Posted by Franz on January 4, 2012, at 10:07:01
In reply to Re: Low dose modafinil (Provigil) experiences? » Franz, posted by Tony P on January 3, 2012, at 23:53:08
> Modafinil at low doses (50-150 mg/day) works very well for me. I find it is an excellent AD supplement, helpful with many problems - mental clarity, anhedonia, sleep disturbances ... I could go on!
Yes it seems some Drs are using it this way. They also use it themselves when they travel to congresses and want to stay up late and assist/ talk the next day.
> If my experience (& a couple of my friends) is anything to go by, it should be much more widely prescribed -- I suspect there's a marketing/profit margin issue, but then I'm into conspiracy theories!
Maybe a prejudice against stimulants.
>
> It is a funny drug; I find you have to work with it for it to work for you. What I mean is, I can take 50-100 mg and then go back to sleep or read in bed all day, both of which usually leave me MORE depressed, but if I take it and then get up and do _something_ (almost anything) positive &/or active, it kicks in and I feel great and get lots done.Good advice. It did not work for me yesterday at 50 mg. I could not do anything useful.
>
> I wouldn't be scared by the side-effect profile, almost any effective med. has a VERY scary list of S-E if you read the fine print.Right, but they make me worry and start to search the web for info, etc Must be part of my problem.
> In my experience and in what I have read it is much safer than Adderal, methylphenidate & other amphetamine-type stimulants, or Wellbutrin.
>
> Wellbutrin may be a great med for some people but I can't tolerate it. I'm very sensitive to stimulants and Wb gave me anxiety, insomnia and even mania. Modafinil by contrast is very gentle and has a low addiction potential.Good to know! Dr did not give me Wellbutrin because he thought will make me anxious.
I am sensitive to stimulants too and most times they make me tired e.g. caffeine, selegiline.
An alternative could be herbs like ginseng or guarana. I tried guarana and it seems to work sometimes. Maybe it is a safer alternative to modafinil.
>
> I started out taking 2-300 mg/day Modafinil,Wow, too much for me.
>but I was on a high dose of Clonazepam at the time. Now that I'm down to <20 mg Valium/day,
Why the change from clonazepam to valium? I take .25 mg alprazolam at night and sometimes during the day. I don´t like to take higher doses. Clonazepam depresses me, too bad because it is a safer benzo it seems.
> I find 50 mg Modafinil is often all I need to get me going, maybe with a cup of coffee as well.Good. I was thinking it there was any bad interaction, like increased anxiety.
>
> BTW, coffee on an empty stomach or with a high-carb meal that has a lot of sugar or processed carbohydrates is a recipe for a low blood sugar crash an hour later - anxiety, shakes, drowsiness, weakness -- easy to confuse with medication side-effects or an anxiety attack.Thanks. I should watch that. the problem is that I take T4 for thyroid and one has to wait to eat.
I take coffee, tea, etc without sugar but empty stomach is not good either it seems.
> When I'm sensible I start my day with a _moderate_ amount of coffee and no-sugar whole grain muesli with sugar-free yogurt or something similar; even good old bacon & eggs is great for keeping your blood sugar level so long as you don't have a cholesterol problem.
>I usually take fruit and milk.
> I never take more than 100 mg Modafinil at a time, and only occasionally feel the need for a 50 mg booster dose in the late afternoon. But I have had to work at a routine that makes it really effective; it won't FORCE you to feel better!
Sometimes I can´t start a routine due to depressive thoughts. Tasks look immense and meaningless and I don´t feel the energy to do them. I feel sad and slow. I don´t know what it is, I start to worry, feel bad, anxious and my body gets heavy and move slow.
I decided to try 50 mg modafinil for some days to see if it helps create habits.
>
> Good luck,
> Tony
>Thanks a lot, very helpful!
poster:Franz
thread:1006234
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111226/msgs/1006303.html