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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ideopath on July 8, 2016, at 14:31:05
This post is about Provigil but I copied below my current meds for background.
I forgot to pack Provigil on an out of town trip and was out of it for a few days this past week.
I majorly suffered. And now I am on my 2nd day back on it. I take 200 mg twice per day.It has a very large positive effect on 4 fronts: anxiety, depression, energy, and feeling of well being.
I would highly recommend it as an augmenter to ADs. I think it is worth a try. Being off of it for a few days did not give a withdrawal effect. I just felt the way I did before I started on it 15 years ago. I never had any side effects from it.
My doc back then thought that Provigil was underused for anxiety and depression augmentation. He is considered to be one of the best docs in Baltimore.
_______________________
As I mentioned on the medication board, I am posting my meds on the alternative board since they include supplements.
I have had horrific anxiety and depression my whole life. Truly unbearable. I am 60 years old. I started with SSRIs maybe 20 years ago which made things definitely better, but not great.
I am still on an SSRI but with other meds. I have been on the same cocktail now for a number of years with no change in meds or dosage and am doing really good. I can safely say that I could not enjoy life before this time period, but have done so since.
Of course what works for me might not work for others. But here they are:
Lexapro (escitalopram): 20 mg 1x per day
Xanax (alprazolam): 0.5 mg 5x per day (every 3 hours) immediate release
Buspar (buspirone): 30 mg 2x per day (I actually take 2 15 mg pills at a time, twice a day instead of a 30 mg pill due to a pricing glitch)
Remeron (mirtazapine): 30 mg 1x before bed
Provigil (modafinil): 200 mg 2x (morning and at 3 pm)
Geodon (ziprasadone): 40 mg 1x before bed
That's it for Rx drugs. Here are the supplements:
Gotu Kola: Nature's Way 475 mg. I take 2 pills at a time, 3x per day- 9am, 3pm, 9pm
Aloe Vera: Solaray Super Aloe Vera- 2 pills at a time 4x per day- 9am, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm
Acetyl L-Carnatine: Doctor's Best 500 mg- I take 2 pills at a time 3x per day at 9am, 12pm, 3pm
Free and Easy Wanderer Plus- Plum Flower brand- 10 pills at a time 3x per day at 9am, 3pm, 9pm
In terms of brands, I have found differences in efficacy except for Gotu Kola. I have not tried other brands of that.
For acetyl l-carnatine I would recommend either Doctor's Best or Jarrows. They are the only 2 brands that I am aware of that have Biostint sigma tau carnatine. That is the one used in a clinical trial.
For Free and Easy Wanderer Plus by Plum Flower- make sure it has the word "Plus". There is another version without the "plus". The "plus" adds 1 or 2 additional herbs. The "plus" version is the one that worked in a clinical trial to augment Zoloft.
For Aloe Vera, I tried a few brands. I felt that Solaray seemed to work the best. I was surprised to read the Amazon ratings to see that very few people use Aloe Vera for mental health. IT is used for other purposes. But I read about it for mental health and it definitely helps me.
All of the above really help. I don't feel that I am taking any Rx drugs or supplements that I don't need. I get all supplements from Amazon.
In terms of side effects, I get sexual side effects which I am sure are mainly from Lexapro. So I have tried to stay off of SSRIs but was not successful in that attempt. Wellbutrin did not help me enough. I have not tried Remeron by itself, but my guess is that it would not help without an SSRI along with it. And Effexor also caused sexual side effects.
Posted by SLS on July 8, 2016, at 17:06:38
In reply to Provigil- very large effect, posted by ideopath on July 8, 2016, at 14:31:05
Thank you for your contribution.
:-)
I found Viibryd (vilazodone), Effexor (venlafaxine), and Cymbalta (duloxetine) to have no sexual side effects. I am sure that this is not true for everyone, though.
