Provigil - generic form or Nuvigil

[JulesL5S1]

I found out at the doctor's office today that Provigil is going generic.  Good news/bad news.  Bad news is that my insurance has never approved Provigil but my doctor always had a plenty of samples for me.  Now, no more samples.

Has anyone tried the generic Provigil?

I've been given the new  Nuvigil to try for a week.  If that also works then we will fight my insurance company for that.

Just checking to see if anyone has tried the new medicine or the generic form.  Thanks

[PinkyNana]

Nuvigil is what has worked the very best for me!  An absolute God

send!  Unfortunately,

Medicare does not cover it and my out of pocket cost will be $400 for a

month's supply.  Too darn steep!  I'm hoping the pharmaceutical

company Cephalon will be able to provide assistance.  Provigil use to

give me dry mouth and nothing would make it go away.  I also use to

get headaches but Nuvigil fit me to a tee.  I'll keep praying for

assistance!  Hope this helps someone,.

[Fluffysmom]

My experience with Nuvigil:  

I got the free week's supply coupon from Cephalon.  When I got it filled, my pharmacist asked me why I was trying it when I'd had great results from Provigil.  I told him that I'd heard it would cost less, at least until Provigil's patent expired.  He checked for me, and said that it wasn't that much less; around $10 a pill instead of $12.

I said that every little bit helped!

My first day I took the full tablet, and had a very productive day, but had trouble sleeping that night, even with ambien and valium.  I also felt some palpitations, which I don't experience with Provigil.

The next day, I cut the Nuvigil in half.  It wasn't bad, but I started getting irritable, more palpitations, and still trouble sleeping.

The last day I tried a full tablet, having a very full day planned, and decided that Nuvigil was not for me.  The worst of the side effects were there, and I didn't enjoy my very full day.

I guess we all react differently to different medications.  I find that Provigil works best for me when I've had a full night's sleep and am not experiencing to strong of neurological symptoms.  If something has triggered my worst fatigue, not even Provigil helps much.

I'm down to my last six Provigil, and doubt that I can afford another Rx.  Even if I get diagnosed, my insurance doesn't cover Provigil; no studies show that it's beneficial in the treatment of MS.  Cephalon won't give it free unless you have the FDA approved diagnoses; Obstructive sleep apnea, shift worker sleep disorder, or narcolepsy, none of which I have.

I will miss the days of clarity and focus, the drive to get things done.  I will do what I can to carry on.  Caffeine makes my tremors very bad, Ritalin does that as well as give me tics, irritability, and other side effects that are unacceptable.  Adderall is too expensive, I'm told.  Sigh.

WAF, what I read about Provigil/Nuvigil;  Provigil is made up of two ingredients that work together.  Nuvigil isolates the one ingredient that lasts longer, so it does much of the same action as Provigis, since it is part of what Provigil is made of.  That's a simplification of what I read, but that gives you an idea.

Kind of like Phen/Fen, the diet medication that caused a lot of heart damage.  The Phentermine half of that drug doesn't do that damage, though it's not quite as effective as the combo, it does work well, because it's partially the same drug.

Anyway, good luck all with battling fatigue; I'll keep watching for more news!

Kathy

[meg321]

Thats exactly what I was also told..

meg

[FeatherFoot]

My experience pretty much mirrors yours.  The longer I was on Provigil the less effective it seemed.  Side effects weren't real wonderful either.  But Nuvigil is wonderful.  It last longer during the day and so far the side effects aren't nearly as bad as Provigil.  Whether my body gets too used to it remains to be seen, but for now, I like it much better.  My neurologist explained to me that it is pretty much the chemical mirror image of Provigil with a little tweaking.  I DO agree that they pronbably did it because the patent will run out in a couple of years (call me a skeptic), but it's our gain.  This version works so well.

[MsWobbles]

I don't get it.  I asked a pharmacist about Nuvigil (because I love Provigil but have bad side effects from it so I can only take it once a week - but boy do I look forward to THAT day).  The pharmacist said they had essentially the same ingredient!  Placebo effect??

WAF

[ABJD]

I posted this elsewhere, but it fits under this heading, as well:

I have debilitating fatigue due to MS and have tried everything - Provigil, Amantadine, Adderall, Ritalin - the works.  While Provigil helped for some time while I was still working, that was many years ago and its effectiveness eventually petered out.  At the time, I was taking a very large dose in accordance to doctor's orders, and my side effects (heart palpitations, increased rate of speech, crashing, etc.) were quite bothersome.  However, because it was the only thing that worked for me after trying other options, I determined that the side effects were worth it.  After a long hiatus, I recently tried Provigil again.  While it worked better than the others, the results were unpredictable at best.  So, when Nuvigil hit the market, I asked my doctor for a script, and he provided me with some samples.  I have been taking the medication now for two months and have been thrilled with the results.  Not only am I able to get out of bed, but now I can leave the house and enjoy much of the day with substantially less fatigue.  Plus, I haven't experienced any of the extreme side effects that plagued me while I was using Provigil.  I understand the situation at Cephalon re the patent; however, based on my personal experience, the two medications are not identical.  Nuvigil is hands down the better drug, at least for me.  And even though I've been informed otherwise by my neurologist, I am hoping that the Nuvigil doesn't become less effective over time, as the Provigil seems to do.  (To attempt to counter such an issue, I skip a pill at least once/week, which, btw, is what I had done with the Provigil, too.)  While I'm a realist, thinking of going back to the way life had been before Nuvigil is scary.

I would love to hear about others' experiences with Nuvigil and am especially curious if they have been similar to my own.