Posted by Ame Sans Vie on September 5, 2003, at 8:54:52
In reply to I like provigil, but I miss sleeping! Advice?, posted by loolot on September 5, 2003, at 2:01:29
Most certainly sounds to me like Provigil isn't for you. Headaches are an extremely common side effect, occurring in 50% of those who participated in the clinical trials. And the fact that such a very, very low dose is interfering with your sleep (when Provigil should not affect sleep at all) *and* causing irritability is not a good sign.
> Can anyone give me some advice on how to lessen the sleeplessness or is it always going to be a problem? I would really like to raise the dose but I am afraid it will be worse. Does any of this wear off over time?
To my knowledge, tolerance doesn't build to the therapeutic or adverse effects of Provigil... if you're absolutely set on staying on that particular med, you probably will end up needing something for sleep.
> Also does provigil affect weight?
According to their website, 5% of the subjects taking Provigil during clinical trials experienced "anorexia", so weight loss could possibly occur. You never know though, weight gain *could* be an issue for some people. For example, stimulant drugs are used as appetite suppressants to help people lose weight, but some people find the stimulants don't affect their appetites at all -- they just eat *really fast*, lol.
It sounds to me as if your body is reacting to the Provigil as if it were methylphenidate or something... perhaps you have some metabolic problem that's hindering its excretion from your system, thus prolonging and exaggerating the effects? Have you tried any amphetamines? They're absolutely wonderful in improving cognitive ability -- more so than Provigil, IMO. Of course it sounds like you'd probably require a very low dose... maybe 5-10mg of a long-acting amphetamine (Adderall XR, Dexedrine Spansules, Desoxyn CR) just once a day.
If you *still* intend to keep trying with the Provigil, I'd suggest taking it with a benzodiazepine, and perhaps keep some beta-blockers on hand (e.g. Inderal, Corgard, Tenormin) for the headaches -- I read something not very long ago that they can greatly help with that problem.
Good luck!
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:257192
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030902/msgs/257241.html