[TBJ333]

Howdy --

I'm bipolar, and I take Lamictal as my mood-stabilizer. Unfortunately, Lamictal has hurt my ability to concentrate. I used to take Strattera, which helped my concentration, but made me nauseated every day. Today, my doc started me on Provigil.

Does anybody have experience with this drug? I'd especially like to hear from bipolar people about whether Provigil triggers mania.

Thanks!

[purplepansy912]

hi TB
I haven't heard much about provigil, but any drug can trigger a mania. Talk to your doctor about it. Maybe it is worse a try for you.
I see you are from hawaii, I spent two weeks there last july and didn't want to come home... it is sooo beautiful.. where in hawaii are you from...we went to each island and each was so special..
good luck to you

[TBJ333]

Thanks for the advice. Doc said that amphetamine-like drugs are better for concentration, but Provigil was least likely to trigger mania. I have three and a half weeks 'til my next appointment. If Provigil is bad, I can try something else.

Yep, I love Hawai`i! I live on Oahu. I found out that the people here are even nicer than the weather. And the weather ain't bad, either. Hubby and I moved here from Minnesota, so we're thrilled. Glad to hear you like the islands.

[TBJ333]

Well, no one else has responded. I'm going to keep this thread alive, in part to see if anyone has more information, but also to keep a record of whether Provigil works and what its side effects are. (Just for me; obviously everyone's different!) Maybe someone in the future will find the information helpful. I'll include info on appetite and weight changes, so that this thread is relevant to 3fc.

***

March 24 -- 50mg with food @ 1:00 pm. Restless sleep at night.

March 25 -- 50mg @ 8:00 am and 50 @ noon, both with food. Sweating more. Slightly cranky. Slight headache. No effect on appetite. No nausea. Did some shopping and some chores -- maybe 4 hours of productive work. Only got 5 hours sleep.

March 26 -- 100mg with food @ 8:00am. Less sweating. Less cranky. Slight headache. No nausea. Not hungry after dinner, but that's not unusual. Unable to pay attention to church sermon (1 hour -- and no, the pastor isn't too boring. ). Able to take a nap in the afternoon, but only 5 hours of sleep at night.

March 27 -- 100mg with food @8:00am. No nausea. No sweating. A little cranky. No headache. Don't notice a change in appetite, but I didn't eat much today. Able to work on family finances for 4 hours. Only 5 hours of sleep at night.

March 28 -- 100mg with food @7:30am. No nausea. No sweating. No headache. No crankiness. Felt sleep-deprived from the day before. Able to run errands and do legal research; about 5 hours of productivity. Normal appetite. A little hypomania. Slept 8 hours.

March 29 to April 1 -- 100mg/day. No nausea, sweating, headache, crankiness, or change in appetite. Some hypomania, but not much. Not fantastically productive. On Friday, I didn't do anything except bum around. Only one good night of sleep.

April 2 -- 150mg in the morning. No side effects; no help, though.

April 3 to whenever I see my doc -- 200mg in the morning. No side effects, so long as I don't take it too late in the morning. Otherwise I don't sleep well. Med is not working for attention. I will stay on it until I see my doc on April 19. Maybe he'll give me something new.

Thus ends my trial of Provigil.
Good: Few side effects, and those went away after a few days.
Bad: Didn't really help with attention.

Maybe this post will help someone else in the future.