If Wellbutrin (bupropion) was partially effective, you might consider adding that to an SSRI or SNRI. Besides acting as an effective adjunct, it might also remedy sexual side effects. I'm not sure which components of the sexual response are most mitigated. I imagine libido would be increased. I don't know about orgasm. Perhaps someone would be able to answer this question. I get very frustrated when medical literature uses the terms "sexual impairments" or "sexual side effects" without specifying which aspects of sexual function are affected or mitigated.
What about Ginkgo Biloba?
- Scott
Posted by PeterMartin on July 8, 2016, at 18:52:37
In reply to Provigil- very large effect, posted by ideopath on July 8, 2016, at 14:31:05
Lamictal has always worked great for me as an AD and it doesn't cause me any sexual side effects (nor weight gain).
I wish I could get on Provigil but I doubt my insurance would cover it since its only approved for sleep issues. Meh. I did try it for a month or so in 2005 when there were samples and I know I definitely liked it.
Posted by Horse on July 9, 2016, at 13:54:49
In reply to Provigil- very large effect, posted by ideopath on July 8, 2016, at 14:31:05
Yes, I agree! In that, so far, nuvigil has helped immensely! I seem to 'need' a stimulant, but can't handle the sides, and so I felt over the moon to find it.
Glad it's working for you :)
Posted by Ruuudy on July 9, 2016, at 17:23:28
In reply to Re: Provigil- very large effect, posted by PeterMartin on July 8, 2016, at 18:52:37
Yes, thank you very much for sharing your experience with Provigil!
Not knowing much about the drug, naturally I went to good 'ole Google and found this ABC News report on Provigil - very interesting.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/provigil-secret-success/story?id=16788001I'm thinking my doctor would be hesitant to prescribe it for me as he would think it would have the potential to aggravate my anxiety.
Rudy
Posted by rjlockhart37 on July 9, 2016, at 22:17:51
In reply to Re: Provigil, posted by Ruuudy on July 9, 2016, at 17:23:28
i take Nuvigil, and i've noticed it's its wake-fullness properties, it's the right isomer of provigil.....its like dexedrine compared to adderall......but i've heard that provigil has diffrent effects than nuvigil, nuvigil just wakes you up and you can still go to sleep on nuvigil, i've read provigil wakes you up and it's difficult to sleep......
i've taken 500mg of armodafinil and noticed its euphoric wakefuleness properties, everything just comes alive.....it's not like methamphetamine or amphetamine because there a diffrent stimulation, more psychomotor, provigil is more wakefulness, plus amphetamine has the terrible crash period, nuvigil just slowly wears off not really a crash, you just simple go back to normal state
i asked my doctor if i could try provigil, she said its the same thing but like i said, i've read provigil is more stimulating than nuvigil
Posted by Horse on July 9, 2016, at 23:26:28
In reply to Re: Provigil, posted by Ruuudy on July 9, 2016, at 17:23:28
Lol, I take it just to get by :)
> Yes, thank you very much for sharing your experience with Provigil!
> Not knowing much about the drug, naturally I went to good 'ole Google and found this ABC News report on Provigil - very interesting.
> http://abcnews.go.com/Health/provigil-secret-success/story?id=16788001
>
> I'm thinking my doctor would be hesitant to prescribe it for me as he would think it would have the potential to aggravate my anxiety.
>
> Rudy
Posted by jonhed on July 10, 2016, at 13:08:27
In reply to Re: Provigil » Ruuudy, posted by Horse on July 9, 2016, at 23:26:28
Is modafinil anxiety provoking in some way, if the person (me) gets very very anxious of caffeine, but not amphetamine?
Posted by Horse on July 10, 2016, at 13:58:13
In reply to Re: Provigil, posted by jonhed on July 10, 2016, at 13:08:27
> Is modafinil anxiety provoking in some way, if the person (me) gets very very anxious of caffeine, but not amphetamine?
It could be, especially if the dosage is too high.I have significant anxiety but need stimulation.
This is the end of the thread.
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