Posted by florence on November 13, 2007, at 18:57:34
In reply to Re: Provigil dependence? - Feel need 2x 200mg a day » Fivefires, posted by Mishal on November 7, 2007, at 4:52:20
I RESPECTFULLY disagree with Mishal.
I have taken Provigil on and off for over 4 or 5 yrs. I started at 100 mgs and it worked well for my fatigue. (later diagnosed with a thyroid disease: the cause of my fatigue.I never drank coffee. I would wake up and "see" if I could get out of bed by myself. I would wait and finally take the Provigil. Told the pdoc this and she said: just take it.......It worked in about 20 minutes. So I took it daily.
Then started notiving a "drop" about 6 hrs later. Not just energy but mood. My hubby noticed I was breathing a little fast. But I felt okay.
Months go by and I find out what an anxiety??? type attack is?? Or maybe abnormal thinking...Just a depressive type feeling and overexaggerated response-- (our dog died at one time and I was thinking: how is my son gonna go on with his life-- he was about 14 yrs old??)I realized it was not ME- but the Provigil. So the pdoc gives me Xanax which helped.
IT IS A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE! DR NEVER TOLD ME.
As recently as summer this yr she said she didnt have a problem with my taking 600 mgs a day. She gave me samples to supplement what insurance didnt pay for.I was nuts!!!! BUT it stopped working at 100 mgs so she gave me 200 mgs. more Xanax.
Now I know what Benzos are; withdrawal;
I agree with poster who said not to take it on a daily basis. Benzos are also in same controlled substance class.
Provigil always works when I restart it- much to my surprize; then it stops after 3-10 days.
I didnt think it would work again- tried Adderall, Ritalin, and even dex-amph (this past December) Since Dex didnt get me out of bed- why would Provigil.
The higher the dose- the deeper the withdrawal effects: irrational thinking- extreme irritability; headaches.
I thought it was a benign drug since original posts about it here YRS ago compared it to caffeine...Those people probably gave it a week or so at best........AND I am just GUESSING here but MANY insurance companies didnt cover it then so it was not in such widespread use.
I never craved it. It NEVER improved my mood. It kills my appetite.
YOU CAN BECOME TOLERANT- DEPENDENT- call it what you want.
Go to the FDA website and read the official package insert- the one they dont give you at the drug stores.... Anxiety and Headache are clearly stated as side effects that are dose-related.
Go to the SUBSTANCE board here at PB and read my response to a post about someone who took megadoses and felt a euphoria. I wish I had checked out that board yrs ago.....
I think any controlled sched. IV drug taken every day causes tolerance.
I weigh 100 lbs. Normal for me is 118. I had note about this drug yrs ago- a love/hate thing. Got me out of bed was the best effect.
No appetite, bouncy eyes, dry eyes; depressed/irritable mood.
It totally screwed with my brain. Try to take it on and off.... I always went back to it- not because of cravings for it.But my fatigue is SO bad I am bed-ridden. So I took it just to get out of bed.
Now, 200 mgs barely lasts 2 hrs. I can tell time w/o a clock- just by when the provigil if wearing off.
Goal is to stop it by end of year. "Have to" since Xanax will run out this week or so. It's hell.. mentally more than physically (except for headaches: which radiate into my ears- Provigil seems to control a certain part of my brain: I am a creative person and laid back.....it has made me overly sensitive; irritable;) But I try to focus on my mood improving when I stop it. And tasting food again. Even if I am in bed.
The metabolites (2 major ones) one lasts 3xs as long as the parent drug so it took me over3 days to get my appetite back. Cannot imagine how long it will take to clear out 4-600 mgs.
100 mg worked well to get me out of bed for months. Now 200 mgs barely makes me feel alert. And it only lasts about 2 hrs. Then I start crying or become foggy.
Be careful..... Tolerance develops to any drug. It's the most basic pharmac. principle. Body wants return to homeostasis. florence
> Feels like can't get out of bed in morn' w/o one. Then it works for about 6hrs max. Don't like feeling this dependence -or- shall I say the addic---- word?
>
> Hi Fivefires,
>
> Definitely it is not dependence. Your original symptoms are back. Provigil never causes dependence like SSRIS, Benzos etc.
>
> > Tried cold turkey a few days as don't like the feeling of needing extra per day.
>
> Why? needing an extra per day is not a felony. I spread my doses all along the day. 100mg in the morning, same dose right after three or four hours. Another 100mg at noon and if needed, I never hesitate to take 100mg evening or even at night. I still sleep well.
>
> > Anyone else ever needed more than one 200mg tab Provigil per day?
>
> Many. I am one among them. Some days, I am going little upper as 500 or 600. Contrary to the drug literature which states 400mg as the maximum dose and doses beyond that don't seem to have any added benefit, I still get benefits if I go higher than 400mg.
>
> And one thing all users should keep in mind is: Provigil is a unique med with some added benefits other than treating narcolepsy. It took more than a month for me to adjust to this drug. And during this period, I was really struggling with high and low caused by this stuff. I used to have a remarkable stimmulating effect right after dosing followed by huge crash when the drug wears off. This was on the first few weeks. But I was reluctant to give up and endured. Now my patience has been rewarded, and I feel like I am on the best ever medication I had in 20 plus years. No ups and lows now. Only an elevated mood with a magnificent calmness.
>
> Please don't write off this wonderful stuff just because you had a horrible crash while you were on this drug. Crashes will happen, but upon repeated administration, they will without any doubt cease. If you wait with patience, you will never regret it.
>
> And one last note: What many here describe as a tolerance is not the real tolerance. Provigil retains its efficacy all the time, but it is the initial euphoria that cease to exist upon repeated administration. NOT THE ALERTING, MOOD ELEVATING, CALMING, RELAXING EFFECT. It will always be there, but the problem is since you become used to the state of well being, you fail to notice it and complain of tolerance. That's all.
>
> "Even orgasm, if it lasts for more time, one will become used to it and feel like not having any such thing at all"
>
> With best wishes
> Mishal
>
poster:florence
thread:793616
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071104/msgs/794918.html