CPAPtalk.com

Hi Kelly,

I'm sorry for jumping on your doctor. I assumed you were questioning the fact that he prescribed Provigil. I interpreted your first post to mean he wasn't willing to dig deeper into the reasons behind your continued fatigue and just wanted to treat the fatigue with Provigil.

However, I also agree with everyone who indicated you need a machine that gathers data. Pam said it well:

WearyOne wrote:It can't be assumed the treatment is working (even if you're 100% compliant) without the data to back it up.

If your AHI is still high that could be contributing to or causing your fatigue. If your breathing through your mouth, you aren't getting effective therapy. As others have said, there's no way to know if you're getting effective therapy without the data.

Sandy

Well, I won't pussy foot around about Kelly's doctor. If he isn't interested enough to insist that she have a fully data capable machine to closely monitor her therapy .... he's not worth the time of day. Plain and simple. Half-a** therapy can be as bad as no therapy at all. And w/o the data that's all he is providing is half-a** therapy. He's working blind.

Whoops! That was me. Didn't realize I got logged out.

Slinky

KELLY--

I take provigal and been on cpap therapy since june 06. I find it rather harsh everyone jumped on the bandwagon of bashing your dr immediately. Due to the nature of the cpap therapy it takes time to tweak it. It takes time to battle insurance, etc to get the equipment you need to manage your own therapy. Or it takes time to find the funds to pay for it yourself. I don't know about Kellys situation, but the provigal has been a lifesaver for me. It helps keep me awake and alert during WORK. Some people might have the type of job where it's okay to nod off and be half asleep but some of us don't. If I did that, I could KILL someone. ( I work in a hospital) Kelly may be in a similar situation, she may need the temporary boost until she gets her therapy stabilized and going properly.

Kelly I take 1 200mg tablet when I wake up, which is about an hour before I go to work, and it has worked wonders for me. It does not keep me from falling asleep at night, does not keep me awake. I only take it on days I go to work.

Hey, Lyza and Kelly, I want you to know I support your use of Provigil, as well. I'm taking it, too.

I also respect what the others have said, and in so many ways, AGREE, and yet... I have a job that needs me to be there and attentive, and a demanding personal life that needs me to be active and attentive, and I just can't take a month off my entire life to break this therapy in. (I have a disabled stepfather I provide respite care for, an elderly aunt I'm caring for, and some high-maintenance other relatives with various illnesses demanding my love and support, and a household to run. Oh, did I mention the numerous staffing turnovers at work, and the year-end crunch time I'm in? )

I have to say that for the most part, I consider the Provigil sort of a placebo. I decide each morning how much to take. First day, I took a whole pill and nearly methed out and decided that wasn't working for me. I then backed down to a 1/2 pill, and some mornings I decide I don't need it at all.

But, I did that on Friday, and nearly passed out at work, I was so tired. I deeply regretted that decision, and have been taking whole pills yesterday and today, to get all my stuff done.

Better living through chemistry is not THE REST OF YOUR LIFE ANSWER TO ANYTHING. I treat Provigil like I would any other drug - it's only to be used as needed, for as long as I need it, and no more. I'm rather hyper aware of drug dependency issues. I'm already completely dependent on Flonase, a steroid, which I do think isn't doing me long-term good. I'd like to get off that. I'm working on it.

But until I can have a full night's sleep on cpap therapy, and still be able to function to at least my previous "normal" level, I need a little extra help. I probably have a higher tolerance for drug therapy, seeing how I'm on so many other drugs. I do encourage anyone to take this measure very informed and follow Den's kindly posted links and think it through yourself. I spent 5 DAYS doing that between being given the pills and the first day I took them. I didn't just go "Whee! I'll start popping these pills!" and go skipping down the path.

Personally, I think if you have trouble with stimulating medicines, like decongestants, you should DEFINITELY cut the prescription dose in half and ramp up ONLY IF YOU NEED TO.

Cheers, and thanks to everyone for your input on this,
Barbara

Personally I find it difficult to trust a doctor who prefers to treat a symptom before treating the actual problem.