Any thoughts on Provigil?

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I received a sample of a prescription drug called provigil and my parents seem a bit bent on me trying it. I just was wondering if anyone else had tried it and what any pros or cons would be.

Generally, I think this would be more of a treatment for something like ADD than AS since it's considered a stimulant... I have never heard of any AS person taking this yet, so maybe my parents gave me the wrong thing. I have been diagnosed with ADD but not AS yet, however, the last time I went to a doc was back right around when AS was put in the books 1994-5?, so either she didn't think I had it, or she didn't know about it yet. My entire family believes I am AS, but that's another story. To tell the truth, I probably am never going back to see a doc(I don't like docs) so I may never know in a official capacity. I guess I'm just looking to see, from a AS perspective of this forum, if this treatment would help a AS person at all.

I guess, before I try provigil, I just wanted to hear any thoughts if they are offered. A side effect of Provigil is anxiety, so perhaps that was the biggest factor holding me back from trying it. Anxiety is part of the reason I lack concentration and sleep in the first place....hehe Another reason this was offered to me is that I have sleeping problems, most nights I sleep only 4hrs or so. Generally I'm very tired... I think that I am over sensitive to everything and it keeps me up at night. I take it way too much information and it slows me down... It's kind of annoying because people sometimes tell me I'm slow, but I'm just overloaded. I can generally repeat everything that was said back to me, so I can prove i was paying attention.

Here is a little more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provigil I am by no means endorsing this drug. To the contrary, I want to hear anything, good or bad that people might have to say. If you know of a better treatment you've heard of/tried, please let me know. I'm not looking to go long term on any drug treatment. I'm just looking for something to help me get on a normal sleep/work schedule again. I'm tired of being tired... >.<

I'm going for a night shift job because I seem to sleep better from say 5 am till 12pm.

Its just my personal preference, but maybe you'd sleep better at different hours? Or maybe if you can somehow direct your focus as you try to sleep, to some sort of fantasy world.

I know it sounds stupid, but the ONLY way I sleep every night (usually still 5 hours max sleep) is by taking myself to a certain place in my head. One that directs my focus away from my thoughts which never want to stop... Hard to explain the feeling.

Anyway why can't you sleep? Is it something you can't stop thinking about? Is it generally a routine? Like for me, I can live off 5 hours sleep a night for most of the year..

But I don't recommend it for most.. Maybe my body just likes it, it doesnt seem to want to sleep more anyway! And I have bulk energy somehow.

From what I can gather it is used to treat that excessive sleeping disorder.then again everyone is different so if it works for you then fine!

Here is a good website that deals just with meds perhaps someone there has tried it http://www.crazymeds.org/ and could give you more info

Scintillate,

You did an EXELLENT job of explaining it. Doesn't everyone have that problem to a degree? I used to be AFRAID to do what you do. Every once and a while, when I knew I didn't have to be up the next day, I would do something like that. I started doing what you are doing only 2 weeks ago. NICE! Anyway, I used to have to basically just try to ignore it and eventually I would go to sleep. Of course, I had insomnia for most of my childhood. I would spend much of the night reading, and end up sleeping only a little.

BTW the first week I tried this was GREAT! It was like my childhood again, except I was reading my mind instead of books! Try wrapping your mind around THAT! The last week i don't seem to stay awake like I did. 8-(

Steve.

I have used adrafinil which is an analog of modafinil. I was not impressed with it. I have alot of it still (though it says it now has expired as of Jun 2002). I just took 2 x 300 mg tablets will report what i feel from it. I also just took 20 mg fluoxetine and 100 mg wellbutrin.

Scintillate, I do like your idea. Actually, I am rather fond of "going inside my head" to sleep. Generally that works, but it's hard to get relaxed enough to do that lately. It just seems I feel anxious if I don't have something going to be absorbed in lately. That and my neibor like to play music in the middle of the night and his subwoofer drives me up the wall...

I guess I know I'm crazy now because the noise is "barely audible" but I still hear it clear as a bell and it drives me nuts. I just can't seem to tune it out. Logically, I try rule it out, but somehow, noises I can't seem to ignore well.... The white noise coming from my computer doesn't seem to bother me at all... I don't understand...maybe it's the chaotic sense of the noise. The hum/blowing sound from my computer is constant, so I can filter it out and don't hear it. The "boom boom" vibrations and such from the music I cannot... :/

I cant tell you anything about this med but I do have sleep problems.I use earplugs and a loud white noise machine to drown out "other" noise.It helps a lot.The more I try to not hear a noise,like the ringing in my ears.....aaaarrrgggg,the more annoying the noise becomes....welcome to aspie focus,I guess.

