Provigil and Me

In How to Manage of MS-Related Fatigue, pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to combat fatigue were discussed. MS fatigue is not the same as simply being tired, or muscles which are fatigued after a good work-out, or the desire to sleep in on a Saturday morning. MS fatigue can be debilitating and interfere with daily functioning.

Even before I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I was T.I.R.E.D.!!!! After diagnosis it got worse, to the point where I needed to take 2-3 naps daily just to make it through. So I mentioned this to my neurologist who gave me some samples of a medication to try. Those samples were for Provigil, a prescription medication used to improve wakefulness in adults who experience excessive sleepiness due to one of the following diagnosed sleep disorders: obstructive sleep apnea, shift work sleep disorder, or narcolepsy.

Modafinil (Provigil / Cephalon, Inc.) is not approved for MS-fatigue but is commonly used off-label for that purpose. When I first tried it, the effect was not immediate. It’s not the type of medicine which guarantees that you are peppy in 30 minutes. However, I did start very conservatively by trying just half a 200mg tablet. After a few days I tried a full tablet and finally had a day where my brain felt “normal.” I could think clearly and only needed one nap. What a blessing!


Read this post in its entirety:

Taking Provigil for MS-Related Fatigue