged as generic . At this point I do not know what to believe. I try to take breaks as fear the blood clots were from the allergic reaction -
I had the same problem with armodafinil. It stopped working and I could fall asleep no problem soon after taking it.
DO ended up giving me DAW Nuvigil 150. Insurance wouldn't cover it and it was around $700. Pharmacy printed off a discount coupon from Cephalon and I got it for $5.
The non generic version worked like the first time, every time.
I never had an issue with generics in my life until I was given Nuvigil.
I have been on 250 mg of nuvigal for years. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Up until i fell 8 days ago it was working Wonderful.now i cant seem to stay awake during the day. It's like it just stopped working.does anybody know why? Even though I'm still taking my normal dose.
I've been on nuvigulv150 mg and it does not work at all. What it does do is raises my bp and give me a crashing headache, within two to three hours I'm sleeping..it's junk and I've been taking it daily for 5 full weeks,,, my personal opinion is if u have a slight case of narcolespy it may work, but if you failed 5 sleep times out of 5 Its nothing but a baby aaprin. Don't u think it's kinda strange that the drug claims controled, yet it can be refilled 6 times and delivered! It's junk I truly believe drs who wrote it are being paid to market it.
I found this happened after 7 years, but also if you're the slightest bit dehydrated it gives that crashing head ache etc. Hope you found something that works better for you!
Hey zweny,
Nuvigil must be taken daily. It will increase in effectiveness with continued use, but won't have the same wide awake feeling as it did in the very beginning. It sort of mellows with time, like a good wine, lol. You may benefit from a dosage increase. I take over the maximum which is 250mgs daily. I have found it to be very effective in keeping me awake during the day. It last about 12 hours and then I can still sleep at night. It is best to take on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
Best wishes,
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
I finally called the drug company and asked them if I can cut the tablet in half. They said they cannot offer any recommendation for or against cutting the tablet in half and to use my discretion. Strange answer. That tells me they want the user to NOT cut the tablet as the supply is used up quicker and, therefore, needs to be refilled sooner - which means more $$$ for the drug company.
Also, of note, my psychiatrist AND my pharmacist said that I need not take Nuvigil every day - that I may use it as needed.
Zweny
Ok, Thanks for the info. My doctor said that with continued use I would get the maximum benefit in several months hence why I suggested to take every day. I suppose if you don't need it daily then taking as needed would be reasonable.
I'm 47 and have been on Nuvigil for about two years and it's worked for me but now I think my body is getting use to the drug and it no longer has the affect or just doesn't seem to work as well anymore. I'm going to the doctor soon to get help..
I don't have narcolepsy but I do have a thyroid condition and for some reason no matter what I feel very groggy all day, it's hard to stay awake and I just don't feel alert. I'm also a pretty active person although I could shed a few.
I don't know what to do, life sucks walking around like a zombie, I hope there's something out there that works as well as Nuvigil has been for me.
Thyroid and B12 levels could be out of whack as well. Low levels of B12 can cause anemia indirectly which will definitely cause fatigue. Ask for a complete blood work up including thyroid functions and B12.
It worked amazingly for only 3 DAYS. Then, it already has seemed to lose its effectiveness that quickly. I was shocked. I have taken one pill of 150 and then cut it in half and taken that also, but I don't seem to notice a difference at that dosage either. I thought it would take months for the effectiveness to wear off. I thought this seems really weird. Side note... I have bipolar disorder and it seemed to put me into a very talkative / borderline manic state the first couple days. No effects of that at all after the first few days and still facing fatigue again.
Related topics
nuvigil, chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs), fatigue, chronic
Further information
- Nuvigil uses and safety info
- Nuvigil prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Nuvigil (detailed)
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