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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by PsychoSage on March 7, 2004, at 20:21:21
I am prescribed Provigil 100mg, but I have been just taking 50mg. Does anyone take 50mg? Does anyone have a 2 times a day dosing strategy? When and how much do you dose?
I am thinking about taking 25mg in the morning then maybe 25mg in the afternoon. That would make it unnoticeable. I want it to be unnoticable yet effective for my energy and attention/concentration. I don't want hyper-speedy effects that have a peak and crash.
Posted by vasdef on March 8, 2004, at 12:29:53
In reply to Provigil Strategy, posted by PsychoSage on March 7, 2004, at 20:21:21
> I am prescribed Provigil 100mg, but I have been just taking 50mg. Does anyone take 50mg? Does anyone have a 2 times a day dosing strategy? When and how much do you dose?
>
> I am thinking about taking 25mg in the morning then maybe 25mg in the afternoon. That would make it unnoticeable. I want it to be unnoticable yet effective for my energy and attention/concentration. I don't want hyper-speedy effects that have a peak and crash.I was prescribed 200 mg Provigil when I got up, and then a 1/2 pill (100 mg) around noon. That wasn't enough, so just recently my sleep doc upped it to 200 mg in the morning and another 200 mg at noon. That seems to be working fine, unless it's the Strattera that I just recently started taking.
Posted by utopizen on March 9, 2004, at 20:17:33
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy, posted by vasdef on March 8, 2004, at 12:29:53
>
> I was prescribed 200 mg Provigil when I got up, and then a 1/2 pill (100 mg) around noon. That wasn't enough, so just recently my sleep doc upped it to 200 mg in the morning and another 200 mg at noon. That seems to be working fine, unless it's the Strattera that I just recently started taking.
>You've probably heard me say this, but my sleep doc wants me on Provigil + Straterra combined after failing Provigil at 400mg. Claims the two have synergy, and patients who've failed the two independently succeed with the combo.
I've decided to stick with my Desoxyn until the summer, however, as the sedating effects are a good risk for me and I have mid-terms and incompletes this week...
Posted by florence on March 11, 2004, at 16:11:25
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy » vasdef, posted by utopizen on March 9, 2004, at 20:17:33
I have taken provigil for 2 years. Initial dose of 100 mg taken in morning:first day I totally crashed at 4pm. After several days of adjusting;it was my life-saver. I was prescribed it to augment ADS-every one makes me tired;even the energizing wellbutrin,etc. I continue to take 100mgs in the morning;however some days I have taken another 50 or 100 mg as late as 3 o'clock. Pdoc says don't take it past 4 or you won't be able to fall asleep. That is true! I have depression only; with fatigue being my most severe symptom. No anxiety! BUT I did notice that about 5-6 hrs after taking provigil I did get a headache sometimes AND bad anxiety: crying; shaking.I didn't even know what anxiety was until I discussed these feelings with my sister. So now I have to be sure and take a small dose of xanax to curb the drop. So be careful if you are prone to anxiety in the first place. Also, it totally helps with constipation-can even give you diahrea within an hour after taking it.. Good Luck!
Posted by JeremyNY on March 12, 2004, at 19:46:11
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy, posted by florence on March 11, 2004, at 16:11:25
My doc prescribed me Provigil to help me cope with being fatigued all the time as caused possibly by depression. I am on 150mg of effexor XR for the depression. He prescribed it as 100mg every day. For me, it helps motivate me at work and keep my mind from wandering, but I still feel the crappy worn-out fatigue feeling so I don't consider it as providing much of a benefit. It does come in handy after those restless nights I sometimes have being on the Effexor. I took 200 mg once and found that it just made me too jittery. I haven't been taking it much since the coffee at work is free and I seem to get the same results with it as the Provogil.
I'm curuious what "ADS" stands for as your major symptom of fatigue sounds like me. I have a little bit of that "not enjoying things I should" symptom but I think that might be a result of always feeling worn-out all the time.
> I have taken provigil for 2 years. Initial dose of 100 mg taken in morning:first day I totally crashed at 4pm. After several days of adjusting;it was my life-saver. I was prescribed it to augment ADS-every one makes me tired;even the energizing wellbutrin,etc. I continue to take 100mgs in the morning;however some days I have taken another 50 or 100 mg as late as 3 o'clock. Pdoc says don't take it past 4 or you won't be able to fall asleep. That is true! I have depression only; with fatigue being my most severe symptom. No anxiety! BUT I did notice that about 5-6 hrs after taking provigil I did get a headache sometimes AND bad anxiety: crying; shaking.I didn't even know what anxiety was until I discussed these feelings with my sister. So now I have to be sure and take a small dose of xanax to curb the drop. So be careful if you are prone to anxiety in the first place. Also, it totally helps with constipation-can even give you diahrea within an hour after taking it.. Good Luck!
