Nuvigil for Narcolepsy User Reviews (Page 2)

• Smo...
• February 1, 2015

"I started taking Nuvigil after having taken Adderall XR for 4 years. I like Nuvigil better because there is no feeling of artificial energy. The only thing that Adderall has over Nuvigil is that it lasted all day. I've experimented a little, and I've found that if I take 1/2 of the pill about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before my day starts and the other half at about 1, it gets me through the day better than taking it all at once. Also, even with my insurance and the savings card, I still have to pay $89. It's worth it though."

• pgh...
• September 28, 2009

"I like the Nuvigil. My mother takes the Provigil, and it works very well for her. My first day on Nuvigil, I was awake and able to make it through the whole day without sleeping, no tiredness in my body or mind. After about a week, I find I am in more control of when I want to sleep. I have no side effects at all. At first, I took it with food, then I tried it without food. I think with food is better because I guess it is absorbed slower. It is easy to take, and I am more productive."

• laa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 9, 2014

"Works well at the right dose. I am not afraid to drive now, and I don't zone out at work anymore. That being said, it is really a shame that it is entirely too expensive, and I won't be able to continue taking it. With my insurance, it is still about $190 per month or three house payments a year for me! WOW!"

• Jus...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 1, 2013

"Was diagnosed with depression, then bipolar, then bipolar narcolepsy. The cocktail I was on for well over a year was 5 mg Abilify, 60 mg Cymbalta, and 250 mg Nuvigil. Recently came off the Abilify, and I can't even explain how good I felt, not high, not mania, just that 'finally, just me' feeling. I was content with life, at peace, and for the first time in YEARS, I was even happy! After a week of no Abilify, we decided to begin weaning off the Nuvigil. Been taking 150 mg Nuvigil and 60 mg Cymbalta for a week now and feel horrible. Don't care about a thing, no motivation, tired, etc. Doc said give it a month. Hope I can last that long. I just want ME back, as does my wife and kids."

• DoJ...
• September 14, 2016

"Works very well at keeping me awake. No euphoria like amphetamines, very few side effects in fact aside from a very mild headache, which aspirin can fix. It seems like all it does is remove my chronic fatigue without giving extra energy. Perfect in my opinion. Anxiety can be a problem, especially at the 250 mg dose. If it is a problem, I would recommend breaking the 250 mg in half and taking them several hours apart, which also helps with the late afternoon crash. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, probably not a good idea to take it. Also, there is a generic, not sure of the price difference."

• 25m...
• February 25, 2012

"I'm 25 years old and have had narcolepsy since I was around 10. I've never been on any medication before and have lived my life around constant daytime sleepiness and having to take regular naps. My Dr. prescribed me Nuvigil. Day one was the greatest I have ever felt in 15 some odd years! I have energy to do things, can eat without having to sleep afterwards, can stay awake at work. Still, randomly, after being up for an excessive period of time, I get the urge to take a nap, and if I do so, I have no issues. Bad side effects are mild headaches and slight tightening of the chest. Bad thing is my insurance only covers a small portion of it, and most likely won't be able to afford it."

• Sev...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 4, 2016

"Originally, I tried Provigil. Nuvigil wasn't available yet. Loved it at first, but as my body adjusted, in my ignorance, I got nervous. I stopped. I had to deal with it. About 12 years later, I tried again. This time, I read more, and I asked lots of questions. I am a new person. I am so grateful for Nuvigil!! What I've learned (I am not an MD): Start out with a low dose. Half pills are fine. (Do not exceed 250 mg unless DR prescribed). Your body may be adjusting, not building tolerance for a year or two. Take each week at a time. Naps still necessary; my naps are only about 30 min instead of 2 hrs, but very refreshing. Take a day or two off every week or two. Makes a huge difference! Awesome insurance helps a lot! $5 per 30."

• Anonymous
• February 14, 2010

"I got diagnosed with narcolepsy about a month ago. I got prescribed Nuvigil and took it for two weeks straight. The medicine had some side effects like headaches, but soon my body got used to the medicine. I'm a college student, so it's crucial that I stay awake when I'm in class, and Nuvigil helps me do that. Its effects slowly begin to work, so I have to take it early in the morning."

