Modafinil and Nausea: What Users Say

• Not...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 3, 2015

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "I was diagnosed with CFS 18 years ago. When it gets really bad, I have major cognitive problems, memory loss, confusion and my speech even becomes more simple (small words less educated). I've been on modafinil (Provigil) for over 6 years. I had to slightly increase my dose about 3 years ago. I can hold a job and function well, provided I don't overdo it. My brain just 'clicks' better again, closer to normal. A slight side effect of nausea, similar to morning sickness, for about 3 hours after taking it is well worth the benefit."

• Bim...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 28, 2020

For Fatigue "I was prescribed modafinil for daytime sleepiness. I don't take it regularly, though, as I think it would be too easy to lose track of your own natural body signals and then burn out. For me, 100 mg is fine when I need to concentrate on something boring on that day and am really sleepy, whether it is cleaning or reports for work. Sometimes I speak too much within the first few hours, so it's better to limit social interactions until later in the day! The next day I feel clearer, but I won't have another one for at least a week. If I do, then I have noticed it starts to feel quite horrible and doesn't have the same effect. Despite all of this, once my Provigil runs out, I won't get any more, as I want to find a natural way to maintain energy if I can! I have been prescribed both a generic and the Provigil. For me, the generic was better - I think it's just personal."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2019

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "Was prescribed armodafinil 150 mg for chronic fatigue syndrome. At first, I started off splitting it in half, which made me alert initially, but it stopped being effective in a few days. I then tried taking the entire 150 mg, which didn't make me alert but gave me headaches, nausea, and made me very thirsty. Have been taking modafinil 100 mg now for a couple of months, to varying degrees of success. I split the pills and take a half in the mornings. I usually end up getting a headache by the late afternoon. On days when my fatigue is exacerbated, I avoid taking it as it leads to a huge headache for me. When I feel the headaches coming on, I know my productive day is over. I find that trying to power through the headaches leads to feeling terrible the next day, even if I take paracetamol. If modafinil had more of an effect on my fatigue, I could forgive the headaches and the price. But unfortunately, it hasn't done much for me."

• Bjc...
• January 24, 2016

For Fatigue "Life back. Fatigue, fibro, myofascial pain, and no REM sleep. I was only out of bed on the average of 6 hours per day. Stomach pain and nausea bad 2 weeks at 200 mg, so cut in half. At 100 mg after 10 days, can tolerate. Speech is not as fast as on 200 mg and not quite as active, but up most all of the day. Tired at night, but still takes a while to get to sleep. So happy to feel almost normal again!"

• M85...
• January 27, 2016

For Depression "I think I might be the only person in the world having no beneficial effect on this drug. I took 50 mg Modalert and I never felt so bad in my life: I was paranoid, anxious, had several serious suicidal thoughts, headache, and nausea. I kept feeling bad for the next 24 hours. I feel so disappointed and sad, I was hoping that moda could have helped me."

• Ama...
• May 26, 2016

Provigil (modafinil) "I seriously do not know how this medicine is approved as a stimulant. I suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and shift work sleep disorder. This medicine in no way kept me awake, alert, or focused. If anything, I had a complete opposite effect. I felt some sort of brain fog, my performance at work lagged, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had no motivation to accomplish any tasks or get out of bed for that matter. Along with these negative effects, I had headaches and nausea. I would not recommend this as a stimulant or something for sharp cognitive effects. But maybe more like a sleeping pill. I felt like it was a sleeping pill but struggling to stay awake after taking it. Tried for one week."

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

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "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."

• Awa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2014

For Narcolepsy "I was just prescribed modafinil, and I was happy I picked up my prescription on Friday, so I had the weekend to try it out. So, yup-I woke up and cleaned things I haven't cleaned in months with incredible focus. I didn't feel scattered, didn't lose my train of thought, my attention span was excellent. It almost made me wonder if I had ADHD and never knew it. But anyway, I took 100 mg, half a pill at a time. No headache, no nausea, I ran a couple of miles and did okay. I was able to feel good and not be tired and even got to play with my kids in the evening-something that never happens because I'm usually too exhausted to do anything like that. Overall, I'm feeling a ton better!"

• Sle...
• July 23, 2009

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "I took Provigil for 6 months with varying doses (100-300 mg/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 paralysis, 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."

