Posted by Matryoshka on April 25, 2010, at 16:10:55
In reply to Anyone feel MORE depressed on Provigil, posted by inanimate peanut on April 21, 2010, at 12:31:39
> Has anyone tried Provigil and felt MORE depressed? I was feeling pretty good Saturday and started it then. I still felt pretty good Sunday and ok Monday. Tuesday I felt depressed and today it's like I'm off my meds I'm so depressed. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but has anyone ever heard of this happening?
I've heard of it, though it hasn't been my experience. Provigil was a pretty good antidepressant augmentation and it seems to act that way for many people.
But, its mechanisms of action are bizarrely complicated - basically it turns out to affect just about every neurotransmitter to at least some minor degree.My wild guess is that for people with dopamine-based depression (which I strongly suspect is me) it will generally do more good than harm.
Then again, the broad pharmacodynamics of modafinil means it's probably also going to act as a wild card in an antidepressant combo. Meaning, it might end up being the *interaction* rather than the drug itself that trips a reaction like depression. Just my guess.
When I went up on my thyroid hormone (which acts as an AD for me) and AD, Provigil (and especially Nuvigil, which was not as nice of a drug) made me feel like a wired zombie - I'd be awake but nonfunctional, my brain just felt like it was flat-lining. It didn't feel like it was doing my depression any more favors, and it was definitely hurting my functioning.
It's one weird drug.
poster:Matryoshka
thread:944348
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100425/msgs/945041.html