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2015

"After being diagnosed at age 35 with narcolepsy and REM sleep behavior disorder, my ENT put me on Nuvigil 150 mg to help me stay awake during the day. I'll tell you what, it didn't do a darn thing. My kids actually said they thought it made me more tired. He then bumped it up to 250 mg, and I'd say it helped for an hour or so. It gave me horrible headaches, lockjaw, and teeth grinding, pretty much no appetite, but the worst part of all had to be how bad it ALWAYS made my stomach hurt and how I felt like I was going to throw up most of the time. It definitely didn't help me, and I'd still find myself falling asleep and needing a few naps each day. I also ended up losing 7 lbs in 3 weeks, which wasn't good for me since I'm already very thin."

• Kat...
• April 18, 2012

"I have been taking Nuvigil about 8 months now, 250 mg in the morning and 150 mg in the afternoon. At first, I had a lot of jaw pain, but it went away after a week or two. I had a lot of energy at first and really felt like I was able to focus again. I don't fall asleep anymore on rides in the car, nor do I get sleepy when driving like I used to. I have noticed that my memory is really failing me, and I asked my doctor, but he says that is not a side effect of Nuvigil, so I don't know what to think. Anyone else have this problem? I'm going through menopause also, but I think it is more than that. I always had basically a photographic memory, and now it feels like life is speeding by. Thanks."

• Jat...
• August 13, 2011

"I have been taking 250 mg of Nuvigil every morning for a year. I could not stay awake at all before starting this medication. After taking Nuvigil, I felt much better. I have had a lot going on lately, and stress does affect how this medication works for me. If my sleep pattern is disturbed (have to get up extra early or go to bed really late), it also has a huge impact on how this medication works for me. Overall, this medicine has given my quality of life back."

• Cam...
• October 13, 2021

"I took a sleep study a couple of months ago and, of course, failed because of my extreme anxiety. I was prescribed Nuvigil, and each time I have taken it, I have still been extremely tired, but my mind will not let me nap. I can’t even sleep at night, even if I take the drug in the morning. I woke up today bawling my eyes out from an anxiety attack, and this is the second time it has happened. I’m done with this medication. I was so excited to get my life back."

• Poo...
• March 16, 2016

"Amazing! Packaging needs to seriously be changed, though. With narcolepsy, I have horribly low energy in the morning, and the last thing I need is to have to spend 10 minutes struggling to get a tablet out. I usually fall asleep again before I'm even able to take it. No side effects so far, fingers crossed."

• tsa...
• July 5, 2010

"I started Nuvigil 250 mg in the morning, two weeks ago after being diagnosed with narcolepsy. I went from sleeping all night and basically most of the day with extreme napping before the Nuvigil to no naps at all. I don't even feel sleepy. That is a plus. The first three days were a miracle! I was alert. Colors seemed brighter. I felt focused for the first time in years. Slowly, I started having afternoon side effects of a dull headache. I feel 'car sick' and jittery, and my skull feels actually numb to touch. I hope this subsides soon, or I may try halving my dose of 250 mg."

• Bri...
• February 13, 2012

"I have had narcolepsy since at least age 15 but was not diagnosed until around age 27. I started with 200 mg of Provigil, then when that didn't work, 400 mg Provigil. That didn't work, so we tried 200 mg Provigil with 15 mg Adderall. That helped some for a while. Then when Adderall was affecting my blood pressure, we moved to Nuvigil and away from the combination. I have been on 250 mg Nuvigil for about 2 years. It has done well, but now within recent weeks, it is not holding its own. I just wonder, at this point, what hope is there? If Provigil and Nuvigil do not work, how can I continue working? I can't drive like this, I can't focus, I can't stay awake."

• Anonymous
• January 31, 2010

"The first couple of days, it seemed to work great. I did get a slight headache at the times I normally dosed off. I could not fall asleep for the first few days. After a week, the effects are starting to wear off. I am tired and have no energy, but I am not falling asleep. I am taking one pill, 150 mg in the morning. I have not taken any other medicine for narcolepsy before, so I have nothing to compare it to."

• Fem...
• November 17, 2009

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy about a month ago. I don't like taking pills, but falling asleep at work at 8 am is just not acceptable. I was prescribed the 150 mg, and my insurance pays for it. There is a discount program offered by some pharmacies (using Walmart). My doctor gave me some information about it, and I only paid $10. It is supposed to save $50 each month. My experience with the pill itself is mostly positive. I finally feel like I can actually pursue my dreams and goals and won't have to compromise on less because I am too tired to go for it. I also have the side effect of dry mouth, though, and on the 3rd day of full dosage, I get a bad headache. Because of that, I take only half on some days, and most weeks don't take any on Sunday."

