Questions/ Answers- Provigil

Just curious about this product. I'm in the industry- my wife just had a baby and I have the 3:AM shift (been going on for about a month). I took a Provigil this morning about 8:00AM and fuck sakes- I have not felt this GREAT in a LONG time!!!

I'm your typical type A early 40s white male who generally spends a good amount of time being pissed off about nothing, really... Today I had FUN in every account, was laid back and really enjoyed my day- I'm telling you- this was like therapy in a pill.

So what's the gig? I see it's contolled- what's the MOA? You guys have an awesome product- I'm not sure if I'm your target patient/ candidate- but I'm telling you- your product put me in a frame of mind of the person I aspire to be-

THANK YOU!

 

This is sad. Thank Cephalon for the off-label push that puts their drugs in the hands of people who really don't need them.

 

I knew I wouldn't get a straight answer- I'm digging out my PDR now

BTW- my doctor said you had the indication for EMBFSD
(Early morning baby feeding sleep disorder) You know, it's about as credible as SHIFT WORKERS SLEEP DISORDER! LOL

I was just curious about the great side effects. I think I'll take a couple more right now!

 

Provigil is one weird drug. Its primary function is to promote wakefulness in people with narcolepsy, but it is being prescribed off-label for just about everything. It is approaching Neurontin (gabapentin) in the snake oil sweepstakes. At least the people at Pfizer know how Neurontin works and what it does. Provigil is a true mystery. Other than binding to a few dopamine sites in the brain, but not releasing any more dopamine like amphetamines do, the good folks at Cephalon haven't published (for the 2002 edition of the PDR) just how the hell Provigil does its magic, because they didn't know! They do know that monkeys like it as much as cocaine. The IAAF still doesn't know if it's stimulating enough to affect an athlete's performance, and who better to know about drugs than a sports federation, right? They plan on banning it next year. The World Anti-Doping Association has just banned it. Even though it doesn't do jack shit for an athlete's performance, except maybe in the biathlon. Anyway, Kelli White mentions how it helped her with narcolepsy in this article. I found it to be moderately useful for ADD and to counter the lethargy induced by my Topamax-Neurontin-Risperdal-lorazepam cocktail. I'd have enough concentration, focus and wakefulness to have a bit of a life until about 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Then it was time to just watch Buffy and eat a reheated supper until the meds caught up with me and he fell asleep in front of the TV around 8:00 p.m. Believe me, it was a vast improvement. At least the food got made, the bills got paid and the dishes got washed. I was most grateful for having that much of a life every day thanks to Provigil. Through experimentation I found that 200 mg first thing in the morning worked best. Any more got me wired and vaguely hypomanic, and hypomania is a potential side effect for the bipolar. Taking extra in the afternoon or dividing the dose to take some in the afternoon just made me hyperaware of how god damn tired I was. Provigil has been found effective as a treatment for ADD for children in studies. According to my doctor, it works best for ADD if sleep disruption or brain injuries are involved. Why, just like me and Mouse!

 

[ QUOTE ]
Provigil is one weird drug. Its primary function is to promote wakefulness in people with narcolepsy, but it is being prescribed off-label for just about everything. It is approaching Neurontin (gabapentin) in the snake oil sweepstakes. At least the people at Pfizer know how Neurontin works and what it does. Provigil is a true mystery. Other than binding to a few dopamine sites in the brain, but not releasing any more dopamine like amphetamines do, the good folks at Cephalon haven't published (for the 2002 edition of the PDR) just how the hell Provigil does its magic, because they didn't know! They do know that monkeys like it as much as cocaine. The IAAF still doesn't know if it's stimulating enough to affect an athlete's performance, and who better to know about drugs than a sports federation, right? They plan on banning it next year. The World Anti-Doping Association has just banned it. Even though it doesn't do jack shit for an athlete's performance, except maybe in the biathlon. Anyway, Kelli White mentions how it helped her with narcolepsy in this article. I found it to be moderately useful for ADD and to counter the lethargy induced by my Topamax-Neurontin-Risperdal-lorazepam cocktail. I'd have enough concentration, focus and wakefulness to have a bit of a life until about 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Then it was time to just watch Buffy and eat a reheated supper until the meds caught up with me and he fell asleep in front of the TV around 8:00 p.m. Believe me, it was a vast improvement. At least the food got made, the bills got paid and the dishes got washed. I was most grateful for having that much of a life every day thanks to Provigil. Through experimentation I found that 200 mg first thing in the morning worked best. Any more got me wired and vaguely hypomanic, and hypomania is a potential side effect for the bipolar. Taking extra in the afternoon or dividing the dose to take some in the afternoon just made me hyperaware of how god damn tired I was. Provigil has been found effective as a treatment for ADD for children in studies. According to my doctor, it works best for ADD if sleep disruption or brain injuries are involved. Why, just like me and Mouse!