I tried to post an update hours ago but WP was having problems. Anyway this class
of drugs are mild noradrenic stimulants. Far weaker than amphetamines and with very
few side effects. Combined with wellbutrin it seemed a bit stronger. Wellbutrin has metabolites that are strong noradrenlin reuptake inhibitors[they likely provide the
anti-depessant action, the dopamine reuptake inhibitor action of the parent compound likely does not]. Adrafinil acts as a adrenergic agonists . Which means it mimicks
noradrenaline.

I felt stronger motivation to complete task. So I'm going to try 600 mg again tommorrow. Oh my keyboard is dead and I'm typing with the "on-screen keyboard"
one mouse click a letter.

I took some today. Actually it's not so bad. I've taken Ritalin for my ADD a long while back and I hated the drugged feeling it gave so I quit.

This new one doesn't make me feel drugged(yet) so I don't mind it. I'm actually staying awake at work pretty good(usually I have to take a nap at lunch and didn't today). Dunno, It's not like a huge change or anything really. More or less like drinking a bunch of monster/rockstar/redbull(insert energy drink here) without the usual caffine jitters.

I feel less restless because I don't feel so tired, so I guess I'll keep taking it. When I'm exhausted I feel so uncomfortable because I know I'm not functioning completely right(worry about causing a car accident, etc). I read it's also used for depression and OCD, so we'll see if it helps with that. But I really don't feel any different, except for the "more awake/ontask" part.

Thanks for your advice. I've always been med shy. But if it's not making me worse and helps some I guess it can't hurt.

i've been taking provigil for awhile. I was prescribed it because other meds i take for tourrette's and anxiety (risperdal and prozac) make me extremely sedated even on the smallest possible dose cut in fourths. (i would get 10 hours sleep at night and still fall into micro-sleep in-between the teacher's words in class!) The provigil works great for me. I take 50 whatevers of it (half of a small pill) in the morning and i am normal, awake, and alert all day. it is wonderful! i haven't noticed any side effects except it makes your pee smell wierd and sometimes i think it might alter my mood to be slightly more content and optimistic.

naturally, I hate the idea of needing a pill to be alert every day. i tried going off the risperdal and the provigil to see if i could manage. I was alert, awake, and wonderful just like with the provigil, but my tics got worse and i couldn't take it. So for now its take a pill to counteract the other pill.

I too have always had trouble falling asleep too. i use a white noise machine. now i take the risperdal a few hours before bed so it kicks in and i usually get to sleep in under 1.5 hours.

good luck! i hope it works for you.

I'm taking provigil for sleepiness side-effects from Lexapro. I don't have too much trouble sleeping on it, but if you already have insomnia it could exacerbate it. On the other hand, it may help regulate your circadian rhythm. Either way, relatively little harm in trying it.

I've had bad insomnia too, Remeron and Lexapro help me sleep.

I don't think you should take it if it causes anxiety; as for the trouble falling asleep problem, you could try imaging the words breathe in and breathe out as you slowly inhale and exhale. It sounds like it won't work but it helped me so it may or may not help you.

my opinion on side effects:

they're so different for everybody. Unless the side effect is death or a catestrophic debilitating neverending something awful, i think its worth it to try the med you and your doctor think might work. If side effect develops, weigh the beneficial effect with the side effect, and stop the med if you choose to do so. But i think you should first give it a shot. The thing with psychiatric meds is that they can cause pretty much any side effect known to man. Most of them are rare, and some only happen to some people. I think one of the side effects listed on Prozac was "yawn", for example. Paradoxaly, anti-anxiety and depression meds have a side effect of causing anxiety and depression, but more often they treat it (or else they wouldn't be on the market).

Personally, i'm very sensitive to side effects on most medications but i've had none on provigil. I recommend trying it if your doctor thinks you should.

Also, after re-reading your first post, i think you might want to re-clarify with your doctor what symptoms he or she is prescribing this for. It won't help you sleep, but it will help you stay awake after a night of bad sleep. It won't help any AS symptoms as far as i understand.
I just consider it my "wake up pill".

Yes I been taking 600 mg of the old analog every mourning for the last 3 days and
it kept me from napping and gave me energy to post more. Since WP is an obession
for many aspies you can safely say it want help AS at all. But it will keep you awake and myself had no side effects.

hey check this page on buzzfeed about provigil:
http://buzzfeed.com/buzz/Provigil

(incidently it actually links to this thread... actually i found out about this thread through that site lol)