• LS5...
• February 21, 2012

"I have EDS and found Nuvigil (250 mg) very effective for remaining awake for the first couple of weeks, then my alertness diminished. I did find that while taking Nuvigil, if I took a 20-minute nap in the afternoon, I awoke feeling refreshed, not groggy and needing more sleep. The major side effect I experience is nearly severe jaw clenching/teeth grinding during the day when I was awake. My jaw is sore by 2 or 3 pm every day. Also, I found it difficult to sleep at night if I took it too late in the morning. I tried getting up at 5 am and taking my dose, then sleeping for another hour. This helped me get to bed earlier at night. I noticed that I felt more anxious also."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2011

"I'm surprised by the majority of people's reactions to Nuvigil (though it's the only medication I've tried so far). Before starting up with the medication, I was exhausted to the point of feeling sick most of the time. After starting the medication, it's like night and day, I typically feel great. Some days are better than others, and I never feel 100%, but it's the best I've felt in years, and it hasn't fluctuated in the two months I've been taking it."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 30, 2016

"My doctor seems to only identify with how it affects him, which he sometimes takes when going on a long trip. He says, it lasts for 8 to 12 hours. Not on me, 3 to 4 hours. I looked up what other narcoleptics said. They said they take 250 mg twice a day. That would be good, but who can afford it? My part is $300 for once a day. I have not experienced any side effects that I am aware of, but I am taking the next four days without any Nuvigil to see if my sleep-wake pattern gets better. My present problem may or may not be related to Nuvigil. I don't know. I wake up in the middle of the night wide awake. Sometimes I can go back to sleep after 3 or 4 hours, but sometimes I never do. So, I am functioning poorly on about 4 hours of sleep."

• Mat...
• May 11, 2011

"I've been on Nuvigil for about 5 weeks for narcolepsy. I can actually function. I was prescribed the 150 mg 1x/day and initially had very bad headaches for the first week or so and was taking ibuprofen to deal with them. My doctor had me cut the pills to take half when I wake and half 3 hrs later, and I no longer had the headaches but still had the wakefulness. I do occasionally experience severe dry mouth that no amount of water can fix, but no longer have headaches or any other problems, and am actually awake. I do get urges to nap on occasion, but they are resistible. Amazing to be able to be awake again!"

• Jon...
• May 13, 2011

"Would frequently get tired in the afternoon or after 15 minutes of driving. Nodded off many times driving, sometimes couldn't remember half the drive. Would fall asleep at work in seminars, at my desk, etc. Always had trouble in college staying awake in class, thought other people were just better at staying interested. With Nuvigil, my eyes never get heavy unless I'm really tired. I have much more confidence driving and staying awake at work. Even around family, I don't have sleepy spells that make me look disinterested. Amazing stuff with very little side effects. I do often skip a day when I know I won't need it, and I usually feel like a nap after noon. I also take half doses (75 mg), and it works almost as well as 150 mg."

• Anonymous
• March 27, 2010

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy about a week ago. I started taking Nuvigil 150 mg, and at first, I felt as though I could see life with clear eyes. Colors were also brighter. But then, a day or so has passed, and I am completely exhausted. I had a sleep attack at work, and I didn't fall asleep, but I felt very weak and could have easily gone to sleep. I hope this improves. I know I need to give this medicine a chance though."

• art...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2019

"I was prescribed this for narcolepsy when I was 16 (am 23 now). My doctor wanted to prescribe Modafinil, its sister drug, but for reasons unknown to me (idk, maybe insurance or laws, I really don't remember). I had an adverse reaction that sent me to the hospital. I almost went into cardiac arrest and probably would have had I not gone to the emergency room when I did. Uncontrollable shaking and heart palpitations (heart rate 160+)."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2010

"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy about a year and a half ago and started taking Nuvigil. I began with a 150 mg dose once a day, and the first couple of weeks were great. Like some of the other reviews, colors were brighter, I was more focused, and felt better than I ever remember feeling. After a couple of months on that dose, I started to have midday sleeping spells, where I could not keep my eyes open, even when in the middle of complicated work functions. I would literally fall asleep while typing, waking to find the same letter across the page. I spoke to my doctor, and the dose was upped to 250 mg once a day. I went through the same effects as when I first started taking the medication. Again, the effects have slowly worn off."