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I don't know which is worse, the fact the what you posted above is complete plagarism (you cut and pasted it from a blog called 'crazymeds.com") or that is is so out of date.

You are a true loser.

 

HAHA BUSTED! What a fucking dork!

 

Provigil is a weird drug, but look who promotes it!!! Cephalon has their reps selling every product to be used every way possible. Snake oil at best!!!

 

Is it true provigil can reduce white blood cell counts, leading to reduced immune system, and therefore the ability to catch whatever is going around, easier. ie: colds, flu, viruses

 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Provigil is one weird drug. Its primary function is to promote wakefulness in people with narcolepsy, but it is being prescribed off-label for just about everything. It is approaching Neurontin (gabapentin) in the snake oil sweepstakes. At least the people at Pfizer know how Neurontin works and what it does. Provigil is a true mystery. Other than binding to a few dopamine sites in the brain, but not releasing any more dopamine like amphetamines do, the good folks at Cephalon haven't published (for the 2002 edition of the PDR) just how the hell Provigil does its magic, because they didn't know! They do know that monkeys like it as much as cocaine. The IAAF still doesn't know if it's stimulating enough to affect an athlete's performance, and who better to know about drugs than a sports federation, right? They plan on banning it next year. The World Anti-Doping Association has just banned it. Even though it doesn't do jack shit for an athlete's performance, except maybe in the biathlon. Anyway, Kelli White mentions how it helped her with narcolepsy in this article. I found it to be moderately useful for ADD and to counter the lethargy induced by my Topamax-Neurontin-Risperdal-lorazepam cocktail. I'd have enough concentration, focus and wakefulness to have a bit of a life until about 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Then it was time to just watch Buffy and eat a reheated supper until the meds caught up with me and he fell asleep in front of the TV around 8:00 p.m. Believe me, it was a vast improvement. At least the food got made, the bills got paid and the dishes got washed. I was most grateful for having that much of a life every day thanks to Provigil. Through experimentation I found that 200 mg first thing in the morning worked best. Any more got me wired and vaguely hypomanic, and hypomania is a potential side effect for the bipolar. Taking extra in the afternoon or dividing the dose to take some in the afternoon just made me hyperaware of how god damn tired I was. Provigil has been found effective as a treatment for ADD for children in studies. According to my doctor, it works best for ADD if sleep disruption or brain injuries are involved. Why, just like me and Mouse!

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know which is worse, the fact the what you posted above is complete plagarism (you cut and pasted it from a blog called 'crazymeds.com") or that is is so out of date.

You are a true loser.

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HAHA GOOD CALL! CAUGHT!!!!!!

 

