Posted by Tony P on January 3, 2012, at 23:53:08
In reply to Low dose modafinil (Provigil) experiences?, posted by Franz on January 3, 2012, at 13:44:15
Modafinil at low doses (50-150 mg/day) works very well for me. I find it is an excellent AD supplement, helpful with many problems - mental clarity, anhedonia, sleep disturbances ... I could go on! If my experience (& a couple of my friends) is anything to go by, it should be much more widely prescribed -- I suspect there's a marketing/profit margin issue, but then I'm into conspiracy theories!
It is a funny drug; I find you have to work with it for it to work for you. What I mean is, I can take 50-100 mg and then go back to sleep or read in bed all day, both of which usually leave me MORE depressed, but if I take it and then get up and do _something_ (almost anything) positive &/or active, it kicks in and I feel great and get lots done.
I wouldn't be scared by the side-effect profile, almost any effective med. has a VERY scary list of S-E if you read the fine print. In my experience and in what I have read it is much safer than Adderal, methylphenidate & other amphetamine-type stimulants, or Wellbutrin.
Wellbutrin may be a great med for some people but I can't tolerate it. I'm very sensitive to stimulants and Wb gave me anxiety, insomnia and even mania. Modafinil by contrast is very gentle and has a low addiction potential.
I started out taking 2-300 mg/day Modafinil, but I was on a high dose of Clonazepam at the time. Now that I'm down to <20 mg Valium/day, I find 50 mg Modafinil is often all I need to get me going, maybe with a cup of coffee as well.
BTW, coffee on an empty stomach or with a high-carb meal that has a lot of sugar or processed carbohydrates is a recipe for a low blood sugar crash an hour later - anxiety, shakes, drowsiness, weakness -- easy to confuse with medication side-effects or an anxiety attack. When I'm sensible I start my day with a _moderate_ amount of coffee and no-sugar whole grain muesli with sugar-free yogurt or something similar; even good old bacon & eggs is great for keeping your blood sugar level so long as you don't have a cholesterol problem.
I never take more than 100 mg Modafinil at a time, and only occasionally feel the need for a 50 mg booster dose in the late afternoon. But I have had to work at a routine that makes it really effective; it won't FORCE you to feel better!
Good luck,
Tony
poster:Tony P
thread:1006234
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111226/msgs/1006276.html