Nuvigil for Narcolepsy User Reviews (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• February 4, 2012

"I've been taking Nuvigil 250 mg for about 1 month now. At first, it was amazing and helped me stay alert and kept me from needing naps every day. About 2 weeks after starting, I discovered a major decline in its effectiveness and had to stop using it for a while to see if my tolerance would go back to normal. I still cannot go a full day without being tired, so I am considering doubling my dose or trying something else."

• hip...
• March 21, 2011

"Nuvigil works really well. The effectiveness does slightly wear off after several consecutive days with the dose, but taking a day or two off the medication has restored effectiveness for me. The only side effect I've experienced in the last month and a half is headaches (infrequently, at that). Be wary of mixing caffeine with Nuvigil. In my case, caffeine increases palpitation-like symptoms, increases jitteriness, and has even provoked hallucinations more than once."

• Fem...
• August 24, 2011

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy a little over a year ago. As I was just about to start my senior year of college, I knew I needed to start a medication in order to get through classes and homework, so I started on Nuvigil 150 mg. I immediately noticed a huge difference in my quality of life. I had forgotten what it was like to be focused and alert throughout the day and would suddenly realize it was 9 PM and I was totally exhausted. However, side effects started to take over the benefits for me, and I started to experience problems with jitters, a sort of lingering morning sickness feeling, and anxiety. I stopped taking it due to these side effects, but sometimes now I feel the exhaustion is worse than dealing with the side effects."

• K_H...
• June 27, 2011

"As a working mom, I literally do not have time to nap during the day. It finally became enough of an annoyance that I saw a doctor for the first time in 7 years. Moral of the story, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy and prescribed Nuvigil (250 mg). I am not thrilled to be taking a (possibly addictive) medication the rest of my life, but I want to explore my other options (rather than consume 3 energy drinks/day). So far, I have only been on it a week and after the headaches and no sleep wore off, I now get only a short time where I feel like I am all there. To say I gave it a fair shot, I am going to stick it out for a month."

• Anonymous
• June 30, 2010

"A doctor in the ER prescribed me 200 mg of Provigil when I was first diagnosed with narcolepsy. It didn't seem to have any effect on me at all. Then I went to see my sleep doctor, and he prescribed me 250 mg of Nuvigil. It finally allowed me to stay awake for an entire day. But if I went out somewhere, I would be able to come home and take a nap and be fully awake again. Taking that with Xyrem makes me feel 98%... not quite 100, but still pretty great."

• FLA...
• November 16, 2010

"After years of misery; then numerous tests by neurologists and sleep studies, I was finally diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and a form of narcolepsy in 2005. I was prescribed Provigil, 200 mg twice a day, and given the okay to take another 1/2 tab if necessary. It was a Godsend and changed my life for the better. However, now the doctor wants me to 'try' Nuvigil and gave me samples and a prescription. It DOES NOT WORK for me, but the insurance company is demanding I stay on Nuvigil. Provigil will cost $1000 per month!"

• Anonymous
• September 22, 2010

"After looking over the sleep study results, my doctor concluded I have narcolepsy. He has put me on Nuvigil (1x-150mg). I will say, the first 2-3 days felt great. After that, it went and still continues to go downhill. I feel tired and am weak, but my eyes aren't closing like they used to. I kind of wish I would just fall asleep. I have this extreme dull headache that won't subside and dry mouth. I meet with the doctor next week, hopefully, we can change things up."

• Pap...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 23, 2021

"I have had allergies and asthma my whole life and was always too tired to do anything. I couldn't play sports, was told that I was lazy, was shunned and teased by my peers, and misunderstood by my parents. When the doctor put me on 250 mg of Nuvigil, I was amazed at the difference! I had energy, endurance, clarity, and the desire to do physical activities. I told everyone that I felt like a new person, and they agreed. I was extremely discouraged when I was told that I could no longer get it unless I was willing to shell out $5,000 per month. My doctor said that it had to do with the problem with opiates and all of the drugs in that class were unavailable. I was devastated. I am now on Adderall, which is better than nothing, but not the same."