First off I am going to say the person or persons bashing Cephalon on the boards are probably stimulant or Strattera representatives. They are obviously scared of modafinil coming out in March for ADHD. I would be too. Don’t worry though I am sure you will keep plenty of business from the drug addicts and people who like the stimulants rush they get because they won’t get a high or rush from Provigil.
No one from Cephalon promotes Provigil or any other drug for off label use. I am getting sick of seeing posts about this stuff. Incase some of you representatives have forgotten, physicians are usually very intelligent individuals. This is how they managed to keep a near perfect grade point average in college to get into med school and then pass medial school and their boards. They figure things out very easily on their own. It is not that difficult of a leap. I have seen some posts from people claiming that Cephalon reps push Provigil like Snake oil. This is not true. Any representative that makes a comment like that has to be pretty ignorant towards their doctors. You obviously believe docs are too stupid to understand MOA or anythign else You must believe that a doctor’s knowledge is only as good as what the reps tell him or what the FDA says. Well, how in the world did they get through medical school without you telling them the answers to everything. It is not as though they can read the about stuff in journal articles.
If any of the people making these bogus claims about Cephalon promoting off label, would get a grip on reality they would start to see the facts. Since the beginning of medicine, physicians have been using medications to treat diseases; infections and what ever else might ail a patient and they have not always followed FDA guidelines. Once they become comfortable with a medication and they understand how it works and the side effects, they can usually figure out other uses for it on their own. Medicine is where it is at today because of doctors trying different things to help ease their patient’s suffering, give them back quality of life and hopefully extend their life. Just about every drug has been used off label by a physician at some point. IF you are truly a drug rep you should be able to understand that this is a reality.
If a doctor always follows the FDA guidelines then when if you were to go into the hospital with an upper GI bleed, from an ulcer, they would not be able to give you anything to help decrease the acid levels in your stomach. Even the IV H2 blockers do not have the indication. But you would probably be put on Protonix IV or an H2 Inhibitor at very high doses! If they followed the FDA, you would probably bleed to death.
Most Child Psychiatrists will tell you that more than ½ of what they prescribe is off label. Adult Psychiatrists and Neurologists prescribe off label too. When a 3 year old child has bipolar and is putting themselves in danger, following FDA doesn’t make since, do to the fact that there isn’t a single medication for that child in label.
So those of you who accuse Cephalon of promoting off label, are suggesting that a doctor doesn’t have the intelligence to figure out how to utilize a medication to treat sick child or adult unless a drug rep or the FDA tells him or her how to do so. Perhaps you should go sell copiers or something other than pharmaceuticals. OR better yet, tell your doctors that you feel they are not intellignent enough to figure out how to use a drug that treats excessive sleepiness unless a drug rep tells them how to do it and they won't do it until they are told to do so. They will aprreciate it.

 

If you have never worked 3rd shift or swing shift, then you have no idea how badly it can affect a person’s quality of life, their health, their relationships with family and friends and their safety. Shift Work Sleep Disorder is recognized by the FDA and it is NOT a lifestyle issue. Somebody has to work at the hospital over night to ensure the care of patients and there is a need for cops, firemen and EMT’s to be on duty around the clock. Or do houses only catch on fire in during the daytime in your twisted world. or do you believe that people can magically turn into nocturnal creatures? And factory workers who work 3rd shift can’t just switch jobs. Think about it, they are generally without college degrees or formal training, so if they go from one factory to another they will probably end right back o third shift because of their lack of sonority. If you think that coffee keeps people adequately awake, then perhaps you should go visit the national Sleep Foundation websites and look under myths.
Brian was my best man and my oldest and dearest friend. He was killed 4 moths after my wedding by a 3rd shift worker, who fell asleep behind the wheel, driving home from work while Brian was on is way in to work. My neighbor’s father fell asleep behind the wheel of the car when they were going to the grocery store 30 minutes away and killed his mother. So if you think that Provigil is a bunch of bull s**T for Shift work sleep disorder, perhaps you should pay educate yourself a little more on the subject. My friend would still be alive now if the man who hit him because he fells sleep would have been on Provigil. If your Doctor doesn’t recognize SWSD as an actual sleep disorder, perhaps he should call a board certified sleep specialist and ask him or her about it. Or he could just look it up the DSM IV criteria. Maybe he or she should call the FDA and ask them why they approved a drug for a non-existing or non-credible disorder. Did your doctor actually do a residency?
Oh and if you are going to try to throw something out there to make your self like you are well read on the subject; like the comment you made on the cocaine trained monkeys liking Provigil as much as cocaine, at least get it right. The monkeys reinforced on Provigil slightly more than water but less than cocaine and stimulants. Oh and by the way cocaine addicted men said they would not pay anything for it. Funny isn’t it that iyou claim it is addictive but in 7 YEARS NOT ONE person has been reported to have become addicted to Provigil and no one has died of sudden cardiac death do to Proivgil.

 

The problem I have with it is the use for motivating people to get off the couch. Rx'ing for laziness is very unethical in my opinion.

