Monday, March 16, 2009

Provigil and Me

In How to Manage of MS-Related Fatigue, pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to combat fatigue were discussed. MS fatigue is not the same as simply being tired, or muscles which are fatigued after a good work-out, or the desire to sleep in on a Saturday morning. MS fatigue can be debilitating and interfere with daily functioning.

Even before I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I was T.I.R.E.D.!!!! After diagnosis it got worse, to the point where I needed to take 2-3 naps daily just to make it through. So I mentioned this to my neurologist who gave me some samples of a medication to try. Those samples were for Provigil, a prescription medication used to improve wakefulness in adults who experience excessive sleepiness due to one of the following diagnosed sleep disorders: obstructive sleep apnea, shift work sleep disorder, or narcolepsy.

Modafinil (Provigil / Cephalon, Inc.) is not approved for MS-fatigue but is commonly used off-label for that purpose. When I first tried it, the effect was not immediate. It’s not the type of medicine which guarantees that you are peppy in 30 minutes. However, I did start very conservatively by trying just half a 200mg tablet. After a few days I tried a full tablet and finally had a day where my brain felt “normal.” I could think clearly and only needed one nap. What a blessing!


Read this post in its entirety:

Taking Provigil for MS-Related Fatigue

2 comments:

  1. I used Provigil for awhile but it gave me a headache and made my heart race, I then tried Adderall and am now on Vyvanse. Vyvanse is the first one that lets me get through the day with NO nap at all. I still needed two on Provigil and one on Adderall.

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  2. Hi Melissa,

    I had not heard anyone mention Vyvanse for MS fatigue before. So it doesn't make your heart race? Do you have any undesirable side effects with it?

    Being able to go through the day without needing a nap is a wonderful feeling, isn't it?

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