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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Provigil (Modafinil) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Provigil review by 38 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Fatigue from Rheumatoid Arthiritis |
| Dosage & duration: | | 200mg Qam and 100mg Qnoon prn taken once to twice a day for the period of 8 months and counting |
| Other conditions: | | rheumatoid arthritis, MTHFR, PAI-4g, Insulin resistant |
| Other drugs taken: | | Folbic, Effexor, Aspirin, metformin, Celebrex, hydroxycloroquin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was able to function until later in the day, without needing a nap |
| Side effects: | | none, but since it is a brand name drug, my copay is $50 |
| Comments: | | I was diagnosed with RA in April 07 after 2 years of different doctors. The fatigue was overwhelming. The Provigil is helping. |
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| | Provigil review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | fatigue |
| Dosage & duration: | | 150 mg taken 1 tablet bid for the period of asnecessary |
| Other conditions: | | scleroderma |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The treatment definitely increased productivity for me during the day when before I had experienced far too much fatigue to work effectively or focus |
| Side effects: | | Taking the full dose resulted in insomnia and some agitation. In addition, appetite loss, dry mouth, and some stomach upset were also experienced. |
| Comments: | | I was originally prescribed 1 tablet bid and discovered that for me, reducing the dosage to 1/2 tablet worked much better. I am about 5'4" and weigh 140 lbs. I now use the medication only on an as needed basis rather than take it daily, which is not necessary as my energy levels vary quite a bit. It was also suggested that I try Flexoril (sp) to see if the cause for my fatigue was caused by pain or discomfort which kept me from getting adequate sleep. That was not effective unless I wanted to miss a day from even more fatigue than usual. |
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| | Provigil review by 41 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Narcolepsy |
| Dosage & duration: | | 400 mg. taken once daily for the period of 10 yrs. |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | Adderall XR | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | improvement in daytime wakefulness without the "peaks and valleys" previously experienced taking prescription Ritalin for this condition. There's no excessive nervousness or feeling like I'm taking speed. I just don't feel like I'm going to fall asleep. |
| Side effects: | | None that I'm aware of. I am starting to wonder if it has effected the health of my gum tissue, but there is no documented evidence to support that. |
| Comments: | | Once daily medication to deter excessive daytime sleepiness associated with sleep disorder Narcolepsy. Downside of it is that it is VERY expensive. |
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| | Provigil review by medical professional caring for 32 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Excessive fatigue |
| Dosage & duration: | | 200 mg taken daily for the period of started 2 months ago, still on it |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | As a medical professional (newly graduated medical student now in first year of residency), I am able to feel more alert and focused during the day even after having been up all night. As free time is scarce in residency, I am now able to study when I would otherwise be too exhausted to do anything. |
| Side effects: | | I really did not have any side effects. It has been reported that headache is common, however I did not experience that at all. I did not have any problems with my sleep schedule either. |
| Comments: | | Recommended dose is 200mg once a day, can also be taken again in the afternoon if needed. |
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| | Provigil review by 39 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Primary Hypersomnia |
| Dosage & duration: | | 200 mg taken 2x day for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | Acne rosacea |
| Other drugs taken: | | Oracea | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Increased alertness throughout the day with increased sleep quality. I still have to take naps in my car on some days, but overall this medicine is working great for me. |
| Side effects: | | There have been no side effects to date, and have been on the medication for 2 years |
| Comments: | | Diagnosed through sleep study with primary hypersomnia; sleep Dr. suggested Provigil instead of Ritalin. Has worked wonderfully. |
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| | Provigil review by 55 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Multiple Sclerosis |
| Dosage & duration: | | 400-600 mg. per day taken once a day for the period of 7 years |
| Other conditions: | | Diabetes |
| Other drugs taken: | | , Glucophage, Gemfibrozil, Bacflofen,Effexor | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Provigil energizes me which improves my ability to function. Without it, the fatigue I experience due to MS overwhelms me and renders me pretty much useless. |
| Side effects: | | The only side effect is increased wakefulness at night when I'd like to go to sleep. |
| Comments: | | The neurologist who first diagnosed the MS prescribed Provigil in 2001. At first I took only 100 milligrams per day, but have gradually increased the dose in order to get the same effect I got initially. I've asked my doctors several times if the drug is addictive, and they say it is not supposed to be. |
