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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sdjeff on June 24, 2004, at 0:37:49
Hi all,
My pdoc just started me on Provigil, 100 mg in the morning to try to combat this constant fatigue I seem to have.
My cocktail is:
5 mg Zyprexa twice daily
100 mg Provigil
.25 mg Halcion (rarely used)Any Provigil facts and/or stories are appreciated.
Posted by Bill LL on June 24, 2004, at 14:07:31
In reply to Anything and everything about PROVIGIL?, posted by sdjeff on June 24, 2004, at 0:37:49
It has a reputation for being very effective without very much in the way of side effects. It keeps people alert, but lets you sleep when you want to.
I have never tried it.
Posted by Maxime on June 26, 2004, at 6:36:43
In reply to Re: Anything and everything about PROVIGIL?, posted by Bill LL on June 24, 2004, at 14:07:31
You can do a search on this site at the bottom of the page. I find it quite useful in gathering information about a med.
Maxime
Posted by florence on June 28, 2004, at 19:57:08
In reply to Anything and everything about PROVIGIL?, posted by sdjeff on June 24, 2004, at 0:37:49
> I have taken Provigil for over 2 years. I suffer from unipolar depression with unrelenting fatigue. Day one on provigil 100 mg, I was up and functional. I took it about 9am. By 4pm,I crashed-slept for an hour or so. If I had known, I think I would have started at 50 mgs. It helped tremendously with my fatigue. BUT if I took it too late in the afternoon (maybe 1 or 2pm) I had trouble falling asleep. It made me very "regular". I had a bowel movement within an hour of taking it which was good in my particular case. I had to take it everyday. Then, I noticed a mood drop about 5-6 hrs after taking it; feeling restless and crying for no reason. I have to take .25 mgs of Xanax to counteract this. I firmly believe this drug gives no antidepressant effects but a few people do.
My eyes felt a little bouncy too but nothing too unbearable. There were days during my menstrual period when I would take the normal 100 mgs and then still feel the need to go back to bed and I did fall back asleep for an hour or two. Now that I am in menopause, it doesn't seem to work at all:except maybe to make me alert while in bed with the fatigue.
I have tried 200 mgs and even 300 mgs-but not much change. I think 100-200 mgs is the effective dose unless you have narcolepsy.
It seems the higher the dose I take, the worse headache I get about 6 hrs later. However, I have had a migraine problem for over 20 yrs and think I am just susceptible to any kind of headache.
I tried zyprexa to counteract the "down" mood but it made me so tired and I felt like a zombie.
Also, I experienced restless legs initially when I tried taking the provigil after 3pm.
It totally suppressed my appetite even when I was taking remeron (an AD infamous for weight gain)
I do not think this drug is taken as seriously as the other stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin because it is in a different class. But, I have found it hard to discontinue Provigil cold turkey because of the anxiousness, agitation, and crying spells I experience when lowering the dose. The worst withdrawal was when I totally missed a dose:that's when I KNEW it was more powerful than I had read. I rocked back and forth and felt so restless and ALMOST panicky. Remember, I do not have any anxiety or panic problems
I finally read a post on another web site from a dr who treats people with post-polio syndrome. He asked if anyone felt agitated or anxious while on Provigil. VINDICATION: I was not the only one with some problems like this!
I hope this helps. It is a very good choice to help with fatigue. It DID help my fatigue for a LONG time and the side effects were minimal:but I did need XANAX to counteract the mood drop. I wish you luck; it is certainly worth a try. Just watch out for the crying or agitation.Hi all,
>
> My pdoc just started me on Provigil, 100 mg in the morning to try to combat this constant fatigue I seem to have.
>
> My cocktail is:
> 5 mg Zyprexa twice daily
> 100 mg Provigil
> .25 mg Halcion (rarely used)
>
> Any Provigil facts and/or stories are appreciated.
>
>
This is the end of the thread.
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