Nuvigil for Narcolepsy User Reviews (Page 2)

• Saved...
• December 3, 2011

"I am a student. Was having sudden sleep blackouts when reading, or sitting in lecture. Also "brownouts" where, for example, listening to someone talk, I suddenly shut down and "sleep" but they think I am wide awake. Brownouts not good for driving! So, first day I took it, I read 3 chapters for a test that was two hours away. I stayed alert, and RETAINED every bit. No more blackouts or brownouts. Headache for the first week or so. Also, for the first few days, I hardly slept. Even stayed up all night a few times. I have learned to tweak it a bit, break the tablets, take a small amount at first and more later if I need it, but not overdo it. No changes in personality, other than being more competent at life."

• laahe...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 9, 2014

"Works well at the right dose. I am not afraid to drive now and I don't zone out at work anymore. That being said it is really a shame that it is entirely too expensive and I won't be able to continue taking it. With my insurance, it is still about $190 per month or 3 house payments a year for me! WOW!"

• Justme
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 1, 2013

"Was diagnosed with depression, then bi-polar, then bipolar narcolepsy. Cocktail I was on for well over a year was 5mg Abilify, 60mg Cymbalta and 250mg NuVigil. Recently came off the Abilify and I can't even explain how good I felt, not high, not mania, just that "finally, just me" feeling. I was content with life, at peace and for the first time in YEARS I was even happy! After a week of no Abilify we decided to begin weaning off the NuVigil. Been taking 150mg Nuvigil 60mg Cymbalta for a week now and feel horrible. Don't care about a thing, no motivation, tired, etc. Doc said give it a month. Hope I can last that long. I just want ME back, as does my wife and kids."

• DoJo...
• September 14, 2016

"Works very well at keeping me awake. No euphoria like amphetamines, very few side effects in fact aside from a very mild headache, which aspirin can fix. It seems like all it does is remove my chronic fatigue.. without giving extra energy. Perfect in my opinion. Anxiety can be a problem, especially at the 250mg dose. If it is a problem, I would recommend breaking the 250mg in half and taking them several hours apart, which also helps with the late afternoon crash. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, probably not a good idea to take it. Also, there is a generic.. not sure of the price difference."

• Smoot...
• February 1, 2015

"I started taking Nuvigil after having taken Adderall Xr for 4 years. I like Nuvigil better because there is no feeling of artificial energy. The only thing that that Adderall has over Nuvigil is that it lasted all day. I've experimented a little and I've found that if I take 1/2 of the pill about 1 to 1 1/2 an hour before I get my day starts and the other half at about 1 gets me through the day better than taking it all at once. Also even with my insurance and the savings card I still have to pay $89. It's worth it though."

• pgheray
• September 28, 2009

"I like the Nuvigil. My mother takes the Provigil and it works very good for her. My first day on Nuvigil I was awake and able to make it through the whole day without sleeping, no tiredness in my body or mind. After about a week I find I am in more control of when I want to sleep. I have no side effects at all. At first I took it with food then I tried without food I think with food is better because I guess it is absorbed slower. It is easy to take and I am more productive."

• Elle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2015

"After being diagnosed at age 35, with narcolepsy and REM sleep behavior disorder my ENT put me on Nuvigil 150mg to help me stay awake during the day. I'll tell you what, it didn't do a darn thing. My kids actually said they thought it made me more tired. He then bumped it up to 250mg and I'd say it helped for an hour or so. It gave me horrible headaches, lock jaw and teeth grinding, pretty much no appetite, but the worst part of all had to be how bad it ALWAYS made my stomach hurt and how I felt like I was going to throw up most of the time. It definitely didn't help me and I'd still find myself falling asleep and needing a few naps each day. I also ended up losing 7 lbs in 3 weeks, which wasn't good for me since I'm already very thin."

• Severe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 4, 2016

"Originally I tried provigil. Nuvigil wasn't available yet. Loved it at first but as my body adjusted in my ignorance, I got nervous. I stopped. I had to deal with it. About 12 years later I tried again. This time I read more and I asked lots of questions. I am a new person. I am so grateful for nuvigil!! What I've learned (I am not an MD) Start out with a low dose. Half pills are fine. (Do not exceed 250 mg unless dr prescribed). Your body may be adjusting not building tolerance for a year or 2. Take each week at a time Naps still necessary; My naps are only about 30 min instead of 2 hrs but very refreshing Take a day or 2 off every week or 2. Makes a huge difference! Awesome insurance helps a lot! $5 per 30"

• Poooo...
• March 16, 2016

"amazinggggggg!!!!!!! packaging needs to seriously be changed though. with narcolepsy, i have horribly low energy in the morning and the last thing i need is to have to spend 10 minutes struggling to get a tablet out. i usually fall asleep again before i'm even able to take it. no side effects so far, fingers crossed."

