Provigil for Narcolepsy User Reviews (Page 2)

• DrWil...
• July 19, 2012

"I can't take Provigil daily because it is expensive so I use it on days when I need to accomplish important tasks (shopping, housework, social occasions, etc.). Having suffered from depression since my teens, and although my standard medicines help, Provigil is the only medicine ever that has made me feel "good". I'm so happy my psychiatrist suggested this medication and I hope that it is approved for depression so that insurance companies will cover it."

• Geeec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2016

"IMHO, modafinil is a good medication. I was originally diagnosed with EDS. Couple years later, MSLT showed REM, blablabla, narcolepsy. I've tried it ALL. best was Dexedrine which is no longer manufactured (as far as I understand). Adderral dropped me down to about 95lbs (even tho I'm a small girl). Ritalin made me super anxious and mute and slow. And provigil was... Just ok and VERY expensive. Stopped the provigil because it cost $500 a month, 60tabs BID 100 mg. I just can't keep paying for it. I went back to Ritalin which is the cheapest of them all cause I thought I was better. Never been more wrong! Not being on the provigil has shown me, I DO HAVE NARCOLEPSY. W/o provigil, I can barely function :-/. But how can I carve out $500 for it?!"

• CityL...
• January 31, 2009

"I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy when I was 17 and still in high school. That was about 14 years ago. Out of those 14 years, ten of them have been spent on Provigil. It has obviously worked for me. I take 200mg 3 x a day - One in the morning and two at lunchtime. I haven't had any side effects, other than not being ready for bed at night but that could be me just not wanting to go to bed. All in all Provigil keeps me awake and functioning. Oh, I do agree with everyone about the cost - it's not cheap."

• Carter...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 9, 2015

"I have narcolepsy which went undiagnosed for decades. I don't drink coffee and for years self medicated using caffeine tablets and diet sodas. Finally in desperation started looking for answers via the net, had a sleep study and voila, narcolepsy. Tried Ritalin with no effect, then Provigil and for the first time felt normal and productive. Health insurance would not cover and soon I was paying $800.00 a month for meds. To make matters worse, the Provigil soon lost any efficacy. Ultimately my Doc, reluctantly prescribed Adderall and I have been taking 30mg in the AM and 20 more around lunch. This works ok, but still need caffeine."

• grann...
• November 19, 2011

"No side effects. Did not see anyone who listed pain relief. It was prescribed for my daytime sleepiness, but I noticed that my arthritic pain (knees and back) was much less. Had much more energy as well."

• KRano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2019

"This medication worked wonders for me. It had a lot fewer side effects than the alternatives like amphetamines and methylphenidate, however modafinil raises histamine levels and I broke out in hives about 2 weeks into taking it. It’s a shame because this medicine worked better than anything else I have tried."

• Flyin...
• November 3, 2008

"Compared to ritalin, which I was taking before this drug, this produced a much more alert and natural awake feeling. Unfortunately for me it also made me practically psychotic and in a moment of thoughtfulness I thought this must be how people feel when they talk about "snapping". I could not control my emotions. I went back to my doctor and promptly switched off the medication. Too bad the side effects were over the top as the alertness was amazing. I took the drug for less than two weeks."

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2010

"Literally, PROVIGIL saved my life. I suffered the severest of symptoms re: Narcolepsy w / Cataplexy for several months prior to Physicians determining a diagnosis, I'd have complete "drop attacks" out of a clear blue sky; chattin someone up, nuking a cup of coffee, taking a shower, & SPLAT, down I'd drop! Hit like a sack of sand. Broke numerous bones, ruined numerous joints, fractured my skull & broke 3 ribs. After being evaluated & worked up by a SPECIALIST, I was diagnosed & medicated with 2 X's 200mg Provi's in the A.M. & I've now a somewhat normal life! It's been 2 years & I note the dose is less effective; I've not ate turf lately, but I'm noddin out @ the PC often & slipping from AWAKE to REM, boom like that!"

