Armodafinil for Narcolepsy User Reviews

• Luna
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 16, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy about 18 months ago after battling constant fatigue no matter how much sleep I received at night or how many naps I took throughout the day. Nuvigil has changed my life! I take one pill daily, and I am able to live a normal life outside of the fog that I was constantly living in before my diagnosis. I had a lot of side effects when I first started taking Nuvigil, which included headaches, dry mouth, cramping, nausea, loss of appetite, and dizziness, but those were nothing compared to being able to finally live my life fully for the first time! I felt like before I was swimming in murky water, unable to see or function, and after the medication, I can actually experience life and interact with people!"

• Lynne
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2018

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been on Nuvigil for almost a year now. This has been the only stimulant to work for me. I have narcolepsy and ADHD, so Adderall and its related medicines actually make me more of a zombie, albeit a very focused zombie. Nuvigil does not cause my heart to race (I also have mitral valve prolapse), and it does not negatively affect my anxiety. This medicine has been a lifesaver for me! It does affect my ability to feel hunger. I don’t get hungry until around 2 p.m., but honestly, this is a good thing because when I eat, I become very tired. This is due to the nature of narcolepsy. We are low on orexin, so when we eat, what little orexin we have gets ‘turned off.’ Orexin is the chemical in the brain that helps regulate wakefulness and sleep. Orexin on means awake, and orexin off means asleep. Orexin is directly affected by food intake."

• Kris
• December 7, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have Idiopathic Hypersomnia with long sleep time. Before Nuvigil, I would sleep 16-20 hours per day, and nothing could keep me awake. This medicine has completely changed my life. I am on the highest dosage (250mg). At first, the medicine gave me a terrible headache and made me feel somewhat sick to my stomach. After about two to three weeks, the side effects almost completely subsided. I feel like a normal person now. I take the medicine early in the morning when my first alarm goes off. Sometimes, I fall back to sleep, or I can stay up and relax watching T.V. An hour or two later it is easy to wake. Energy throughout the day, and doesn't keep me up at night. This allows me to live 'normally'. I feel little to no side effects and get sleepy before bedtime, energized all day."

• Lilo
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2021

"I have been on Nuvigil for at least 5 years. My insurance recently stopped paying for the name brand and will only pay for generic. My pharmacy filled armodafinil from drug manufacturer Aurobindo... my experience was absolutely horrible. I have never been so tired in my life. Within an hour of taking it, I was extremely tired, I was unable to stay awake regardless of whether I was standing, driving, or gardening. The headaches were debilitating and I started having dizzy spells. When I realized it could be this medication by this manufacturer, I stopped taking it immediately, and it took two days for the effects to wear off. I will never take any medication from the drug manufacturer Aurobindo again."

• TRWRN
• November 19, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "During a yearly checkup, my doctor impressively picked up on my sleep disorder (personally, I thought he was nuts; I felt it was just all the crazy stress in my life that made me want to sleep at any chance I got). Well, my sleep study came back severely abnormal. What?? Are you kidding me??? He was right! I was diagnosed with excessive daytime sleepiness/narcolepsy without cataplexy. Since then, I have been on Nuvigil 250mg. I cannot begin to tell you the difference it has made! The response was immediate for me, and I'm so glad I no longer have to sleep my days away! What an interesting field of medicine! I believe what they know about sleep now is just a scratch on the surface on how it impacts our health and well-being."

• Joano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 5, 2020

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been on Nuvigil 150 mg for almost 4 months. I was previously on Adderall 20 mg twice a day for several years and Ritalin before that. Nuvigil does absolutely nothing for me. I can't stay awake, cannot function, very depressed. I would much rather go back on Adderall."

• Lindsey...
• August 16, 2015

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I found myself sleeping all day against my will, and it was depressing to be so unproductive. After I was accepted to vet school, I knew I needed to figure out why I was so tired all the time. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy without cataplexy. I immediately started Nuvigil in an attempt to get regulated before I started school. About a week in, I experienced anxiety and a racing heart on a few different days. My symptoms soon subsided, and I found my quality of life drastically improved. I take it in the morning before class, and I was able to stay awake all day with very little problem. I still have good days and bad, but my worst day is still better than my life before it. I am so thankful for my doctor and Nuvigil."

• Bambi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2018

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "This medication takes time to get into and out of my system. The transitions are terrible for me. Lots of anxiety and scatterbrains. I am very emotional on this medication. When I am tired of the lump in my throat, I quit taking it. When I can't stay awake and my job is at risk, I try again. The end results are always the same. I don't want to do anything, go anywhere, and can't quit crying. The first time I took it, 2 months. The second time I took it, 5 months. And now I have been on it for 5 days and am calling it quits. It does not keep me awake. I get huge headaches. There is no reason to live for me while using this medication."

