Nuvigil and Nausea: What Users Say

• Lun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 16, 2013

For Narcolepsy "I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy about 18 months ago after battling constant fatigue no matter how much sleep I received at night or how many naps I took throughout the day. Nuvigil has changed my life! I take one pill daily, and I am able to live a normal life outside of the fog that I was constantly living in before my diagnosis. I had a lot of side effects when I first started taking Nuvigil, which included headaches, dry mouth, cramping, nausea, loss of appetite, and dizziness, but those were nothing compared to being able to finally live my life fully for the first time! I felt like before I was swimming in murky water, unable to see or function, and after the medication, I can actually experience life and interact with people!"

• Jen...
• February 27, 2012

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "I had to fight with insurance to cover my Nuvigil but finally got them too. I have battled to get my hypothyroidism optimized for years, and even when I had it at a pretty good level, I was always tired. The doctor labeled it chronic fatigue, and the Nuvigil has made a huge difference. I feel like I can finally keep up with everybody else and don't have to stand up at the back of meetings at work to stay awake. Nuvigil did have some strong side effects at first (headache, nauseous, lack of appetite), but they were pretty much gone after a week or so."

• Anonymous
• July 15, 2009

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "I have been taking Provigil for several years now. I just started Nuvigil today, and it feels much different. It used to be that I took one Provigil, and I would be sleepy and have foggy head, but two Provigils made me feel wired and nauseous. Today I took one Nuvigil around 10:30 a.m. and have felt even and awake all day long. Hopefully, this will last."

• Anonymous
• November 7, 2011

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "In my opinion, there are a lot of pros and cons for this medication. I took it for a while with no ill effect, but something must have changed, and it made me feel extremely ill (dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea, headache). I stopped taking it because of this and definitely noticed a difference. I think that taking a half a pill every few hours has eliminated my problems with the medication and works to keep me awake and focused for longer."

• KG4...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2016

For Narcolepsy "Diagnosed with narcolepsy and had frequent daily cataplexy. Nothing else worked, prior to getting diagnosed, hours and hours of sleep mixed with coffee, energy drinks, and abuse of workout stimulants. After adjusting to the jitters and slight nausea, I've never felt better. Every now and then, I will need a small nap, but I am sleeping deeper and sleepwalking much less. I went from several cataplexies a day to only three in the last month. Those three only happened because I hadn't gotten enough sleep that night. This drug works the best for me when I get more than 6 hours of sleep, ideally 7 or 8 hours though. I am very happy overall, but it is ridiculously expensive if you aren't on an insurance plan, like me (just switched jobs)."

• pau...
• September 17, 2009

For Drowsiness "I have found it to be very smooth, have needed to take two per day, one early AM and the second one about noon to make it all day. No more trouble sleeping than normal. No shakiness or jitters, appetite seems normal. One tablet (150 mg) was no help. I seem to be more productive during the day. No nausea or headaches, dizziness. I feel like I get along with it just fine."

• Jen...
• November 14, 2011

For Depression "I started taking 150 mg of Nuvigil with my Strattera. My doctor wanted to wait and see if the Nuvigil worked before discounting Strattera. Well, the first 4 days of Nuvigil at 150 mg worked well, my doctor decided to up it to 250 mg, and now it no longer works at all, and in fact, I feel very nauseous after I take it. I am so very disappointed!"

• tsa...
• July 5, 2010

For Narcolepsy "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 250 mg."

• Tac...
• December 14, 2011

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "First day on Nuvigil, prescribed by a 'second opinion' sleep doctor. My first sleep doctor kept discounting my complaints of constant sleepiness even after having the CPAP machine for over a year. He had never even talked about any medications for excessive sleepiness. But my 'second opinion' sleep doctor did pay attention. I can't thank him enough. My first day on Nuvigil has been like a sunrise. This is the first day in at least 6 years that I didn't fall asleep. No headaches, jitters, nausea. Started to feel the 'wakefulness' easing off after about 6 hours. I agree about the cost, it's outrageous at over $10/day. I also take medicines for atrial fibrillation, so Nuvigil is one of the few I can take."

• Anonymous
• June 29, 2010

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "My first day on Nuvigil. I have not had this much energy in years, and I'm only in my late 30s. The only side effects I've noticed so far are some very mild nausea. Just enough to suppress my appetite, which is actually a good side effect. Had a mild headache this afternoon a couple of hours after taking the pill, but I cannot say that it was a result of the medication."

• Anonymous
• November 21, 2011

For Narcolepsy "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."

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

For Narcolepsy "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 11, 2010

For Drowsiness "I took a full pill the first day, which was stupid, as I'm very sensitive to medication. I felt like I was on speed. I was talking really fast, my hands were shaking, my heart was beating a million miles an hour, it felt like an anxiety attack. I also got a horrible headache and nausea later in the day. I didn't take it again for a month, and then I cut the pill into quarters. For a week, I took 37.5 mg a day. I got a few headaches, dizziness, and nausea throughout the day, but it was tolerable. Three days ago, I upped it to 75 mg. I still don't feel any help with sleepiness! I am still dizzy, have headaches, nausea, and a lack of appetite. But I'm going to wait it out and keep upping it to 150 and see if it ever starts working. Hopefully, the side effects go away soon!"

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2016

For Narcolepsy "I had nausea, trouble concentrating, and had chest pains and pressure for 2 weeks after I stopped taking it. I was just as tired taking this medication."