 

Provigil is not for true laziness. I am guessing and hoping really that person who posted the comment about how Rxing Provigil for being laziness is unethical, is not a doctor or CRNP or PA. Alot of people(not all) who can't get off the couch are not lazy at all. They may have a real medical condition that results in an overwhelming sleepiness. Like OSA or SWSD. Keep this in mind: for the average narcoleptic to be diagnosed it takes 8 to 14 years because some people attribute a severe bone crushing fatgiue as laziness. 80 to 90 % of people with obstructive sleep apnea are also undiagnosed and often thought of as being (cruely) fat and lazy. Bottom line is that there are less true lazy people out there then perception. Most people that are considered"lazy" actually have an undiagnosed sleep disorder and therfore are not treated because the fP is o treconizing the slee disorder. over 50 years ago people with depression were considered just weak and if they got a back bone, they could get out of their funk. People believed depression was the fault of the person with the symptoms and the disease was thoguth of as made up. We told them to get over it already . Go to church and pray, exercise ect. It is just a matter of time before the general public and medical professionals start to accept that excessive sleepiness is real and has major consequences if not treated. A full medcial HX should be taken and a DX sould be given before a RX of Provigil is made. If you are a provider and your patient is truley lazy then by all means do not give them Provigil. If you do a complete HX and find nothing, send them for a sleep study. If after all the studies the paitent truely is lazy then do not RX Provigil. There are more legitimate reasons to RX it then not. If Sleep was no tso important then Ambiana and Lunesta and other drugs would be total bombs. Of course getting good quality sleep and the right amount is the perfect anwser there. Labeling someone as lazy who really truely has a medical condtion causing the symptoms is just closed minded and I hope a full medical Hx would be taken and analyzed before the decision that the patient is just plain lazy is made. I think that is unethical!!!!!!

 

I have heard patients cannot drink alcohol while on provigil, why is that?

 

[ QUOTE ]
First off I am going to say the person or persons bashing Cephalon on the boards are probably stimulant or Strattera representatives. They are obviously scared of modafinil coming out in March for ADHD. I would be too. Don’t worry though I am sure you will keep plenty of business from the drug addicts and people who like the stimulants rush they get because they won’t get a high or rush from Provigil.
No one from Cephalon promotes Provigil or any other drug for off label use. I am getting sick of seeing posts about this stuff. Incase some of you representatives have forgotten, physicians are usually very intelligent individuals. This is how they managed to keep a near perfect grade point average in college to get into med school and then pass medial school and their boards. They figure things out very easily on their own. It is not that difficult of a leap. I have seen some posts from people claiming that Cephalon reps push Provigil like Snake oil. This is not true. Any representative that makes a comment like that has to be pretty ignorant towards their doctors. You obviously believe docs are too stupid to understand MOA or anythign else You must believe that a doctor’s knowledge is only as good as what the reps tell him or what the FDA says. Well, how in the world did they get through medical school without you telling them the answers to everything. It is not as though they can read the about stuff in journal articles.
If any of the people making these bogus claims about Cephalon promoting off label, would get a grip on reality they would start to see the facts. Since the beginning of medicine, physicians have been using medications to treat diseases; infections and what ever else might ail a patient and they have not always followed FDA guidelines. Once they become comfortable with a medication and they understand how it works and the side effects, they can usually figure out other uses for it on their own. Medicine is where it is at today because of doctors trying different things to help ease their patient’s suffering, give them back quality of life and hopefully extend their life. Just about every drug has been used off label by a physician at some point. IF you are truly a drug rep you should be able to understand that this is a reality.
If a doctor always follows the FDA guidelines then when if you were to go into the hospital with an upper GI bleed, from an ulcer, they would not be able to give you anything to help decrease the acid levels in your stomach. Even the IV H2 blockers do not have the indication. But you would probably be put on Protonix IV or an H2 Inhibitor at very high doses! If they followed the FDA, you would probably bleed to death.
Most Child Psychiatrists will tell you that more than ½ of what they prescribe is off label. Adult Psychiatrists and Neurologists prescribe off label too. When a 3 year old child has bipolar and is putting themselves in danger, following FDA doesn’t make since, do to the fact that there isn’t a single medication for that child in label.
So those of you who accuse Cephalon of promoting off label, are suggesting that a doctor doesn’t have the intelligence to figure out how to utilize a medication to treat sick child or adult unless a drug rep or the FDA tells him or her how to do so. Perhaps you should go sell copiers or something other than pharmaceuticals. OR better yet, tell your doctors that you feel they are not intellignent enough to figure out how to use a drug that treats excessive sleepiness unless a drug rep tells them how to do it and they won't do it until they are told to do so. They will aprreciate it.

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You are so defensive and FULL OF SHIT it is laughable. Next time, please spare us and publish your hemorrhaging in the NEJM.

Sounds like this issue is really about you - and spare me the career advice - pushing copiers probably beats the hell out of what ever it is you do - you paranoid freak.