• Polly
• December 1, 2019

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "My son has been taking this medication as he has fallen asleep behind the wheel and is tired all the time (narcolepsy). This medication is working for him, he has so much more energy and isn’t tired when he has it. If he doesn’t take it, he sleeps all afternoon."

• Anonymous
• June 15, 2009

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "Idiopathic Hypersomnia - Nuvigil has been available for prescription for two weeks; I have been taking it for five days. 50 mg once in the morning. I do not have trouble falling asleep at night, which I did on Provigil. Nuvigil is rather expensive to fill, more than $1 per pill for my copay. It has helped my daytime sleepiness somewhat, but not taken it away completely. I still get strong urges to nap, but they are more resistible. I sleep less at night, more like 7-9 hours than 8-10. The big problem is that Nuvigil appears to be triggering migraines for me. I have chronic migraine syndrome, and I usually get one per week, but for the first four days on Nuvigil, I got three migraines. I will have to discontinue it if this side effect doesn't stop."

• KamyM...
• June 8, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I diagnosed myself after reading a pamphlet in the doctor's office the other day. It was like reading the story of my life for the last couple of years. She put me on Nuvigil, and I'm currently on my second day of it. I've noticed a lot more awakeness and anxiety. Slight heart issues, I think, like racing from time to time, and one severely sharp pain yesterday, but otherwise, I really feel much better. Too bad it's too late to save my marriage, but at least I will be able to build a new life where before there would have been no way to cope. Wish me luck, guys. I've had no headaches or jaw issues either."

• Anonymous
• December 11, 2009

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been taking Provigil 3 x 200 mg tabs in the morning. It works but not great. I would be sitting at my desk and do 'head bobs.' This is not acceptable to me. My doctor suggested I try Nuvigil. I started taking it last week. I took one 250 mg in the morning. It is a sleeping pill to me. This week has been the longest week for me. I am fighting to stay awake at work. I am interested to see if others have this same reaction to Nuvigil."

• mjeap...
• September 25, 2014

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been dealing with narcolepsy since 1992. Nuvigil was introduced to me in 2014, wonder pill all the way. Unfortunately, with my insurance, my out-of-pocket expense will run approximately $550 for a 30-day supply. So tell me, do I feed my family of 5 or buy medicine? What a choice to have to make."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 21, 2015

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "My experience has been very positive: a complete elimination of sleep attacks, at least until the medication wears off (I take it at about 7 AM and usually around 2-3 PM I can tell it's worn off). When I first began the medication, I experienced fairly severe insomnia at night for a few days and suffered from headaches (generally dull, low-grade ones) for a couple of weeks. Those problems have long since ended, and I have no trouble falling asleep at night. My doctor suggested not taking the medication on weekends, when I do not have to work, which seems to have helped prevent it from losing any effectiveness. I am fortunate enough to have had no trouble getting my insurance to pay for Nuvigil. My cost is $27 for a 3-month supply by mail."

• Amber...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been on Nuvigil for about 3 months now and see a little bit of difference. Previously, I was on Ritalin, which worked pretty much the same as Nuvigil. My doctor is currently giving me a trial period for 150 mg once daily. I take one daily at 6-8 a.m., and it lasts me till around noon. I then start to crash, and when driving, I still have a hard time staying awake. My doctor says it is because I need a higher dosage and will hopefully be starting that at the next doctor's visit. I highly recommend Nuvigil if you can afford it, but if not, Ritalin, in my opinion, works just as well."

• 23 Fe...
• July 16, 2009

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I was diagnosed with narcolepsy about 2 weeks ago, and I have been taking Nuvigil for about a week. I have to admit it works. The urges to fall asleep are there, but I have a choice now. I still sleep at night. About 7-8 hours, but I still wake up frequently. The only thing is, I get headaches, and my mouth is really, really dry. I'm not thirsty, I am hydrated. I drink plenty of water, but I can't shake these two symptoms. So either I enjoy being awake and deal with the side effects, or I quit the medicine and continue being tired. The first two days on it were great. But after a week, I feel sleep deprived, but I am still awake. I am waiting on a medicine to help me sleep better at night, so I will continue to give Nuvigil a shot."