• 25male
• February 25, 2012

"I'm 25 years old and have had narcolepsy since I was around 10. I've never been on any medication before and have lived my life around constant daytime sleepiness and having to take regular naps. My Dr prescribed me Nuvigil. Day one was the greatest I have ever felt in 15 some odd years! I have energy to do things, can eat without having to sleep afterwards, can stay awake at work. Still randomly after being up for a excessive period of time I get the urge to take a nap and if I do so, I have no issues. Bad side effects are mild headaches, slight tightening of the chest. Bad thing is my insurance only covers a small portion of it and most likely wont be able to afford it."

• artem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2019

"I was prescribed this for Narcolepsy when I was 16 (am 23 now). My doctor wanted to prescribe to me Modafinil, its sister drug, but for reasons unknown to me (idk maybe insurance or laws. I really don't remember). I had an adverse reaction that sent me to the hospital. Almost went into cardiac arrest and probably would've had I not gone to the emergency room when I did. Uncontrollable shaking and heart palpitations (heart rate 160+)."

• Anonymous
• February 14, 2010

"I got diagnosed with Narcolepsy about a month ago. I got prescribed Nuvigil and took it for two weeks straight. The medicine had some side effects like headaches, but soon my body got use to the medicine. I'm a college student so it's crucial that I stay awake when I'm in class, and Nuvigil helps me do that. Its effects slowly begin to work so I have to take it early in the morning."

• tsamm...
• July 5, 2010

"I started Nuvigil 250 mg in the morning, two weeks ago after being diagnosed with narcolepsy. I went from sleeping all night and basically most of the day with extreme napping before the Nuvigil to no naps at all. I don't even feel sleepy. That is a plus. The first three days were a miracle! I was alert. Colors seemed brighter. I felt focused for the first time in years. Slowly, I started having afternoon side effects of a dull headache. I feel "car sick" and jittery, and my skull feels actually numb to touch. I hope this subsides soon or I may try halving my dose of 250mg."

• Bridg...
• February 13, 2012

"I have had narcolepsy since at least age 15 but was not diagnosed until around age 27. I started with 200mg of Provigil, then when that didn't work 400mg Provigil. That didn't work so we tried 200mg Provigil with 15mg Adderall. That helped some for a while. Then when adderall was affecting my blood pressure we moved to Nuvigil and away from the combination. I have been on 250 Nuvigil for about 2 yrs. It has done well but now within recent weeks, it is not holding it's own. I just wonder, at this point what hope is there? If Provigil and Nuvigil do not work, how can I continue working? I can't drive like this, I can't focus, I can't stay awake."

• Jats
• August 13, 2011

"I have been taking 250 mg of Nuvigil every morning for a year. I could not stay awake at all before starting this medication. After taking Nuvigil I felt much better. I have had a lot going on lately and stress does affect how this medication works for me. If my sleep pattern is disturbed (have to get up extra early or go to bed really late) it also has a huge impact on how this medication works for me. Overall this medicine has given my quality of life back. "

• Kathl...
• April 18, 2012

"I have been taking Nuvigil about 8 mos now 250 mg in morning and 150mg in afternoon. At first I had a lot of jaw pain but went away after a week or two. I had a lot of energy at first and really felt like I was able to focus again. I don't fall asleep any more on rides in the car, nor do I get sleepy when driving like I used to. I have noticed that my memory is really failing me and I asked my doctor but he says that is not a side effect of Nuvigil so I don't know what to think. Anyone else have this problem? I'm going through menopause also but I think it is more than that. I always had a basically a photogenic memory and now it feels like like is speeding by. Thanks"

• Cammy
• October 13, 2021

"I took a sleep study a couple months ago and of course failed because of my extreme anxiety. I was prescribed nuvigil and each time I have taken it I have still been extremely tired but my mind will not let me nap. I can’t even sleep at night even if I take the drug in the morning. I woke up today bawling my eyes out from an anxiety attack and this is the second time it has happened. I’m done with this medication. I was so excited to get my life back."