 

I have fibromyalgia and this stuff has given me my life back. Taking it when you feel fine anyway isn't a good idea but for me, if it made me grow a third arm, I'd probably still take it because I can live like a normal person now.

 

I am on Provigil for Fibromyalgia? Chronic Fatigue Etc you name it I got it! However after almost 4 months on Provigil. I am Moody to excess, suffering severe bouts of depression and anxiety, cry at the drop of a hat, am having uncontrollable twitching and jerking of my muscles, difficulty breathing right, grinding my teeth causing my TMJ to flare up horribly, can't sleep for more then 2-3 hrs at a time, feel in general just awful but even more awful when I try to quit taking it. So I have decided until I can reach my Dr. I am going to taper myself off of this horrid drug!
Every medicine affects every person in a different way I seem to be extremely sensitive to any drugs that affect brain receptors/chemistry etc. as the SSRI's and other Psych Meds that the Dr's push on us who suffer from chronic physical pain because they are so afraid to just keep people on the plain old simple Pain Meds the what I call tried and true, rather then mess us up with all these Psych/Epilepsy? neuropathic drugs that cause me and many folks I know in chonic pain, even more sorrow than we alreay have by messing with our brains that aren't really the issue, it's the physical pain that's the issue.
As long as I stay on my Pain Mgmt drugs and one decent muscle relaxer as I also have OA and Degenerative Disc Disease I feel mentally fine and have decent pain control and can actually function if I pace out my physical activities. I think the drug Co's and the Dr's need to quit pushing all these psych drugs at us.
that is my humble opinion for what it's worth and hopefully may help someone else out there!

 

can one tell me how to taper off of provigil correctly, how long it takes to taper off this medication and what side effects are involved with tapering off of provigil? does one need any other medication to taper off of provigil? please reply asap thank you

 

Accd to the PI- no effects of withdrawl were seen in pts in a 14 day follow up, after 9 weeks of Provigil use , although sleepiness did return in the narcoleptic pts.

 

One Man's Opinion - Provigil

I'm in my early sixties. I have been managing to live my life with sleep issues, although much of it seemed to be almost underwater, for decades. Seven or so years ago, after mentioning, (to my then uninterested doctor), for at least three years, of an enormous sense of always needing sleep, I was tested for Apnea. I was unaware of the disorder, and I think he must have read an article. After at least a half dozen sleep tests I have been diagnosed as having not only Apnea, (not narcolepsy) but for some reason (unknown) my brain also doesn't recognize that I have slept well. (when I have) My primary care physician doesn't really believe me, I don't think, but I deal with my sleep doctor for this. With time, proper use of the sleep Apnea machines have created better sleep, but no real change in my wakefulness, or my dread need for what are usually unsuccessful naps Last year I was put on Provigil. The first time I thought it was too strong (200 mg in the morning) I refused to take it after that. Six months later I agreed to take it at a lower dose. At that point, along with properly using the Apne,a machine, Provigil has slowly brought on serious improvement in my life. I now take 100 mg in the morning and I feel relaxed, clear headed and productive, for some six hours after rising. (give or take a half hour) But everyday from midday on is different. I have taken as much as 350 mg in a day (rare) and as little as 100 mg during the entire day. (equally rare) It is also unpredictable how doses of 50 mg to 100 mg, taken anywhere from noon to five PM, will affect me. During my afternoons, a 50 mg dose will prove clearing, and helpful. At times 50 mg will bring on a clenched jaw and a sense of heaviness around my forehead. Sometimes an added dose will prove necessary, but at other times, no matter how much I may have taken, it has just gotten even more burdensome. Sometimes I have noticed an excellent response to closing my eyes after 50 mg in the afternoon, followed by a short fifteen minute nap, where the sensation has been shallow wakefullness, or of not having slept at all. Strangely, I have never felt that taking Provigil even as late as 6 PM has interferred with my night time sleeping, as the next day always seems good, albeit with the assistance of the machine and the 100 mg dose in the morning, and coffee of course. (I wake usually at 6:30 AM). I have experimented with caffee all during the day, but now only take one cup in the morning. I will continue to take Provigil, but I do wish that my afternoons could be as regular and clear headed as are my mornings. It is now 12:37 PM and I have no sense of needing a second dose. Perhaps I will later, or not, as I said, the afternoons and the evenings are always different.