Posted by florence on March 13, 2004, at 16:42:03
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy » florence, posted by JeremyNY on March 12, 2004, at 19:46:11
Sorry I am a bad typer; I meant antidepressants not ADS; implying a specific dyagnosis. I told several drs that I was fatigued and they always told me it was depression. I have nothing to be depressed about so I never fully accepted this. I was given prozac, zoloft, pamelor, celexa, etc etc to help with monthly migraines. In hindsight I realize thanks to this web site that many of my feelings TOTALLY jive with what's being posted: such as feeling "nothing" when I should be sad about a death in the family; or having an awful time waking up when on Prozac. I even had my husband try putting ammonia under my nose in the morning! Back then prozac was only available in 20 mg dosages! Anyway, now I have been plagued with fatigue. I was given remeron 2 yrs ago becuz of insomnia which helped alot and I still take it. The provigil gave me back my life as far as being productive but I realized it does NOTHING to help my depressed mood. In fact I get anxiety? when it wears off each day about 4 o'clock. Initially the higher dose of 200 mgs gave me restless legs at night but that went away. I feas the provigil has pooped out and there are no other nonamphets. to replace it. The pdoc appt.on Tues should be interesting if I can manage to drive myself there. I have run out of drug options.... > My doc prescribed me Provigil to help me cope with being fatigued all the time as caused possibly by depression. I am on 150mg of effexor XR for the depression. He prescribed it as 100mg every day. For me, it helps motivate me at work and keep my mind from wandering, but I still feel the crappy worn-out fatigue feeling so I don't consider it as providing much of a benefit. It does come in handy after those restless nights I sometimes have being on the Effexor. I took 200 mg once and found that it just made me too jittery. I haven't been taking it much since the coffee at work is free and I seem to get the same results with it as the Provogil.
>
> I'm curuious what "ADS" stands for as your major symptom of fatigue sounds like me. I have a little bit of that "not enjoying things I should" symptom but I think that might be a result of always feeling worn-out all the time.
>
>
> > I have taken provigil for 2 years. Initial dose of 100 mg taken in morning:first day I totally crashed at 4pm. After several days of adjusting;it was my life-saver. I was prescribed it to augment ADS-every one makes me tired;even the energizing wellbutrin,etc. I continue to take 100mgs in the morning;however some days I have taken another 50 or 100 mg as late as 3 o'clock. Pdoc says don't take it past 4 or you won't be able to fall asleep. That is true! I have depression only; with fatigue being my most severe symptom. No anxiety! BUT I did notice that about 5-6 hrs after taking provigil I did get a headache sometimes AND bad anxiety: crying; shaking.I didn't even know what anxiety was until I discussed these feelings with my sister. So now I have to be sure and take a small dose of xanax to curb the drop. So be careful if you are prone to anxiety in the first place. Also, it totally helps with constipation-can even give you diahrea within an hour after taking it.. Good Luck!
>
>
Posted by JeremyNY on March 14, 2004, at 13:45:04
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy, posted by florence on March 13, 2004, at 16:42:03
Florence, thanks for writing back.
My depression doesn't make sense either. Besides a short period of moving away and missing old friends, I have no reason to be depressed. All I can think to cause this is past substance abuse.
I heard the same thing about Provogil being the only non-amphetimine. I wonder if Wellbutrin would help? I plan to ask my doc about supplementing the Effexor with another AD for a while to see if that helps things. One of my delemmas is that even with my fatigue, I have trouble sleeping on the Effexor. Provogil sounded like a great solution since it wears out before bedtime. I guess I was expecting too much from it when he prescribed it to me.
Posted by utopizen on March 15, 2004, at 9:59:27
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy » florence, posted by JeremyNY on March 12, 2004, at 19:46:11
Provigil + Straterra, according to my doc, who's leading the research on this stuff, is synergistic in his patients, even when each fail alone in a patient.
Try it.
Straterra was developed as an antidepressant at first, but the researchers discovered it had ADHD benefits. It helps patients with comorbid anxiety and depression in some acendotal reports, and may help potentiate the effect of either Provigil or an antidepressant.
You don't need a reason to be depressed or have lower energy to have depression. Depression, literally means, underneath. Your energy levels are below average, so that typically indicates depression unless you have apnea or something.
All I know is, when I'm with a girl I like and she likes me, I suddenly feel relieved of sleepiness and am alert. So clearly it's psychological-- as my doc says, ADD makes my sleepiness worse by making me more tired whenever I need to read something or pay attention to something in class that's boring.
Posted by JeremyNY on March 19, 2004, at 19:18:31
In reply to Re: Provigil Strategy » JeremyNY, posted by utopizen on March 15, 2004, at 9:59:27
What do you think of Straterra and Effexor? I want to try something new when I see my doc in a couple weeks. I don't want to up the Effexor but rather try to incorporate some other drug with the Effexor. I do have ADD symptoms, even more so now that I am on an AD.
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