My Doctor prescribed it for me but it didn't work for me. That's not to say it doesn't work, it just didn't work for me. According to www.WebMD.com it is used to treat sleep disorders like narcolepsy.
"Modafinil decreases extreme sleepiness due to narcolepsy and other sleep disorders such as difficult/irregular breathing during sleep (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome-OSAHS). It is also used to help you stay awake during work hours for people with work schedules that interfere with a normal sleep routine (shift work sleep disorder-SWSD)."

Sorry, the link I provided was for the main site. This is the information on Provgil.
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-16964-Provigil+Oral.aspx?drugid=16964&drugname=Provigil+Oral

I have used provigil from time to time. It helps me alot but then I have sleep apnea and sleep cycle problems. I am not able to tell when my chronic fatigue is chronic fatigue or when my fatigue is caused by my apnea or one of my many other medical problems. Hope it helps you. Marcia

PAUL17 - Thank you greatly for the links. CFS is much like trying to catch nightcrawlers in wet grass with a small flashlight. Difficult at best.

ATATAT - Yes, I can relate. Was on one med and side effects listed BOTH sleepiness and sleeplessness. Go figure. I got the later which didn't help CFS.

It's like shooting a gun that has some blanks and some are good bullets. MELATONIN 3 MG used to really be the bomb for me! All natural none of the blahhhhh in the AM.

BOTH OF YOU MAY CONSIDER THAT FOR SLEEP.

IT HELPS ME.....I TAKE ONE TAB IN AM AND ONE ABOUT 2 PM......WITHOUT IT I CANNOT STAY AWAKE AND SUPPOSEDLY I DO NOT HAVE ANY SLEEP DISORDERS. I HAVE HAD NO SIDE EFFECTS. GOOD LUCK

It's amazing too me. Helped me to work part time for one year. It even helps healthy people work longer hours etc, however my sister tried it (and she doesn't have CFS ) and it didn't help her. I gotta get to sleep. Night

I use it about once a week, for the last few years. For me the cost comes out to about $10. per dose of 200 mg. so it's not cheap!

The main reason I don't take it as prescribed - (200 mg. daily) is because it seems to compromise my already compromised immune system. I get a measurable fever any time I take it - as high as 101' and higher. I think if I took it as prescribed, it would kill me. :)

It absolutely makes a difference when I must be up and about all day, sort of like un-hitching the ball and chain that I seem to always drag around. But I can only keep that up for maybe 2 days at the most. By then I've burned up everything that I've got and even Provigil will not give life to a dead body.

Something else that I found helps (and is vastly cheaper) is Adderall, but the same rule applies. For me it'll help me get important things done for a day or two - after that, nothing helps; only recovery.

i usually take one provigil daily. today, being especially tired and having nothing much to do, i took .5. i'm afraid not to take any because it does give me a lift and without it i am more depressed. it's a stimulant, i understand, and used for narcolepsy patients to stay awake in the day. very expensive. wish it would cause weight loss, too, like other stimulants, but doesn't do that for me.

This is where I buy alot of my meds as they are about 1/3 the cost and are reliable.

www.canadadrugpharmacy.com

ALSO, contact the maker of PROVIGIL and they may have a discount program.

I know this stuff as it is my "gig" of what I did before I became so ill.