I am on day 1 of taking nuvigil. I took 1 x 250mg after waking from a 14 hour sleep (my husband woke me up)..
I feel very tired (more than I normally am after sleeping 14 hrs) and it has been about 3 hours since I took the medicine. I know it is extremely early, but I feel that such a potent medication should work the first day. how long does this stuff take to work?
Nuvigil - how long does this stuff take to work?
Question posted by anonymous472048 on 18 Aug 2012
Last updated on 19 November 2018
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
4 Answers
KayOnline
8 Oct 2018
My daughter, who has narcolepsy T2 with LST, has gradually moved from 150 mg to 250 mg. The first couple of days on 250, there wasn't a noticable difference, but as the days have turned into weeks, she has an overall gradual improvement. She still sleeps a lot, but less than before. Her awake time is much more alert and focused. She is regaining her life!
She also, like some who have mentioned, seems to find it more effective way after she takes it. We give it to her at six in the morning, and she gets up around noon (home school privileges!). She is usually back asleep by midnight and rarely takes naps now.
darkstar01
5 June 2013
I suggest taking with something acidic in the morning with nuvigil, then eat breakfast after say 30minutes, the acid will help dissolve "some" of the drug quickly and give you a more awakened state. I also don't take the whole pill first thing in the morning, I split 1 pill in half and take the second half at lunch before I eat. This way I have more energy and take less naps during the day, at most I may take 1 15-30min nap once daily, previously I was take 2-3 1-2hr naps daily.. Also, caffeine will amplify the effects of this drug, if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure avoid excessive caffeine, however if you do not have any of those conditions it should be safe, I drink coffee or sodas first thing in the morning with the medication usuaully.
Also one thing that I think you should look into is a sleep study to see if you have sleep apnea, even skinny people can have sleep apnea, it is not strictly an obese thing, sleep apnea can effect your ability to stay awake during the day because sleep apnea causes you to wake up many times per hour while sleeping thus never allowing your body to get restorative sleep.. Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing for 5-10seconds, worst case scenarios people have even turned slightly blue then their breathing starts back up again and they end up gasping for breathing while asleep... Spouses or friends will usually notice this if they pay attention to your breathing while you are asleep. Sleep apnea can be dangerous and even deadly if untreated. Sleep apnea is treated with a CPAP device that has a positive air flow applied via a mask either over your nose, or your mouth, some use a mask over their nose/mouth I use the last of those three, I find that after a nights sleep with the CPAP device on I sleep deeper, dream less (which is an indicator of restorative REM sleep.) One last factor you should look into is your blood oxygen levels while sleeping, there are several finger based monitors that will measure and record this information for you, this will act as a prediagnosis and you can present this information to your doctor which should speed up diagnosis of sleep apnea. Low blood oxygen is an indicator that either your lungs aren't absorbing oxygen properly or that you stop breathing at various times throughout the night causing a dip in blood oxygen which actives the autonomic response which in turn prevents you from getting restfull sleep.. Some people with sleep apnea have to use a CPAP machine with an oxygen tank hooked up which helps raise their oxygen levels up to 98-99% of normal. Good luck, don't give up, also remember Nuvigil is also a treatment for sleep apneas sleepiness, so make sure you don't take it too late in the day or you may experience insomnia.
qkcam
6 March 2014
Hi I recently started Nuvigil too..and i do have a piece of toast and peanut butter a few mins after taking it. i have noticed i feel really lethargic and unmotivated for the first 5 to 6 hours after taking it.. then i can't tell if it is gone from my system and that is why i feel better, or if it is just starting to kick in. I only have 50mg tablets and experimenting with dose.. i took the whole 50mg yesterday and felt like a zombie most of the day.. open for suggestions..thank you
Jay Cutler
1 Sep 2014
It is so strange for me to read people saying it takes 5 hours to kick in or only last for 4 hours. Ive experimented alot with this medication and learned how to get the most out of it let me share my experiance. First off what meds you take and what foods you eat effects the effectivness period. If your taking anti depressants that sedate, eat alot of processed foods, do not work out regulaurly, dont sleep enough and take a sleeping pill rx or o.c they effect the drugd perfomance. I make sure i do non of the above and nuvigil is awesome for me! I wake up at 7am for work now used to wake at 8 drink coffee. Now i wake and have my water and 150mg of nuvigil beside my bed take them and then i like to grab my ipad and lay for the next 30 min the drug starts to work i feel the crankyness going away and i surf the web this is just my thing.
