Nuvigil Side Effects
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having severe side effects from nuvigil. Muscle and joint pain with numbness and tingling down my arms.

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Food for thought; it has been my experience that mixing caffeine with Nuvigil,
can increase anxiety and inter fear with cognition and memory function.

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I did not realize that it was possible to hate a drug so much.

I realize that many people have positive experiences with this drug and it's important for people to not that people with negative experiences are more likely to post online about it.

Either way, taking Nuvigil for 3 months was the worst decision I've ever made. I took 50mg for 3 days and then went up to 250. On 50mg, I essentially crashed wuickly and would have terrible headaches. I wasn't prepared for what happened when I went up to 250. Initially, I felt great. I felt more awake, I was working harder, I was more engaged in what I was doing, etc. However I soon realized I was anxious. I'm a naturally calm person but I began wringing my hands, biting my nails, pacing, looking out of the window, became anxious in crowded places, etc. By the end of the night I was so sad about nothing that I cried myself to sleep. Though some side effects did not continue, the anxiety was severe and continued even after I went down to 200, and later, 150. I took four breaks from nuvigil recently and felt immensely better.

Strangely enough, when I would take breaks from the drug, I would realize that the severe anxiety, depression, and overall negative affect was atypical. However once I began taking it again, I decided that my emotions were justified and reasonable. I still can't believe that this drug was able to alter who I was a person so much.

I encourage people to try this drug: it works for many people. But tell your family and friends to look out for you and please consider speaking to your doctor if your mood changes are severe and/or last for more than 2 weeks. I'd rather sleep 18 hours a day or give myself another ulcer with coffee than take this drug.

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I started Nuvigil 4 days ago. I felt great no sleepiness at all and more energy, perhaps too much. But it has also caused headaches and played havoc with my blood pressure going from an of average 118/63 eventually jumping steadily up to 165/95 and heart rate from 60's to 99. It took me a years to finally get my bp under control. I love being able to stay awake and not play my life around a nap. But not sure the side effects are going to be worth it. I am trying half the dosage of 150mg for a few days and monitoring my bp as well as my sleep issue and reporting to the Dr. on Monday.

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My doctor gave me samples a while ago for MS related fatigue. When I took it just on days when I knew I would have a lot going on, it worked fine. Recently, I started having more prolonged fatigue so my dr prescribed it to take once a day. After the 3rd day I would become so drowsy in the middle of the day, and I have also started experiencing the worst headaches I have ever had in my life. The headaches even continue while I sleep. I don't think Nuvigil is a bad drug, but it definitely doesn't work for me.

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My doctor did not believe me about the side effects either. He thinks it's all in my head even though I told him about others on the forums have had the same side effects. Really, they don't know anything except what they are told by the manufacturer.

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Helps to know others had joint pain as a side effect using Nuvigil. Side effects began after taking Nuvigil for 2 weeks. Quit taking it. Side effects went away. Severe joint pain, mainly in knees (have poor knees) and stomach bloating-pain. 3 months later, Dr. said try again, I did, side effects were back within 2 days just as bad, maybe worse. Taking for Narcolepsy. Recently Adderall has become less affective, Dr. now says take Nuvigil again (it's been 10 months) along with Celebrex for the joint pain. Dr. acts like he doesn't believe me about Nuvigil side effects. Said joint pain is very rare and almost unheard of with Nuvigil?

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Thank you for the suggestion. Strattera is used to treat Narcolepsy and it may work for some people. We usually have to try different meds and change meds when one stops working.

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This is a link to the Stanford School of Medicine's Center for Narcolepsy. There is a chart of medications for narcolepsy.

med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/medications.html


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My son and daughter take stratterra for ADD. It's not an amphetamine and it works for them pretty well. Not perfect, but pretty well. They've experienced no side effects with it. Just a thought. (doesn't do much for narcolepsy though, lol).

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I got so frustrated with doctors and their dosage of nuvigil or provigil. loss of weight and very sentivity to teeth and metallic taste. i stopped taking the meds and went back to the 5hr drinks, twice a day. no more jitters, loss of weight, metallic taste or sensitive teeth. I am a type 1 diabetic and the prov & nuv were not acting well with the metformin and lantus insulin. the 2pm till 5pm are my lows but eating mini meals every 2 hrs. help the lows. i have necrolepsy but manage to stay alert. my eyes get heavy, but i am not sleepy. if i can close my eyes for 20 minutes every 4 hrs, i do okay.

