Posted by Rick on February 9, 2002, at 2:46:51
In reply to Re: Provigil- Adrafinil » IsoM, posted by IsoM on February 8, 2002, at 21:10:46
>I appreciate details – makes understanding much clearer.
That's exactly I feel, too. Although I can understand how some people could prefer brevity.
> I take 88 mcg Synthroid, 40 mg Celexa, 10 mg PaxilAccording to a 2000 in vitro study, the only liver enzyme significantly *inhibited* by modafinil was CYP2C19. This happens to be one of the primary enzymes Celexa needs for elimination. So adrafinil MAY (3 Beer, please note the "MAY") be increasing your blood levels of Celexa. If that's happening, it could be good or bad depending on whether "more Celexa" would be theraputically helpful vs. simply increasing side effects. That's why, when someone takes Provigil to fight AD-induced fatigue or apathy, it MAY not do the trick as effectively with Celexa as with other ADs. But there's a great deal of inter-individual variability, e.g. the interaction would be more significant for someone who has lower base levels of CYP2C19.
(I know this was discussed in a previous thread but I forget by whom. Sorry if I'm rehashing old stuff.)
> 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.
This seems to be evidence that you're probably NOT having an interaction effect. When I've stopped Provigil temporarily, I likewise feel a gadual decline in benefits, but they're usually gone within a few days. (Importantly though, there's still some residual benefit for my social phobia. Provigil-driven confidence, assertiveness, and social immersion have resulted in some lasting improvements in mindset and behavior.)
>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?
Yeah, I'd like to know that, too.
>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!
That's a nice, positive report! Once someone posting here tried to tell that a Klonopin/Provigil couldn't really be helping my social phobia because of that one fuzzy GABA-reduction study in rodents. Well even if the 25% reduction really occured in ME, and occured at a *relevant* area of the brain (and I doubt it would based on what I've read), the only thing that's important is that I'm doing better than ever with what should be a safe combo! (I have complete blood labs, including liver panel, at least once a year just to make sure everything looks OK there.)
> A year & half? Boy, you’d sure expect the memory improvement to kick in sooner!
I thinks at this point I'll have to write off Provigil as a memory boster. But it could very well have that effect for others.
> “… 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.That's not dumb at all, IsoM! Thanks for the idea! I have to keep telling myself, "OK, so it worked! Now get over it and move on. Pay attention!"
> “…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.pdfThanks.
>As you state, different people = different reactions, but it still seems to be good for many – the most important factor. :-)
Yep, whatever works!
(...and is safe and affordable)Rick
poster:Rick
thread:93083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020208/msgs/93392.html