• SL8...
• September 18, 2011

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "I'm a 36-year-old female, and I've been living with narcolepsy for over 20 years and was just diagnosed about 2 months ago! I have been on Provigil for 1 week, 200 mg twice a day. With that, I still feel like a walking zombie. I have not noticed a change, with no side effects. I was taken off of Nuvigil 150 mg 1x/day. I did notice a huge difference with that. I remember feeling... wow, this is what it feels like to be awake. But it would die out by noontime and barely get me through the rest of my day. I also experienced a dull, constant headache and random nausea. It now seems almost worth going back to it and dealing with the side effects."

• doz...
• July 28, 2009

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "I was diagnosed with narcolepsy about 2 weeks ago. For 2 months, I had been nodding off at work and at home, it got really bad when I nodded off while at a stoplight driving and when I got 'written' up for sleeping at work. I was given Provigil to help me out, which, when I started taking it, was like a miracle drug. I felt alert and not drowsy all the time. After 5 days, I started feeling nauseous, and then, 2 days later, out of the blue, it stopped working. My doctor put me on Ritalin, but I'm still having problems later in the day, on my way to see a sleep specialist."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2009

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "I was recently diagnosed with narcolepsy and started on Provigil. I started with 100 mg in the morning and then 100 or 150 mg in the afternoon. The first few days I was a little dizzy at first, a little nauseous, lost my appetite, had a mild headache every night (ibuprofen took care of that), and tense jaw/neck muscles. It was working great, but once I started classes (i.e., inactivity), I was falling asleep sometimes before my noon dose and every day around 6 pm or 8 pm. So, my doctor upped it to 200 in the morning and 200 after noon. For all 3 days of it, I was awake, only crashing around 8 pm, but I was having problems with my memory and concentration. Just switched to Ritalin."

• eth...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2023

For Fatigue "After being diagnosed with schizophrenia at 22, I ended up going to four inpatient hospitals to get on the right medicine. After being discharged from the 4th hospital, I woke up the next morning and felt like a different person. The feeling was horrible and it lasted an entire year until I got on modafinil. I tried many antidepressants that did not work. My doctor prescribed me modafinil, and within two days I felt normal again."

• Iro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2016

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "I had no side effects other than very slight nausea, just kept me from overeating, if anything. I am 225 lb, and I am VERY resistant to drugs...most seem to have virtually zero effect (didn't notice anything from Adderall...NOTHING), so my dosages are normally a bit higher than most. Again, it won't make you Superman, but it DOES make me feel human again. NOT a human on meth, but just a normal human being...something I had not felt like for some time. 8/10 only because I wish it did what those reviews and videos claimed. I wish it made me feel like I have MORE energy than someone not taking it."

• T a...
• November 15, 2017

For Shift Work Sleep Disorder "I work long hours at an ED in a small Swiss community hospital. Had bad trouble staying awake. I took everything - caffeine pills, OTC ephedrine at high doses, on the end even tramadol, Ritalin, and benzos. Modafinil helped me get off these pills - with 200 mg, I can stay awake a whole busy 14-hour shift. As side effects, I noticed some mild headaches, dehydration, nausea, and kind of mild aggression. In Switzerland, it's off-label and only for narcolepsy, therefore, you have no insurance coverage. 100 mg generic modafinil from TEVA are 2.50 CHF or so (about 2.45 USD), guess it's worth it."

• Anonymous
• September 1, 2016

For Narcolepsy "Modafinil gave me no relief from my daytime sleepiness at all. The medicine gave me headaches and made me nauseous all day long. I stopped taking it and tried to deal with living with narcolepsy without medicine, but that only led to more problems for me."

• Ema...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 27, 2021

For Narcolepsy "I got diagnosed with narcolepsy in 2017, and I was given modafinil after my Ritalin lost its effectiveness. I started with 100 mg 1x a day, then moved to 200 mg 1x a day. It gives me terrible body aches, and at times I wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus, but I also have a genetic connective tissue disorder, so they put me on baclofen. The baclofen counteracts the pain, and I no longer get the body aches. 200 mg wears off after about 5 hours, though, and I find myself very sleepy by noon, so I'm also supplementing 20 mg of Ritalin with the 200 mg of modafinil. With this combined regimen of medication, I am finding myself with more energy than I've had in years and feel like a fully functioning human being again. Beware of some nausea and body aches and it not lasting very long, but other than that, it's great."

• Anonymous
• March 6, 2009

Provigil (modafinil) for Narcolepsy "Works like a miracle, but have nausea."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2017

Provigil (modafinil) for Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome "Jittery, dry mouth, shortness of breath, tightness in chest, exacerbated hand tremors, diarrhea, nausea, headache, hot flash every day. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) marginally improved at best."