Then I get up i feel about 80% at this point drink my french press only 1 cup as opposed to 3 and I personally feel the coffee kicks it in and after that I am good all day long till whatever time I choose to go to bed. I dont feel it wear off I just sleep even if not tired i refuse to take a sleeping pill as i used to because i know how it effects my nuvigil in the morning so if i cant sleep well that night oh well cuz i would rather have 3 hrs of none sedated sleep snd take my nuvigil the next day then 10 hrs of sedated sleep and the nuvigil is fighting off that. I write this because sum posting these reviews of the drug could be on alot of other stuff to make this drug less effective. The drug works it works so well for me i get zero anxiety from it im extremely productive on it no need for a nap increase workout stanima without a peaky caffeine high it does not stimulate it motivates. Other advice take days off to keep the results going most patients I know that this drug works for does a 2 day on one of or day on day off and the results stay positive. Hope this helps good luck to you all and if you are really into getting the most energy our of yourselves then do everything i listed to be a better more energetic person dont negate from working out and eating right and take sedating drugs because i promise u this all causes fatigue especially the chemicals in food! Eat all organic its a must.
Jay Cutler
1 Sep 2014
It is so strange for me to read people saying it takes 5 hours to kick in or only last for 4 hours. Ive experimented alot with this medication and learned how to get the most out of it let me share my experiance. First off what meds you take and what foods you eat effects the effectivness period. If your taking anti depressants that sedate, eat alot of processed foods, do not work out regulaurly, dont sleep enough and take a sleeping pill rx or o.c they effect the drugd perfomance. I make sure i do non of the above and nuvigil is awesome for me! I wake up at 7am for work now used to wake at 8 drink coffee. Now i wake and have my water and 150mg of nuvigil beside my bed take them and then i like to grab my ipad and lay for the next 30 min the drug starts to work i feel the crankyness going away and i surf the web this is just my thing.
Then I get up i feel about 80% at this point drink my french press only 1 cup as opposed to 3 and I personally feel the coffee kicks it in and after that I am good all day long till whatever time I choose to go to bed. I dont feel it wear off I just sleep even if not tired i refuse to take a sleeping pill as i used to because i know how it effects my nuvigil in the morning so if i cant sleep well that night oh well cuz i would rather have 3 hrs of none sedated sleep snd take my nuvigil the next day then 10 hrs of sedated sleep and the nuvigil is fighting off that. I write this because sum posting these reviews of the drug could be on alot of other stuff to make this drug less effective. The drug works it works so well for me i get zero anxiety from it im extremely productive on it no need for a nap increase workout stanima without a peaky caffeine high it does not stimulate it motivates. Other advice take days off to keep the results going most patients I know that this drug works for does a 2 day on one of or day on day off and the results stay positive. Hope this helps good luck to you all and if you are really into getting the most energy our of yourselves then do everything i listed to be a better more energetic person dont negate from working out and eating right and take sedating drugs because i promise u this all causes fatigue especially the chemicals in food! Eat all organic its a must.
MarLyWalkerGue
1 March 2015
I've taken Nuvigil for years. It always started working within about 30 minutes; I felt a little energized, and then was able to sleep well. Recently, I can take it like normal (1/2 tab in morning and other 1/2 around 2 pm) but I feel nothing all day. Then around 5pm, it feels like I've taken 5 of them! My meds haven't changed and I just can't figure out what is going on. Any thoughts?
Jay Cutler
2 March 2015
Yes but I want to make sure I have my facts straight but ill still answer on what I think is happening. Have u always done this split half in a.m half at 2pm? I can def relate to it cranking hrs later. I believe your body has gotten used to the med and it doesnt. Come on as strong. After your 2pm dose it cranks at 5pm cuz they both r going at once. Its like your a.m dose is working u may not feel it as u do cuz ur tollerance has gone up then your 2pm dose hits n it does take 3 hrs to peak and I think that is whats happening here. A little bit of tollerance. Any drug even coffee first month taking it is instant and powerfull after a while same effect. Have u tried taking the whole 250 all at once recently? If so wat happens? I. Noticed Nuvigil works its best when your doing every thing else to habe energy normally. Ive had days where i didnt sleep much or ate like crap the day before and nuvigil or not its just not there. Jus try this this works for me tremendously.
