[cab.s]

My dr. wrote me a script for provigil because of extreme fatigue,I was wondering if anyone has any exp. with this drug, or might know of a drug I might can use in it;s place (proviigil is very expensive).I':m on 16 mg. of sub /day and 60 of cymbalta.I have been taking both for about a yr.now.Any help will be appreciated.

[Kellyalittlesexy]

I take provigil for fatigue but I take 200 mg a day and yes I do know it is expensive if you do not have insurance or if you insurance does not cover it. I am not sure if there is anything else out there you will need to call your doctor to see if not get samples. You said you were on 16mg of suboxone or is that what you meant. And Cymbalta, I would think your best bet would call your doctor and get samples and explain you can't afford them. Maybe they would know what to give you. I don't know if this will help or not but I hope so, Good Luck

[cab.s]

Thanks for the reply. I did ask about the samples, unfortunately he didn't have any. I asked the pharm. about something that would be less exp. and he said they sometimes used Ritilan, not sure if I want to go that route though.Yes i'm on 16 mg. Sub. and 60 mg. Cymbalta. Guess I better talk to my Dr. and see what else we can do. Again, Thanks for your reply

[docmary]

Hi
I have to say, Provigil has changed my life significantly and for the better! I started this med about 4 months ago. I have chronic fatigue due to a liver disease as well as a host of other medical conditions. I have been on full medical disability for several years.

It took a while to find the right dosage for me - since I take it for an 'off label' use, the doc and I did some trial and error. What works best for me is to take 100mg when I wake up, 100 mg around noon and 100 mg in the early evening IF I have a long day! (I used to have about 2-4 hours of good functioning a day before provigil!) Now I can perk up within an hour of waking up and have stamina for about as long as I choose.

It does NOT change or reverse the cause of your fatigue! But it sure has helped me. If I have had a rough night, or am feeling more fatigued than usual - I will take 200 mg dose (2 pills) in am when I wake up and the 3rd 100 mg dose about 4 hours later.

The only real problem I have had is that I can push myself too much - and then no amount of Provigil will help! I just have to rest and regain strength. Honestly though it is a nice 'problem' to have.

I have also had a fair amount of weight loss since starting Provigil! Again, for me, this is a blessing not a problem. I just don't have much appetite during the day when med is working. Plus of course I am just more active since starting Provigil.

Hope this helps. It is truly a miracle drug for me and I hope it continues to work as well as it has been.

M

[AdheringtoLife]

Provigil is wonderful stuff. Yes, it is expensive! It enables me to stay focused at work everyday and not fall asleep at my desk. I have fibro and extreme fatigue very often. Its 11/each here with no insurance. I do have ins though but it still only pays half
If you go to the provigil website you can register and print out a coupon for 7 days free. Hope that might help a little. Good luck!

[hollyjean]

I definitely understand your concerns about the price of prov. and its alternatives. I've heard about people having problems from ritalin and I also took that years back (or attempted to) but didn't stick with it. I felt out of it and really not myself. I've been taking Prov. (non-name brand - Modafinil) for 3 years now. It really has improved my quality of life significantly. I'm overseas though and I dont have access to it here in Thailand.

[DanaStacy]

I notice the former Provigil Reimbursement Hotline became
Provigil Reimbursement Assistance Hotline (1-800-675-8415).
Although no longer filing appeals for patients, they may be able to help find the best coverage.

(Or, spend your new waking hours, thanks to Provigil, at a second job just to pay for it! )

[rxqueen]

You won't hear me talking good about too many RX meds, but Provigil is one of the few I will praise. My Doctor RX'd it to me about three years ago due to constant fatigue we still can't find a cause for. The med was very expensive, and insurance wouldn't cover it at all, but it was worth every penny I spent on it. I had no side effects whatsoever. It kept me awake and functioning, without the jittery, nasty amphetamine buzz. Also, I did not experience any w/d symptoms, except of course, the fatigue returning. But it did not return worse then it was before.

Suboxone might be partly to be blame for your fatigue. 16 mg is a high dose. Maybe you should discuss lowering your dose with your Doctor. Often people find with Sub that a lower dose does more for them then the high dose they were on before. Sub is very effective at lower doses then most think.

A lot of people qualify for prescription assistance as well. Check in your community, especially through the local hospitals, for a community action type program that assists with prescription medication. Also, PPA I think it's called has helped many people. Partnership for Prescription Assistance? The one Montel Williams is always promoting on TV. The drug companies want your business! They will go out of their way to see that you are taking their products! Trust me! PPA recently visited my community, and an article was written in the local paper about it. 2,000 people in the community received assistance with their prescriptions. Most people don't even realize the help they are eligible for.

If you want my opinion, I would not switch from Provigil to Ritalin or Adderall. Ritalin is what we call "Poor Man's Coke" and Adderall, "Poor Man's Meth" around here...

[Pharmgrrl]

Provigil has been a miracle for me. Nothing has ever helped my incapacitating fatigue or depression so well and for such a long time! I've been on Ritalin and Adderall and I'd hate to have to depend on either of those for the same results... it doesn't happen!!
I have to agree with those who say to order it from overseas. I have been obtaining mine for the past 2 years from a source in India for less than a dollar per 200 mg. and free shipping! My doctor is aware of this and is cool with it.

[aok]

Originally Posted by cab.s

My dr. wrote me a script for provigil because of extreme fatigue,I was wondering if anyone has any exp. with this drug, or might know of a drug I might can use in it;s place (proviigil is very expensive).I':m on 16 mg. of sub /day and 60 of cymbalta.I have been taking both for about a yr.now.Any help will be appreciated.

I have not been on provigil for very long (three months) but it has worked wonders for me thus far. Are you having any sleep issues that might be connected to the fatigue? I did a sleep study and a narcolepsy study and it was found that while I do not have full narcolepsy I do have a kind of narcolepsy (my dr. also did blood work and found that I have a gene connected to narcolepsy). He was, thereby, able to put in a special request to my insurance company to get them to cover the medication so I only pay a co-pay (which is still more expensive than other co-pays). I take 100mg a day. Don't know if this might apply to you but it may be worth a shot to explore.

[daninpain]

I was diagnosed with narcolepsy 5 years ago and the first med I was put on was provigil, it did help me stay awake but often times I couldn't think clearly like my brain was not fully awake but the rest of me was. They then tried combining ritalin with a lower dose of provigil but I used to have a cocaine problem and ritalin reminded me of it in the way that it gave me a quick boost then a long jittery crash. I was then switched to adderall 30mg 2x/day which worked but had me kind of feeling jittery a lot of days. for the last 2.5 years I've been on dextroamphetamine 20mg am and noon and 10mg in late afternoon and have found it to work better than anything else, as well as being the cheapest.