Posted by Rick on February 18, 2002, at 22:07:30
In reply to Modafinil vs. Adrafinil, posted by Michael D on February 15, 2002, at 16:36:21
Michael -
Suggestion: Be careful about basing your conclusions about Provigil on one thread. For that matter, be careful basing your conclusions *soley* on what you see on this great board, period. There are just so many variables that can make a BIG difference in your response vs. others'...individual body chemistry; your specific mental disorder, subtype and manifestations; comorbid disorders if any; very importantly: what else you're taking (or NOT taking) at the same time (including OTC products); dosage; dosing schedule, more.
Provigil has added some wonderful dimensions to the good work Klonopin was alreay doing for my Social Phobia, whereas other stimulating meds (even just stimulating AD's like Wellbutrin and selegiline) added back lots of anxiety and worked against Klonopin's benefits. OTOH, if I were taking Provigil alone, my guess is it would be pretty damn ineffective for my SP, maybe even detrimental. Likewise, I know from experience that 100 mg goes a long way for me (some people get by with even 50 mg or 75 mg). I do spike it to 200 mg on ocasional days, but when I keep that up for too long, I start to get kind of wired and Provigil's benefits decline.
The good thing abut trying Provigil -- and even here YMMV -- is that you should know pretty quickly whether it's helping, hurting, or having no effect. If it's not helping after a week or two including dosage adjustment in the appropriate direction, you can dump it almost cold turkey. (Do check with your doctor of course in case you have a disorder where a sudden shift in medication can be dangerous. In any event, there are no physical withdrawal symptoms.)
Cautions: 1) Provigil can have an initial mild-euphoria effect for some poeple, and when this quickly dissipates they mistakenly assume poop-out. 2) That said, since it can self-metabolize, Provigil sometimes CAN poop out temporarily. This usually resolves quickly; if not, increase the dose a little for a few days. 3) While this seems like an uncommon side effect, Provigil can raise blood pressure in some people, so be sure to check a few times to see if this applies to you.
Other threads have many reports on response to Provigil -- ranging from very negative to very positive (count me gratefully and enthusiastically in the latter group, at least in tandem with Klonopin).
Incidentally, with regard to the comment that pdocs like prescribing Provigil because it is in a lower-control class than amphetamine based drugs: I had to spend weeks cajoling my pdoc to prescribe Provigil instead of the Ritalin that he wanted me to try. I'm glad I persisted in making a case for Provigil. That was a year and a half ago.
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:94296
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94563.html