• sleepin...
• May 1, 2009

"The first one I tried and it was not good for me. The constant headaches, dry mouth (very bad at night time), made me have very real like/scary nightmares, and after 2 days did not even change my energy level/random sleep attacks. Still had to have a nap to make it through the day."

• btc
• March 19, 2010

"Provigil saves the day. I work full time, intricate work, drive, multi task person. Yes, it is expensive, but fortunately I have good insurance from my workplace. I take 200 mg a day. No side effects. Never take a nap. I'm the energizer bunny."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 12, 2012

"I have only been on Provigil for a month, but it has caused extreme nausea and headaches. I have a history of cluster headaches and migraines, which had diminished, but are now back in full force. I've also had stomach cancer twice and Provigil makes me very nauseous and losing weight due to an inability to eat. I'm glad that it is effective for some, I just wish that I was in that group because I am TIRED."

• Anonymous
• March 16, 2009

"I hear people rave about Provigil and I was excited to try it. Unfortunately it did not help me. I slept just as much as I did taking no medication at all. I am still in testing and trying different medications. Hopefully I will find one that will help me stay awake eventually."

• Anonymous
• April 8, 2009

"I have been on 2 x 200 a day for 10 months now, and it has not been the miracle drug for narcolepsy that some people talk about. I have given it a lot of time, but still have excessive daytime sleepiness. Works better for others I suppose. Also, does anyone else notice that it makes your urine smell weird?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2012

"I have Narcolepsy with Cataplexy and am currently taking Provigil during the day when I first wake up. I have noticed that my Cataplexy attacks are fewer but it doesn't stop them all. I still have at least 3 big attacks a week. I have found that I am more alert taking Ritalin but have more cataplectic attacks. I am currently working with my doc to up the dosage because the 200mg are not enough. I have had some side effects with the medicine. Mood Swings, becoming fixated on a task or project, confusion, headache and some depression. I am currently a full time student and for me taking Provigil to prevent attacks vs being more alert is the best option for me at this point."

• signs
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 22, 2012

"Provigil (Modafinil) has been a good addition to my regimen for dealing with the symptoms of narcolepsy. I take different doses depending on severity of symptoms. I take 50 mg. twice a day most of the time. Or 100 mg. twice a day. I have tried 200 mg. once or twice a day and that's where the side effects kick in (very dry mouth and headaches). It does keep me awake during the day most of the time, but sometimes I feel as if I never took it. But that's where adding coffee or caffeine pills really helps. I feel safe taking this med and I'm happy to have discovered it."

• Lucille
• January 29, 2021

"When I was 50 years old I started nodding out in the car and restaurants and it was very humiliating it was uncontrollable my family was very embarrassed I went to a neurologist and they took sleep studies and they said that I had sleep apnea which was unusual because I am but at the time I was 105 lb and I was not diabetic and I am borderline narcoleptic I am hypersomnia I was prescribed many medications they did not work such as adderal  which just come out they said it was a very unique medication. I had to fight the insurance to pay for it my doctor prescribed that after it was approved and I have to take 200 mg in the morning then  I would become myself I take that faithfully and another 200 mg at 1 p.m. and I do not have those episodes anymore of uncontrolled sleeping where I cannot function. I've been on provigil for 12 years now my doctor prescribes 100 mg Nuvigil in the afternoon with the 200 mg Provigil"

• Media...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 18, 2016

"You get used to this and need to take more, or not take it (therefore not drive) for about a week. But only 'helpful' insights will be printed (after editing). So my saying $3600 a month for 60 pills? Really? Are they worth their weight in gold? They don't seem to have any side effects, for me. Other then tremors. So that's a plus. Should they cost more than most people make in a year? I am disabled, and receive $10,000 a year. After researching I'm not finding any major payouts from the company, due to lawsuits. (I realize awards are confidential, but there hasn't been many cases. Who(m) am I kidding. This won't be printed. I just HAD to say something, because the cost is abominable. Ok. I c $$ How did u do the A-spam thing? Impressed!"