• Sleepy
• December 8, 2018

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "Been telling Drs 20yrs about being excessively tired. Finally broke down bawling to my current Dr this year, she sent me for Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and I failed test. Finally had my diagnosis. Dr put me on Ritalin LA 20mg, lost potency within 5 days, increased dose to 30mg, still didn't work, seen sleep specialist, he put me on nuvigil, took it couple days, did not help at all! In fact it made me feel like I was going through withdraw from suboxone I take and felt it made narcolepsy worse. I take suboxone because 10yrs ago I used pain pills to "give me energy", I got addicted to pain pills obviously. Been on suboxone 6yrs. I was hoping I finally have a diagnosis of narcolepsy I could get on right meds and get off suboxone. My Dr wanted to put me on ritalin 20mg LA for morning and ritalin 10mg for afternoon but insurance wouldn't cover it. Only 30mg as a whole. I honestly think the dose she wanted to put me on would have helped but the insurance knows best right? Makes me so mad!"

• Sytse
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 22, 2017

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "It was effective, but it made my hair fall out. When I told the doctor, his response was, 'That's not a side effect.' I did my own research - it IS a side effect. It is a serious side effect that the doctors don't tell you about. I switched doctors and medication."

• KG414
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2016

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "Diagnosed with narcolepsy and had frequent daily cataplexy. Nothing else worked, prior to getting diagnosed, hours and hours of sleep mixed with coffee, energy drinks, and abuse of workout stimulants. After adjusting to the jitters and slight nausea, I've never felt better. Every now and then, I will need a small nap, but I am sleeping deeper and sleepwalking much less. I went from several cataplexies a day to only three in the last month. Those three only happened because I hadn't gotten enough sleep that night. This drug works the best for me when I get more than 6 hours of sleep, ideally 7 or 8 hours though. I am very happy overall, but it is ridiculously expensive if you aren't on an insurance plan, like me (just switched jobs)."

• Anonymous
• April 2, 2012

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I'm a 21-year-old college student. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy without cataplexy recently, even though it's been there basically my whole life. I'm currently on 250 mg Nuvigil in the morning, and he's going to add another medication soon to help my brain sleep at night since I have such anxiety levels and it affects my sleep. It has helped me stay awake in class, but I still can't focus. I really don't feel much difference. I still take naps a few times a day, and I feel like the medication wears off by around 2:00 PM, and then I'm falling asleep again. The side effects I'm feeling are daily migraines, extreme cotton mouth, and sometimes an upset stomach."

• N3rd1...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 28, 2017

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have been taking Nuvigil since 2012. Started on Provigil, built a tolerance against it in 2 months. I take 250 mg a day, but I split the pill and take each half at specific times, usually between 6-9 am, the other at 3 pm to 6 pm (depends when I took the first one). Seems to help me stay awake a little more that way. It lasts for about 1-2 hours on me with each half."

• Kmpor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 10, 2014

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I was diagnosed a year ago. I have cataplexy as well. I've been taking 250 mg daily of Nuvigil for about 8 months, and I'm very happy with it. The only complaint is that (as another person said) it doesn't last all day, I also crash out in the afternoon. If you have this problem, I suggest eliminating idle time. I have noticed that if I keep myself busy, I have no problem going through the day normally. I haven't experienced any side effects whatsoever. Most of the other medications may keep you awake all day, but seeing as the side effects can be devastating for many people, I'll take the extra effort to keep my idle time to a minimum, and unlike the other medicines I've tried, I don't feel like I need a higher dose every 3 months."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2017

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I am 38 and I have been taking this medicine two weeks and I am having serious problem breathing and getting a deep breath in, my inhaler does not help. I have diarrhea and my face has broken out worse than it ever did when I was a teenager. I have also had random pounding, sharp, shooting headaches come out of no where."

• DK2727
• August 5, 2013

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I've been on Nuvigil for 4 years, and it's stopped being as effective. I'm currently on 125 mg twice a day and 37.5 mg Adipex twice a day. The Adipex has absolutely helped my weight (down 14 lbs in 15 days, 40 lbs to go), but not much help with the wakefulness. I'm falling asleep in the afternoon, and driving is a nightmare. It takes A LOT for insurance to cover. Without all the hoops my doctor has agreed to jump through, it would be $685 per month."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 14, 2012

Nuvigil (armodafinil) "I have taken 250 mg daily of Nuvigil for two years now. Without/before it, I couldn't think straight, I dropped stuff, couldn't perform the simplest daily functions. Nuvigil has given me my life back! I couldn't drive for a year, I can now. My narcolepsy is pretty bad, and if I miss one day of the Nuvigil, I can't function. By the afternoon, I can't stay awake or hold on to anything. The other medicine I was on didn't even compare to Nuvigil!"