• Mlb...
• October 25, 2011

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy several years ago, but probably suffered from it for 12 years or so. I never stayed awake in classes. Once I started full-time work, I had to get it under control. I used Provigil for a while first, but it was harsh: came on strong, I felt buggy, severe migraines, and I crashed hard after about 8 hours. I switched to Nuvigil (150mg), though it's more dollars, I was told it had a slower release which may help with the migraines and bugginess. I like the Nuvigil a lot better. It comes on a little more gently, I crash less at the end of the day. I do self-moderate, often don't take it on the weekends, and I'll only take a half pill some days."

• Anonymous
• November 21, 2011

"I have been taking Nuvigil for a little over a month now. At first, I took 150 mg. It worked for 3 days, and then I went back to being exhausted. My doctor bumped the dosage to 250 mg, and it has been working a lot better. The thing is, I can still feel episodes of sleepiness coming on later in the afternoon and have been adding caffeine, but I think it's bringing on the side effects like jitteriness, nausea, fogginess, extreme dry mouth, and an uncomfortable feeling in my jaw and the back of my neck. I do not like the side effects, and I am now trying to cut back on the caffeine, hoping it will help. Going to add Xyrem to my treatment to see if it will fix me."

• Anonymous
• October 20, 2011

"I was diagnosed by a sleep specialist a month ago with narcolepsy. I started with a 150 mg dose but saw no improvement with wakefulness or ability to sleep, which was my main concern. After discussion, I was put onto a 250 mg dose which, as of yet, still hasn't changed anything."

• Anonymous
• September 16, 2010

"I've been taking 250 mg for almost a week. At first, I felt a bit euphoric, but that quickly passed. Now I just feel physically anxious - sweating, increased heart rate and blood pressure, heat waves. I'm cutting down to 150 mg and hoping that the effects subside as I get used to being on the medicine. If this anxiety does not go away, I cannot continue on the medication."

• Ech...
• September 26, 2011

"Nuvigil worked great at 150 mg for a few months, then I needed to supplement with a quart of coffee in the mornings to keep me going until 1 pm. Bumped up to 225 mg. Not much better. Very expensive, $90 per month ($3 per pill). Aggressiveness, headaches, and thirst until I got used to it. No side effects now."

• Sup...
• July 27, 2011

"I've known something was wrong with me for several years now, but only recently did I 'push the point' and get some face time with a specialist. The pulmonologist put me on a CPAP machine and dismissed my MSLT results, whereas the neurologist paid attention to my MSLT results and diagnosed me with narcolepsy. He put me on 250 mg Nuvigil, broken in half, 1 in AM and 1 at noon. The first day it worked *great*, the rest of the first week or two it worked so-so (still had 'the nods' at my desk, driving, etc., but usually didn't fall completely asleep), but it really hasn't helped since then. I, too, will 'stick it out' for a month."

• bxg...
• January 20, 2012

"If it wasn't for the cost, I would give it a ten. I've been taking 150 mgs a day for almost a year. With a card from the drug company, I only pay $20, but when that card expires, I can't afford $50 per month. My doctor just prescribed me Ritalin 10 mgs 3 times a day (also probably have ADD)."

• Sun...
• April 5, 2021

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy in 2015. Nuvigil was the second medication I was prescribed. It did seem to help at first, but had to be increased frequently, and I topped out in less than three months. It still doesn't help unless I come off of it for a while and am pretty much a zombie for that period of time. Then I get a few days of being able to function before it feels like I have taken nothing at all again. I have to supplement with stackers, 5-hour energy shots, and Red Bulls. I have actually used all of the above together and still fallen asleep with the empty Red Bull can in my hand! My heart rate is always high, blood pressure has become a problem, and still my doctor will not prescribe anything else."