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I have been on Nuvigil since November 2011. It worked really well the first 3 months, but now it's started to wear off. Anyone else had this problem? Any solutions? Other than this, I've tolerated it really well. Thanks!

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I think if you have to take the Nuvigil early in the morning so that it will not keep you up all night.

You should be seeing a neurologist for your narcolepsy. Also, psychiatrists have more knowledge about how medications work on the brain, so they are a good resource also.

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I think if you have to take the Nuvigil early in the morning so that it will not keep you up all night.

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This is for narcolepsy, so it's actually a pulmonary specialist. He's awful and Provigil is too expensive for me to continue. So much so, that CVS just called me today just to tell me it's going to be $75. I told them not to fill it because I'm trying to get off of it!

Think I will explore taking Vitamin D supplements while on Nuvigil to see if it helps with the joint pain.

Does anyone know if you can take Nuvigil twice per day? I was thinking of taking the 150 in the AM at 6 and then maybe 1/2 of another one around 2-3pm? Not sure if you can split the pills though.

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Hi Angela- Provigil is very expensive, more expensive than Nuvigil. I thought I would try Provigil, but the prescription was $154.00 for a thirty day supply. I left the prescription with the pharmacist.
If you can get samples of Provigil from your doctor, that would be a way to get the medicine without going broke. However, you would need to get your supply each month from the doctor's office.
You should not have to wait an hour or longer for a doctor appointment. But, I do know that psychiatrists are in short supply, so they are overworked and there is a long wait time to see them.


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I've asked about taking an ADD medication, but my doc strongly advises against it. He says it's an amphetemine (sp?)/street drug that causes addiction and seizures if you stop taking it. He wanted me to try to Provigil first to see if it helps, before starting anything stronger.

I'm actually going to see a new doc March 12th because my current one makes me wait at least 2 hours before actually seeing me. Unfortunately, I have a job. I can't sit in a dr's office for 2 hours! I had a follow up appt today and ended up walking out w/o even seeing him bc I had already waited an hour!

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Guinea Pig- Sorry you had to go through all of that. I can tell you that Adderall XR 5 mg. is working for me. I have to drink a cup of coffee in the afternoon since I have developed some tolerance to it, but so far it's working great.

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After taking Nuvigil of and on for about 1 year I started taking it regularly due to the high mental demands of my new job position. I noticed that constipation stomach pain and bloating had increased but thought it was caused from something else (gluten or other meds etc). After recently going to the emergency room for severe stomach pain, bloating and having my stomach pumped I decided I was going to find the problem. One by one I eliminated gluten products, meds etc. Since I was off work for a few days I decided to stop Nuvigil for awhile. "Bingo" the constipation stomach pain and bloating had decreased. Returning to work on Monday I restarted the Nuvigil again. By evening I was almost doubled over with the symptoms returning. They are expensive and do eliminate brain fog and improve mental alertness but not worth the side effects. I am going to try adderall instead.

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Lis, very interesting about your Vitamin D deficiency after being on Nuvigil. I am already Vitamin D deficient and wonder if it did the same to me?! I haven't been taking my supplement like I should, so it could have depleted my levels even more!

So far, I have taken 100 mg two days in a row. I'm supposed to take it twice per day, but haven't taken the 2nd daily dose yet. I don't feel like the 100 mg does much of anything for me during the day, yet seems to ebb and flow. Sometimes I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment, others I am wide awake. It's pretty inconsistent (and frustrating).

The 60 pills cost me $75 after insurance :/

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Well, I went to pick up my prescription for Provigil. Insurance didn't cover b/c doc did not call insurance company first. $154.00. I left it at the pharmacy.

I'm still on the Adderall XR, have not and don't want to increase. Some days I pass out in the afternoon, some days I make it through okay. This inconsistency makes it difficult to work. Using the Nuvigil (with the Adderall) caused the usual muscle pain. It was too much and I have a high tolerance for pain since I have Fibromyalgia and live with pain every waking moment. Provigil may not be the answer either. Waiting for research to provide hypocretin replacement.


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