Posted by Rick on February 10, 2004, at 11:44:06
In reply to Re: started trial of Provigil...help??, posted by eugenia on February 8, 2004, at 15:54:44
I absolutely love Provigil. When I take it, I take just 100 mg and it works quite nicely 90% of the time. I like the fact that I can stop and start it at wil with no problem. I couldn't understand why on earth it's a controlled substance. I do get a very mild euphoria when I take it after a hiatus, but that doesn't last long. But it sounds from your personal experience as if maybe if it can indeed cause dependence or even addiction in some people.
My only problems with Provigil are:
1) It causes dry mouth, sometimes to the point that I'm "foaming at the mouth" and get profuse sticky mucus in my throat (sorry to be gross). There may be some other factors contributung to this problem, but I believe Provigil makes it worse.
2) It sometimes raises my blood pressure and or heart rate. My BP med generally takes care of these problems, but they can still pop through sometimes. (Ironically, when I had Serzone in the cocktail, it completley obliterated any cardiovascular effects from Provigil.)
3) It is extremley expensive (even when I get 200mg pills and (easily) snap them in half. This issue is coming to a head since my drug insurance administrator (Medco) has started balking against covering it, even though they always paid before. Now they say they'll only cover it for ertain conditions. My trump in appealing the denial *may* be that I was once diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, and just a few weeks ago Provigil received a new FDA indication for excessive daytime sleepiness in those with apnea.
But overall, I love it. It's the med that lets you mentally tell it what you want it to do. If you want it to keep you bright and alert, it does, But if you want to take a daytime nap...no problem. For me the biggest benefit is that it adds a wonderful talkability/sociability aspect to the mainstay (godsend) Klonopin that I take for Social Phobia.
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:87323
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040210/msgs/311678.html