• Anonymous
• May 2, 2010

"I was put on Provigil a year and a half ago and can no longer take it. I was one of the ones that had a horrible reaction to it. At first it was just a headache then I would crash around 5... the the headaches got worse, no medicines helped with the headache. Then I started itching. At first I didn't connect it to the Provigil, then I broke out EVERYWHERE with a rash that was like poison ivy just worse. So I am no longer on any medicines and lets just say that most days are very hard and I am so very tired."

• Sleep...
• July 23, 2009

"I took Provigil for 6 months with varying doses (100-300mg/day). It only took about 20-30 minutes to kick in and lasted roughly 7 hours. It gave me an incredibly high level of alertness. I also have mild cataplexy and sleep paralyzation, and it seemed to help keep both of these under control. However, it also gave me very bad nausea and an even worse headache. When the medicine wore off, my body reacted by immediately having a strong "sleep attack". If I didn't take my next dose before the first had worn off, the second didn't seem to work. Also, my urine smelled strange and the smell got even stronger when I drank more water. This stopped as soon as I changed my medication to Adderall."

• Miche...
• January 24, 2010

"Effective, yet EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE for folks like me who don't have prescription coverage (insurance). Wish there was a generic form of this. This medicine has the least amount of side-effects and is very effective for me."

• crabb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2012

"After the first 200mg dose, I experienced a powerful, irresistible and complete voiding of my bowel. It left me weak so I did not take any more for a full day. Then I took half a tablet (100mg) and experienced the same thing again. At a quarter dose (50mg) the same thing happened. I think Provigil is an excellent laxative. It gave (at all those doses) a moderate improvement in wakefulness for about two hours; it did not help with my cataplexy. Since then 40mg (4 x 10mg) of methylphenidate allows me to stay awake and alert and also eliminates attacks of catalepxy."

• Anonymous
• September 27, 2010

"Ever since I was age 13, I would have sleep attacks almost everyday; about 5 days out of a week. It really affected my school work, because I just couldn't force myself to stay awake. Two years ago, when I age 18, I finally investigated of why I was having these sleep attacks. I was eventually diagnosed with Narcolepsy from a Neurologist. He put me on Provigil, 200mg in the morning and 100mg in the afternoon. Within a week I noticed a huge difference. I've never felt so awake and refreshed in years. Now I'll only have around 10 sleep attacks per year. The only flaw this drug has is its price. MAKE SURE your insurance covers it. They may not at first, but give them documentation on your condition and they will."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2009

"I have used Provigil for about 4 years now and I really like it. I feel completely normal when I take it. In fact the only time I notice the drug is when I forget to take it. However, it is costly but I did find a substantial discount in my insurance's mail order program. Also, for someone who asked earlier, I stopped taking Progivil as soon as I found out I was pregnant. There is too little known yet and my kid was not going to be the Gineau Pig. Surprisingly, something changed because of being pregnant and I did surprisingly well for thoes 8 months. I just made sure to take regular naps."

• sttkl...
• July 19, 2009

"This is the first prescription I have taken for Narcolepsy. It has been 3-years now while taking 200mg's 3x a day. It turns out that naps are going to be a part of life. More particularly for the peak periods just to get over that tough time during the day. I would highly recommend letting your employer know about this condition. Narcolepsy is a handicap, of which you are protected. In other words, if you are caught sleeping on the job, they can not fire you for it. They need to make considerations for this condition and develop a work schedule that allows you ability to work a full shift. Provigil has worked well for me. I wouldn't want to go back to the way it used to be."

• Anonymous
• July 26, 2009

"I was given Provigil for my narcolepsy, with dosage of 200mg/3 times daily. For the first 3 days it was amazing I had forgotten what it felt like to be 'awake'. Unfortunately, after just 3 days it was not effective at all. My neurologist nodded knowingly when I told him. He said that's how long it takes to metabolize. Apparently that's when you can tell if it will work for you or not. I'm now on Aderall, 20 mg/3 daily and it is working much better for me."