I took Provigil for fatigue, and it worked great, with no side effects. However, when we changed insurance, it was no longer covered and too expensive ($800/mo). We will be able to change our insurance back in June; and we are going to because I wqant the Provigil back!! Good luck to you. Kim

It helped on my most exhausted days. But I had to take it right when I got up in the morning. It can stimulate us too much and keep us awake

Thanks for your replies. Here's hoping it works for me. I will be taking only half of a 150 mg.tablet and see how it helps.

I take 250mg of Nuvigil, and it really helps. I used to be so bad that sometimes I would start dosing of while walking or many times when driving. As soon as I started taking NuVigil, I felt much more awake and energetic. It is is a stimulant, and it may make you feeling a little "high" at first, it did me, but it quickly went away once my body got used to it. I used to drink up to 2liter bottles of diet pop a day for caffeine(sp) and I drank coffee. Almost immediately after starting NuVigil, I stopped drinking the caffeine. Coincidence? Maybe. I take this med only on my work days or if I have to go out on my days off. I work 2nd shift, and I take it right before I leave for work, around 1:30 pm, and It really doesn't affect my sleep.

One warning I would give you, be careful with eating. NuVigil made me lose my appetite, at first I couldn't eat at all and slowly I had to force myself to eat. Then, gallbladder problems made eating even more difficult and I was back not eating at all. I lost over 30 lbs since May, for me it wasn't a bad thing since I'm overweight. Not eating, thogh, is not the way to go about to lose weight and it could be dangerous.

Good luck with taking it, I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

ja36
Thanks so much for your reply. I'm only taking half of a 150mg pill and I can feel a slight difference . I'm thinking about asking my Dr. if I can take the whole150mgs. I'm wondering if if was taken on a daily basis if it would be harmful in anyway. Anybody know?

I have been struggling with FMS for 12 years- developed addictions, been told I was depressed, you all know the deal. Got some samples of Nuvigil 250mg for the fatigue, and the past few days have been the best few days! Energy but not jittery, no afternoon naps, I'm alert, no anxiety, heart racing, pain has been almost nonexistent. I know there is no perfect pill but this s the best thing I've tried and I've tried many. The only downfall is MY INSURANCE DENIED IT!!! AAAgghhgh. But I feel like I'll be able to get it covered- I am not going to give up on it. What really irks me is my husband has been on it for a while, for daytime sleepiness (he's a workaholic) and they approve him but not me for fibro. I need to get my dx changed to sleepy I guess. :)

Dannahan
So happy to hear of your good fortune with Nuvigil. I took a half of a 150mg. today and haven't felt this good in years. I hesitate to take anything stronger, since I feel so good. My doctor knows I have bad reactions to prescription medications and I'm assuming that is why he put me on such a low dose. I pray that it doesn't cause any problems with continued use. Wishing you continued good days.

Thank you, I too am hesitant to get too excited. But so far so good.

I suggest
you look it up online - like at http://www.rxlist.com

I can't take it - according to what I read - because I have angina. 'there are warnings if you have high blood pressure or heart problems.

I also saw that it interfers with birth control pills.

Dianeham
Thanks for your reply. Actually I do have high blood pressure, but it is under control. I also have an irregular heartbeat that I have had since childhood. I am certainly going to call it to my doctors attention, although I have been under this doctors care for many years. Could be the reason I am on such a low dosage. Here's hoping I can continue using this medication, since I haven't felt this good in many years. Thanks again for your input.

I am currently taking Nuvigil 150 mg, and don't know what I'd do without it. My insurance does not cover it, but my PCP gives me sample packets. I take one as soon as I wake up, and the only side effect was I felt kind of shaky on some days. I would recommend breaking them in half until you know how it effects you.
Good luck, hope they work for you.

Just wondering why your insurance doesn't cover it. I only received a packet from my doctor. Did your insurance company give you a reason for not covering it? Also, did your doctor tell you to take it every day? I never thought to ask my doctor this question.

I have BCN, and according to them they only cover Nuvigil and Provigil if you have Narcolepsy or Shift work disorder. I guess it is very expensive and they don't want to foot the bill unless its under their terms. Reminds me of them not covering birth control? But yet they will pay $8,000 to cover the birth of a child.
It works very well, so I will continue using the free packets! Lol

I needed prior authorization when I got the script. However, my doc took care of it right away. It was my first visit with a new doctor, and, to my surprise, he addressed every single symptom I had at the time, including the overwhelming fatigue, sleepiness, insomnia.
He asked about the sleep stuff, if I snored, did I feel refreshed in my sleep. Also, told him, how I could be walking or driving and fall a sleep all of a sudden. Scary stuff, especially, since I had a couple episodes of falling asleep at work (only for a few seconds at a time, but, to me, unacceptable). So, he sent me for a sleep study which proved I got sleep apnea. He gave me NuVigil right that first day, for excessive daytime sleepiness, and suspected sleep apnea, sleep study scheduled, or something like this. They approved it within a couple of days. There were times I really did feel I had narcolepsy because of how sudden the "sleep attacks" were and how sleepy, weak, and tired I was most of the time. I would be in bed, and go in and out of sleep every few min. Pain was not controlled at all at that time, even though, I was seeing a so called "pain specialist," a quack who's biggest problem was that the dentist accross the parking lot from his office, drove a German sports car and he only had a Honda Accord(I think it was Accord) The old doc laughed in my face about fibro, and only stuck me with lidocaine injections, so he could milk my insurance as long as he could. He never talked about anything other than pain (which according to him, was all in my head."

Insurance is so complicated and so frustrating sometimes. I have a coworker who has fibro, and she told me she's been having sleep attacks, narcolepsy was her guess and her fear. Her GP, who dx'd and treats her fibro, wanted her on Provigil, but insurance would not approve it. She has the same insurance as mine, so what the heck? I believe, like mjanice said the cost makes insurance insane, but just like her example with birth control vs medical costs of having a baby, isn't taking a pill gonna be cheaper than, lets say, a person falling asleep behind the wheel and needing surgery as a result? I know, sounds scary because it is, teriffying.

ja36
Thanks for all your great information. I think my problem is not being able to get a prescription for Nuvigil. I don't believe I have sleep apnea, since I don't actually fall asleep during the day. My doctor gave me samples because I am so completely exhausted that I find it almost impossible to perform the most simple tasks. Of course pain is a whole other issue. Trying to tackle one problem at a time. My best to you.