• Anonymous
• January 31, 2010

"The first couple of days it seemed to work great. I did get a slight headache at the times I normally dosed off. I could not fall to sleep for the first few days. After a week the effects are starting to wear off. I am tired and have no energy, but I am not falling asleep. I am taking one pill 150 mg in the morning. I have not taken any other medicine for narcolepsy before, so I have nothing to compare it to."

• Jonny...
• May 13, 2011

"Would frequently get tired in the afternoon or after 15 minutes of driving. Nodded off many times driving, sometimes couldn't remember half the drive. Would fall asleep at work in seminars, at my desk, etc. Always had trouble in college staying awake in class, thought other people were just better at staying interested. With Nuvigil, my eyes never get heavy unless I'm really tired. I have much more confidence driving and staying awake at work. Even around family I don't have sleepy spells that make me look disinterested. Amazing stuff with very little side effects. I do often skip a day when I know I won't need it, and I usually feel like a nap after noon. I also take half doses (75mg) and it works almost as well as 150mg."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2010

"I was diagnosed with Nacolepsy about a year and half ago and started taking Nuvigil. I began with a 150mg dose once a day and the first couple weeks were great. Like some of the other reviews colors were brighter, I was more focused and felt better than I ever remember feeling. After a couple of months on that dose I started to have midday sleeping spells, where I could not keep my eyes open, even when in the middle of complicated work functions. I would literally fall asleep while typing, waking to find the same letter across the page. I spoke to my Doctor and the dose was upped to 250mg once a day. I went throught the same effects as when I first started taking the medication. Again the effects have slowly worn off."

• Matt...
• May 11, 2011

"I've been on Nuvigil for about 5 weeks for narcolepsy. I can actually function. I was prescribed the 150mg 1x/day and initially had very bad headaches for the first week or so and was taking ibuprofen to deal with them. My doctor had me cut the pills to take half when I wake and half 3 hrs later and I no longer had the headaches but still had the wakefulness. I do occasionally experience severe dry mouth that no amount of water can fix, but no longer have headaches or any other problems, and am actually awake. I do get urges to nap, on occasion, but they are resistible. Amazing to be able to be AWAKE again!"

• Sharra
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 30, 2016

"My doctor seems to only identify with how it effects him, which he sometimes takes when going on a long trip. He says, It lasts for 8 to 12 hours. No on me 3 to 4 hours. I looked up what other narcoleptics said. They said they take 250 mg twice a day. That would be good, but who can afford it. My part is $300 for once a day. I have not experienced any side effects that I am aware of, but I am taking the next four days without any nuvigil to see if my sleep wake pattern gets better. My present problem may or may not be related to nuvil. I don't know. I wake up in the middle of the night wide awake. Sometime I can go back to sleep after 3 or 4 hours, but sometimes I never do. So, I am functioning, poorly, on about 4 hours of sleep"

• LS5th...
• February 21, 2012

"I have EDS and found Nuvigil (250 mg) very effective for remaining awake for the first couple of weeks then my alertness diminished. I did find that while taking Nuvigil if I took a 20 minute nap in the afternoon, I awoke feeling refreshhed, not groggy and needing more sleep. The major side effect I experience is nearly severe jaw clenching/teeth grinding during the day when I was awake. My jaw is sore by 2 or 3 pm every day. Also, I found it difficult to sleep at night if I took it too late in the morning. I tried getting up at 5 am and taking my dose then sleeping for another hour. This helped me get to bed earlier at night. I noticed that I felt more anxious also."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2011

"I'm surprised by the majority of people's reactions to Nuvigil (though, it's the only medication I've tried so far). Before starting up with the medication I was exhausted to the point of feeling sick most of the time. After starting the medication it's like night and day, I typically feel great. Some days are better than others, and I never feel 100%, but it's the best I've felt in years and it hasn't fluctuated in two months I've been taking it."

• Anonymous
• March 27, 2010

"I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy about a week ago. I started taking Nuvigil 150mgs and at first, I felt as though I could see life with clear eyes. Colors were also brighter. But then, a day or so has passed and I am completely exhausted. I had a sleep attack at work and I didn't fall asleep, but I felt very weak and could have easily gone to sleep. I hope this improves. I know I need to give this medicine a chance though."