Re: fatigue-Modafinil ( Provigil )

[Guest guest]

Can those of you out there who are taking this medication (Modafinil ( Provigil

) please share your experiences with it? I am thinking of asking my Dr. for a

trial, I shared this information with him and he appeared to be open to the

idea.

Thanks.

Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2006 Oct-Nov;23(5):412-6.

Modafinil reduces fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A: a case

series.

GT, Han JJ, Mayadev A, Weiss MD.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington

School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the most common hereditary motor and

sensory neuropathy, is a slowly progressive disorder characterized

by diffuse muscle weakness and prominent distal atrophy that

predominantly involves the intrinsic muscles of the feet and the

peroneal muscles. It results in marked reduction in functional

aerobic capacity during exercise and fatigue is commonly reported.

To date, no pharmacologic treatment has been shown to be effective

for treating fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Modafinil is used to

treat the symptoms of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness in

narcolepsy. However, fatigue and subsequent excessive daytime

sleepiness secondary to fatigue are common symptoms in many

neurologic disorders. Prior reports on patients with myotonic

muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, have shown beneficial effects of

modafinil in treating fatigue. We report 4 patients with genetically

confirmed Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease who had significant fatigue

that was almost completely relieved by modafinil.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

That's funny, my Grandmother was a and she had CMT. Along with a long

line of s affected with CMT on that side of the family.

Geri

[Guest guest]

,

I found Provigil to really help my fatigue- lifted so much weight off

if me. The problem was that it is approved for MS and swing shift

sleep disorders, so my insurance refuses to cover it and each dose is

expensive. I'm not able to buy it on my own. Bummer. I do have to

be careful, though, not to overextend myself because I feel so much

better while it's working. That leads to a huge crash the next day.

Good luck! It gave me welcome relief

Lenka

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I was given Provigil many years ago for my fatigue from Lyme disease issues. It

really did help with the energy but when I would come down from it I would

really crash. I only took it once a day. I still battle fatigue issues but

none of my doctors seem to be interested. Best of luck to you. Personally I

would recommend it.

Teri

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm taking Provigil, 200 mg every morning, and it really works. And I haven't

experienced any side effects. I used to get so sleepy and tired by 1 PM that I'd

turn to stone, unable to keep my eyes open or do anything. The problem is, as

Lenka says, it's very very expensive and not covered by my HMO's formulary. I've

applied to my HMO for financial assistance but doubt if I'll qualify because my

income isn't low enough. I'll just have to figure what I can do without to pay

for the Provigil, because I just can't function without it. I'd say go for it,

.

Ruth

[Guest guest]

I am behind in my reading of the posts, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

Excuse me if it's not apropos or repetitive. My husband was sitting on the couch

with the TV going and eyes closed, often snoring. It got so bad he'd nod off

mid-sentence when listening or speaking. He tried Provigil and is much better.

He also added EffexorXR at the same time because I convinced the doctor he was

depressed. He complains a lot less about the pain although he says it's still

there when asked.

He is now playing bridge twice a week. We have (CA) PERSCARE BlueCross. His

doctor had to go through hoops to get the medication approved, but the insurance

has agreed to pay for the next year at which time the doctor will have to fill

out the several page

questionnaire again.

Elinor