• Oli...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 10, 2021

"I just wanted to share for anyone who experienced severe side effects with Provigil. On the lowest dose of Provigil, I experienced extreme hair loss, extreme stutters and physical tics, brain fog, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, and hysteria. I went through Dex, Ritalin, and Ritalin LA, which didn't work for me. My doctor really pushed me to try Nuvigil, which I was super fearful of. I've been on 250 mg of Nuvigil about 2 weeks now, and no signs yet of the side effects I experienced with other medications. Like others, I find I crash between 12-5 PM, depending on the day's activities and will probably be supplementing Dex in as an afternoon filler, as previously discussed with my SS. My diagnosis is severe idiopathic hypersomnia. If I forget my medication for just one day, I will sleep a minimum of 18 hours, the longest so far is 36 hours. Nuvigil doesn't make me feel like a zombie-awake, but nobody is home."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2011

"About 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy and sleep apnea. I started taking Provigil 100 mg once per day. Then 200 mg once per day. Then my doctor tried me on Concerta; it had a quick peak of energy, but it didn't last at all. Plus, since it is a controlled substance, it was harder to get. We had to go to the doctor in person every month to get a prescription, unlike other medicines that allowed pharmacy refills. My doctor switched me back to Provigil 200 mg twice a day. This amount actually worked, but most insurance plans only allow 1 200 mg per day. After Nuvigil came out, my doctor switched me due to the insurance company wanting to save money. Nuvigil 350 mg 1 per day does not work for me. I have a low 4 hours after I took it."

• Miz...
• July 20, 2011

"It was recommended by my doctor that I try Nuvigil because I have a tendency to become sleepy while driving, either short or long distances. I was concerned that the drug may be habit-forming, but he reassured me that I would not have a problem with it. This medicine appears to be working well with no noticeable side effects thus far, 2 weeks."

• sle...
• December 30, 2010

"My little sister was diagnosed about 2 years ago with narcolepsy, just recently, so was I. My doctor gave me a sample of Nuvigil for 4 weeks and a prescription for Adderall. I took Nuvigil, and I felt great! However, I took the medicine at about 5:30 AM and could not turn my brain off or get to sleep until after 1:30 AM. I then took half of the pill to maybe reduce the time it keeps me awake, but nothing happened at all. In reading some of the comments here, it sounds like maybe this medicine will wear off quicker in the future."

• Sle...
• December 8, 2018

"Been telling doctors for 20 years about being excessively tired. Finally broke down, bawling to my current doctor this year, she sent me for a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), and I failed the test. Finally had my diagnosis. The doctor put me on Ritalin LA 20 mg, lost potency within 5 days, increased the dose to 30 mg, still didn't work. I seen a sleep specialist, he put me on Nuvigil. Took it for a couple of days, did not help at all! In fact, it made me feel like I was going through withdrawal from the Suboxone I take and felt it made narcolepsy worse. I take Suboxone because 10 years ago I used pain pills to 'give me energy', I got addicted to pain pills, obviously. Been on Suboxone for 6 years. I was hoping I finally had a diagnosis of narcolepsy, I could get on the right meds and get off Suboxone. My doctor wanted to put me on Ritalin 20 mg LA for morning and Ritalin 10 mg for the afternoon, but insurance wouldn't cover it. Only 30 mg as a whole. I honestly think the dose she wanted to put me on would have helped, but the insurance knows best, right? Makes me so mad!"

• dav...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 15, 2016

"I took 250 mg each morning, and my whole personality was brighter, more gregarious, more talkative, physically more capable."

• mjb...
• June 17, 2017

"Diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's at 46 years old. I was having off-and-on sleep attacks in the afternoons. No amount of coffee can power you through one. This keeps me through the afternoon."

• cop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2014

"This medicine kept me from sleeping the whole 5 days I was on it. My body just started to shut down, and my eyes would just close, but my mind would not let me go to sleep."

• Spe...
• May 1, 2015

"I have been taking Nuvigil for over a year. I'm on 250 mg. I have had no side effects. It only seems to last a few hours for me. Does anyone have any ideas?"