Taking Provigil "as needed"?

Hey, a couple of comments recently about Provigil makes me wonder.

Can I get a script for Provigil and just take it on my bad days, as needed? Not take it every day prophylactically? (sp?)

I never thought about doing this. I figured once I'd gotten past the initial early therapy hell, and was getting good therapy, I didn't need it anymore.

I have bad days - generally associated with an attack of insomnia, or a bad leaky night. Yes folks, I still have those, we all do.

I've never taken anything for it, I just suffer through a bad day and pray for an early trip to bed.

But having Provigil available might be a good answer for me. I tolerated it well when I was on it, as long as I took only half a pill.

Anyway, for the two pharmacists who have mentioned it, what do you think about taking it this way?

Or anyone else out there with knowledge.

Thanks!!!
B.

Now Barbera, I take exception to that, you know NAII's don't leak!! Look, no tape!!


Don't know nothing about them drugs!!

Jerry

6PtStar wrote:I take exception to that, you know NAII's don't leak!! Look, no tape!!

Let's all sneak over to Jerry's house and stick pinholes in his mask.
I am so green with envy.

Well done on the leak rate.
Brenda

Pugsy wrote:Let's all sneak over to Jerry's house and stick pinholes in his mask.
I am so green with envy.

Well done on the leak rate.
Brenda

LOL... I like that "sneakin' " idea, Brenda.

That IS a plumb purty leak rate, Jer.

I take Provigil as needed, without any problems. It jazzes me up too much to take every day, but I take it when I absolutely have to function and I am too tired. I don't take it often, less than once per month. If you took it more often, like every few days, it might work differently. Because I don't sleep well after taking it, it could develop a cycle of need taking it every few days.

Babette wrote:Can I get a script for Provigil and just take it on my bad days, as needed? Not take it every day prophylactically? (sp?)

The nice thing about the stimulants is that - unlike antidepressants - you can take them more or less at will if that's what your doctor thinks is the right course of treatment. A vague cobweb in the back of my brain says that there's been some evidence published that if you actually take periodic breaks (like one day a month or so) from the *fils there's less likelihood of tolerance rising and effectiveness diminishing over a long period of time (as in years), so there's a potential benefit to be gained there too.

Bring it up with whomever writes the script - it's a perfectly legit question, and "as needed" is a perfectly good dosing (although depending on your insurer, can provide a headache when they decide that you don't need #30 a month if you might only be taking 29!)

I take Provigil also but I been taking it everyday I've been on it for about a year now, By listening to what everyone else is
saying it's not good taking it everyday, May be I should try that,What do you think?

Thanks Brenda and Laura I appreciate your comments. Sneaking is permitted anytime!! My leak line was not always good. I went back and pulled one of my first ones just after I got the software in early 2007 and this is what it looked like:



This is why the software is important. Till I looked I thought everything was OK.

Jerry

P.S. Babette please forgive me for hijacking your thread!!

Sorry all, lost track of this thread.

Jerry, you're forgiven.

SharperJudy, why are you still taking Provigil? What was the reason you started taking it? Does that reason still exist? Do you think you could taper off it and see if you still need it? I'd look at those answers and see if you still want to take it every day.

Surprisingly, after a few weeks of utter exhaustion, I pepped up this past weekend and actually accomplished a few things. A very few things, but significant. Having more pep in the brain is welcome. Not sure what changed. Can I blame Menopause at 44?

Might have to talk to doc about a script for Provigil and tell him to write it "normally" and I'll just take it "as needed". I can always choose when or if to refill the script, right?

Thanks all!
Barbara