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| | Provigil review by 37 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | low energy |
| Dosage & duration: | | 100 mg taken one tablet daily for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | wellbutrin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The medicine gave me that added energy to feel good during the day and to have the engergy to keep up with me 4 year old son and 3 year old daughter. It didn't make me jittery. It just boosted my energy. It did give me considerable dry mouth. I did notice that I would be a little more tired if I didn't take it for a couple of days. I think it is mildly addictive. Overall, I gained more benefit from it than negatives. I did worry about blood pressure because it did seem to increase my heartrate. I would recommend it to those who suffer from mild depression and/or just need a little extra energy boost. The medication is actually to treat narcolepsy, a condition in which a patient falls asleep at random times and has trouble staying awake. |
| Side effects: | | Dry mouth, mild addictive properties, slight increase in heart rate. |
| Comments: | | I took 1 tablet every morning. 100 mg. It was important to take it in the morning. If I took it at night, I would be up all night. |
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| | Provigil review by 33 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | narcalepsy |
| Dosage & duration: | | 200mg taken 1x a day for the period of everyday for 1yr |
| Other conditions: | | acne acne acne acne |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Did keep me awake. Keep me going. No heart racing, no dizziness, no nausia. I would recommend this drug before any others. It works wonders. The acne that comes with it is bad. Very bad. New pimples pop up all the time. |
| Side effects: | | None. Not that I can tell. |
| Comments: | | One dose a day. |
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| | Provigil review by 55 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Daytime sleepiness |
| Dosage & duration: | | 100mg taken 3 per day for the period of 7 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | Depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | Cymbalta | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Virtually nil. PLEASE< PLEASE read on.... |
| Side effects: | | If you take a look at the side effects the FDA requires Provigil manufacturer Cephalon to list, you will find the usual stomach aches, headaches etc.. Such side effects are so common that virtually every new prescription medication ends up listing them, which is why most of us don't bother reading the side effect profile for meds. However, failing to look at the side effects for Provigil could end up costing you your life. Provigil of course does list the usual side effects, yes, but ther is one side effect listed that is rarely included as a medication side effect. Further, even if you should happen to actually read the list of Provigil's side you are not likely to know what it means. The side effect is called "vasodilatation", and the manufacturer reported to the FDA that it occurred to 1 out of every 50 test subjects while it happened to 0 out of every 50 who took the placebo. What is "vasodilatation"? Vasodilatation, nearly always referred to as the more recognizable "vasodilation", refers to the general relaxation of blood vessels, a phenomenon that usually ends up causing a small drop in blood pressure but sometimes causes a significant blood pressure drop, when it is then called hypotension. And, if you'll read on, you'll see why for me, and potentially for 1 out of every 50 users of Provigil, it very nearly killed me.
After 7 weeks on Provigil, with the last week having been increased from 200mg to 300mg per day, I awoke one morning in a highly delusional state, speaking of non-existent farm animals wandering around the kitchen table where my wife and I were seated. After apparently collapsing in my bedroom, I was taken to ER, which quickly determined that I was critically hypotensive (low blood pressure of 72/35). I quickly lapsed into cardiogenic shock, a condition where the heart all but stops pumping blood and one of the deadliest of all medical crises. Even among those who are still alive upon arrival at an ER, 70% to 80% die within hours or a few days. Those who survive likely do so, as I did, with kidneys in acute failure and brain damage similar to what is sustained by near-drowning victims who have been resuscitated by a lengthy CPR session. |
| Comments: | |
My ER doctor immediately paged the cardiologist on call. Arriving quickly, he assessed my condition and determined that my only chance of survival was a transport to a regional heart center 35 miles away. As he awaited the ambulance, he took me to my local hospital's heart catheterization lab, not to put a stent in, but to push a tiny balloon through my femoral artery to a destination next to my aorta, after which a tiny battery powered air pump was used to inflate the balloon and keep it inflated. The balloon (called an intra-aortic balloon pump) works by temporarily filling the empty space around the heart, then applying continuous gentle pressure to my aorta in an effort to keep my blood pressure from additional falling past the small amount that would otherwise kill me. Arriving at the heart center I was unconscious and would lapse into a coma for 9 days, kept alive by mechanical ventilation through a tube inserted through my throat to my lungs ("I'm in", the TV doctors always say when the get the insertion right). |
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