Really pay attention to your diet first. Eat for energy something ive been doing for long time n its made nuvigil continusly work for me. First dont skip breakfast. U skip breakfast ull crash. Eat protein in a.m best is eggs.even if u dont like them. Dont eat sugar in the a.m or at all slows u down nuvas wont work as good. I say try this eat a solid breakfast no sugar no protein and good carb for enegy like oatmeal. THen take a whole nuva drink 1 cup of coffee no sugar just drink coffee for energy not taste. Its something about the caffene that kicks in the nuvigil. And i have added this in past 6 months and its made all the differsnce. K buy a box of 150 organic green tea bags for b.j for 8 bux. I make a gallon nite before with 17 tea bags then i fridgerate and pour it into 500ml poland spring bottles. After breakfast cuz u cant drink green tea empty ull get sick trust me. I start to drink the green tea 2 bottles a day minimum 1. I drink it like water. I do this because green tea is a nootropin just like nuvigil wakes u keeps u awake. Yes it has caffenie but its a natural caffene doesnt make u jittery like coffee u dont crash it also makes u feel happy. It increases dopamine in the brain it fights cancer its just awesome but u gotta brew 12-17 tead bags for gallon of water. The combo of what i jist told u has made the nuvigil work faster harder and no crash after. No matter how much green tea i have i dont get jitters coffee wil for me.green tea even calms u down itd really amazing stuff read about it.but id try that. Anytime u feel sluggish look at these things say hmm why am i lethargic did i sleep well? I did ok did i tske a sleeping pill? Did i sleep too much cuz even that can make u tired. Then id think did i est like crap yesterday? Skip breakfast? Usually every time its one or the other. Make sure ur drinkijg water too. If heatlh doesnt motivate u to do these thing fine it didnt for me at first either i did it for energy used to hate tea now I feel at a peak state all the time. So try this if your not look more at what your doing n not just the med. THink of a race care with a supped up motor it can go 200mp on a race track but put that car in mud it will have a harder time getting going. Your the race car the nuvigil is the supped up parts and ur diet is the road ur driving on.it all ties in.good luck hope i shed some light maybe helped u in some way.
MarLyWalkerGue
2 March 2015
So I should try taking all at once? I've never done it that way. It's 7:30 now,
; I'm in central time zone so I'll take the other 1/2 now. I do drink coffee. You might be right about tolerance because I've taken for about 3 years. Thanks for the info.
Yankee1962
13 May 2015
Thank you for this advise, I just got my Nuvigil today took one after getting the scrip filled, have some nausea and shaky, with a head ache, however I got 250mg so will cut this in half and follow your advise. Looking forward to having energy to workout, and live life with Multiple Sclerosis.
rludwick
17 May 2017
I noticed a couple things in your comment that I wanted to respond to. You mentioned taking something acidic before taking your Nuvigil. Doing that can actually reduce the absorption of the medication thus reducing its effectiveness. Also, Nuvigil tablets should actually not be broken or cut. Although the method of action is slightly different, Nuvigil is essentially the time released form of Provigil (which can be broken or cut). I know different doctors give their own recommendations but I just wanted to share this information since it is listed in the manufacturer's prescribing information.
LydiaRose0416
19 Nov 2018
My doctor told me it absorbs better without food and to eat about 40 mins or more after taking it in the morning. Today was my first day and maybe it’s just placebo but I already feel a lot more alert. I suffer from narcolepsy with cataplasia.
Inactive
19 Aug 2012
For me, Nuvigil kicks in 8-10 hours after taking it, so I'm up and taking it at 6 am, then my most awake and productive times are mid-afternoon to evening. Are you sure you started at 250mgs? That's pretty high, I believe. I started at 150 mgs and have gradually worked down to 1/2 the tablet. Give it some time to work. Best wishes - ElizaJane
anonymous472048
19 Aug 2012
Yes; my doctor gave me samples of 250 and I took a whole one; perhaps because he believed my lifelong problem to be pretty severe.
I found it a little harder to fall asleep last night. It took me about 10 min as opposed to my normal mere seconds. I also woke on my own at 11 30 as opposed to still being asleep at 2 pm.
The strongest hope I have for this medicine is to be able to wake myself. Not once in my entire life have I been able to rely on my own strength to get up, not for school or now for work. I rely solely on my husbands efforts, which causes dissention between the two of us.
If I could wake myself with just an alarm clock, I could deal with the fatigue throughout the day.
Of course in a perfect world, neither of these things would plague me. I need to experiment with what time of day to take this medicine.
LaurieShay
18 Aug 2012
Depending on whether you took it with food in your stomach or not, it should take 2 to 4 hours to begin to work. It will make you less sleepy, but not the same as an amphetamine does. It is a gradual onset and works throughout the 8 to 10 hours after taking. You will find that the second or thrid day will be the most noticeable as far as side effects which may include headache. When I take this medication, I take first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. It doesn't make you "speedy" like an amphetamine rather a more subtle wakefulness.
Related topics
nuvigil, narcolepsy, drowsiness, sleep disorders, sleep, sleeping
Further information
- Nuvigil uses and safety info
- Nuvigil prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Nuvigil (detailed)
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