Posted by IsoM on February 8, 2002, at 21:10:46
In reply to Re: Provigil- took test drive of abuse potential- none » Rick, posted by IsoM on February 8, 2002, at 13:20:31
> > “…If you don't mind sharing this, what is your current regimen for adrafinil and any other meds you're taking? Can I correctly infer that your desire for more info on a med you've already used awhile is part of a quest for better treatment response? Or is this more along the lines of general self-education, safety concerns, adraf vs. modaf, back-pocket info, plain curiosity, or ???”
Thanks for the nice, long post. I appreciate details – makes understanding much clearer. I’d like to know more for both sheer curiousity (I love all science related subjects) & the more knowledge gained, the more accurately I can decide how to make adjustments in meds, if necessary. My 79 year old mother, who’s still active & in relative good health, noticed the difference in me. She still has, at her age, ADD features, organisation & forgetfulness. She wanted to try it too. I checked with other meds she’s on for any interactions & told her to try a minimum dose first to see how it might work. I take her to the doctor for any appointments & will keep a check on her health too.
I take 88 mcg Synthroid, 40 mg Celexa, 10 mg Paxil (I want off it completely but had serious, long-term discontinuation problems when I came off a higher dose – I’m going to try going off it permanently this summer when things are always better for me), & on alternate days, one tablet adrafinil (300 mg) & the next day two tablets. I’m trying to keep it as low as I can & still have it effective. Lower dosage = less likelihood liver problems, I think. I’m willing to be patient & see what longer term effects (over 2-3 months) are without increasing the dosage too rapidly. I think if I had ADD without the hyperactivity part, I’d probably up it more. Maybe a higher dose wouldn’t have an effect on my energy level, just the cognitive part, but I’’ wait. Elizabeth also mentioned piracetam as a memory booster. I’m trying to find good info on it plus user’s experiences.
> > “…Even though I only take Provigil in the a.m., it has psychotropic benefit all day long, with the sheer "user-controllable-wakefulness" component winding down a bit as evening approaches. But I can really feel amplified benefits within an hour of dosing, particularly if I didn't allow myself enough sleep the night before. It clearly depends on the person taking it, what disorder(s) you have, and what specific benefits you're seeking. If I were taking it as part of depression treatment, I'd imagine that it might start helping soon, but not immediately. Or perhaps it would have an immediate impact followed by quick poop-up and then a more gradual theraputic ramp-up.”
Interesting, that you do feel an effect immediately. It doesn’t matter if I take it first thing I wake up or a couple of hours later. Feels the same. When I ran out the first time, it took a couple of days for the benefits to start fading & I could still feel some of the effects a week later but very weak. It might be more noticable for me because of my narcolepsy.
> > “ …I wouldn't be so quick to bucket them together, despite that fact that modafinil is the primary metabolite of adrafinil. Some people on this board who have taken both reported significant variation in how the two different meds make them feel. Adrafinil seems to have the edge among Psyco-Babblers, although I seem to be seeing more and more Provigil proponents like myself.”
That’s one reason I’d like to read more. Does the other active metabolites of adrafinil have extra benefits that modafinil alone doesn’t give? The reason I take adrafinil was the price. I can get someone in France to send it out – much, much cheaper than the oversea nootropic drug companies.
> > “…One thing I think people neglect in assessing whether Provigil served them well is whether it's taken as monotherapy (I have my doubts that this would be effective for my social phobia) or with other meds -- and if so, which ones. I can see Provgil being synergistic with some meds and working against others. Even though Provigil *may* reduce GABA in selected areas of the brain, for me it perfectly complements the Klonopin and Serzone for a more-rounded antianxiety effect. The specific benefits Provigil adds to my SP treament are startlingly tangible and identifiable. BTW, I've never tried Adrafinil.”
I’m not sure how modafinil/adrafinil affects GABA receptors. I find calming affects after a couple of weeks. I feel alert & ahppy but in a very calm, gentle manner not at all like other stims do. I also found it really lifted my mood. I have a bugger of a time in winter even with my other meds but didn’t want to increase them just for winter. I’m finding winter quite tolerable now. I can’t wait to see how I’ll respond when summer comes!
> > “…I see one of Provigil's main roles as analagous to an immune-system booster that helps your body fight off opportunistic infections that try to make their presence known when your're physically or mentally susceptible. I don't want any "cold sores" of anxiety breaking through. (Guess I've milked THAT analogy for all it's worth!)”
I think that’s a good analogy. I read that adrafinil has an over-all effect of boosting brain metabolism.
> > “… How long did your memory benefit take to surface?”
Near the end of my first package, which was about4-5 weeks.
> > “…I read that memory benefits start to appear after a few months. I've been taking Provigil over a year and a half. I'd be skeptical that any drug could really help age or med-caused memory lapse if I hadn't seen tangible benefit from selegiline.”
A year & half? Boy, you’d sure expect the memory improvement to kick in sooner!
> > “… Anyway, the anxiety's been lifted but my memory's even worse than before. (Ironically, my mentally marvelling -- obsessing -- over how comfortable I now feel during social/business interaction can interfere with listening and digesting. But there's more to it than that, because I forget things that have no social aspect at all)”
Could you train yourself to focus better? I know it sounds dumb but when I went back to university, even without stims, I noticed an improvement in concentrating & listening. It sure wasn’t easy but I’d keep dragging my focus back to the subject everytime I caught myself getting distracted. Took a while before it worked but I did notice an improvement.
> > “…I'd be interested to see the study you're referring to. Do you have a link or an electronic copy you can paste?”
This one is strictly on adrafinil: http://www.nevapress.com/cnsdr/full/5/3/193.pdf
One thing I have that may be different from you is I could still nap anytime I wanted to if tired. No way adrafinil could keep me going all night! When I get properly sleepy, I can conk right out. As you state, different people = different reactions, but it still seems to be good for many – the most important factor. :-)
poster:IsoM
thread:93083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020208/msgs/93356.html