Nuvigil For Treatment Resistant Depression (Page 2)
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Nuvigil (armodafinil) saved my life. I've had treatment resistant major depression for over 20 years. Tried so many anti-depressants - most don't help, or only work temporarily. Side effects of others are intolerable. Numerous rounds of ECT haven't fixed the problem. I even tried TMS, which is not covered by insurance - didn't work. A year ago my doctor prescribed Nuvigil and it's given me my life back. Not enough hours in the day to do all the things I actually enjoy. Also able to feel contentment and peace of mind. Unfortunately, I've had to continuously increase the amount to keep it working and now I'm at a very high dose and my doctor won't let me go any higher. I can't find anyone else in the medical field aware of what Nuvigil can do for my type of depression so I'm at the end of the road. I've begun having weak spells and feel dopey - not sure if it's from the high dosage or something else. I can't go back to the way things were before I started taking Nuvigil - I'll die. Please help me.

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Giving someone a stimulant to treat depression is like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound. Yea you'll feel better for a while but when you crash (and you will crash) it will make the depression so much worse. Maybe at very tiny doses it can be used effectively but high doses seem counter productive. Personally, I tried all the anti depressants, stimulants and I'm even on subutex which is an opioid and that does help, but I've found that exercise and eating healthy helps my depression more than any medication.

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Re: methadionian (# 6)

Comparing Nuvigil and Aderall is not fair or very accurate. While Nuvigil acts as a stimulant it is NOT amphetamine. Their is little to no crash from it and the risks of the drug are far less than Adderal/ Vyvanse/ Ritalin ect.. Do not tell someone to be wary of taking a drug that you don't know much about. Also you do not build a tolerance to Nuvigil in the way you do to the other stimulants I named. Yes you will get used to the drug and it won't work like it did for the first week ( As any other drug ) but it is not something like Xanax or pain pills. You shouldn't have to increase Nuvigil multiple times throughout your life. If it is not working well enough then the problem is usually not in the dosage but rather in the combination of other drugs you are on or lack their of. Please do not tell people to be wary of this drug. It has saved my life as well as 2 friends of mine. None of us have had issues with abuse and none of us have needed an increase after we found the right dosage. Please get your facts straight before you start warning people not to take something. Especially when you yourself are on something as horrible as methadone.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

I have none of those side effects from Nuvigil taking 2 1/2 of the 250mg Armodafinil. In addition I am on 80mg of prozac, 150mg lamictal, klonopin, requip (restless legs probably caused by antidepressants) along with BP med, synthroid, premarin. Nothing was working until my doctor added Nuvigil. It turned my life around. Unfortunately, no one is working on this as a treatment for my type of depression, nor are they interested. I even contacted Mylan and Teva - no help at all. I guess everyone's too busy helping opioid addicts who bring on their own problems instead

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Re: B kaur (# 4)

your child need to sleep first, at least for some 8 hours a day at night. For ADHD, impulsiveness combined with hyperactivity, in india, psychiatrists / neurologists suggest arkamin to begin with. This is basically a anti hypertensive drug, but induces deep sleep . Other drugs (stimulants like the ones you described ) such as adderol were also given to my grandkid (a US subject ) but when a kid is impulsive , further stimulants do not show the way. Drugs like respiridone, aripraprazole etc. appear to help but they do not cure.
ADHD as well as autism (a spectrum disorder, where affected persons' requirements vary. what suits one particular kid may not suit another. You may as well discuss the problem with a qualified child psychiatrist apart from a neurologist.
What cannot be cured must be endured and I am sure Grace of Almighty will help you retain peace when you care your child.
Good Luck.
from a grandpa equally suffering.

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So, I can't guarantee this will work for everyone. Some depressions begin VERY early in life. Therefore they must be addressed from that angle. The Early Trauma Protocol (by Sandra Paulson) is very helpful for any issues related to depression or anxiety that began in a chaotic or frightening environment.
Since the meds are near their usefulness, this might be your next step. Find a counselor who thoroughly knows how to do the Early Trauma Protocol and has been using it for awhile. Good luck to you! EMDR therapist vary in knowledge.

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Re: Bobby (# 3)

You have built a tolerance. Thank God is was just Armodaifinil & not Adderall. Every stimulant uses up the reg supply of Dopamine & other neurotransmitters. Once this "feel good" sensation is gone you crash, get angry & etc. The worst part is tolerance builds rapidly to these. So what worked last week, just isn't enough. Eventually you'll need these types of medications just to "feel normal" what ever that is. Good luck, but be wary..

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My daughter is disabled by birth. and blind when she was 12years of age because of retina deattachment.She is 22years old and cannot speak. Her cognitive level is about two years old child. She has severe behaviour issues like self injuries behavior and aggression and sleeplessness. She has given diagnosis name muscular dystrophy with muscle eye brain disease. And lots of other labels by psychiatric like autism, ADD, ADHD, Severe behavior disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder etc. We tried lots of. Medications since she is two years old till continue. But no benefits. She is getting more of behaviors and side effects. We tried to help her by lots of behaviors therapies by experts also. Nothing is helping her. We are feeling helpless for her. If anyone knows any medicine work for this condition please help us. She never slept throughout the night since last 15 years even with sleeping medications. We also tried CBD and THC treatment for her. Everything made her health and behaviors more worse. I will ask her doctor about Nuvigil can help her. Please let me know if anyone knows any medicine that can work for my daughter. Seems like she cries sometimes with pain somewhere in her body. Pain management clinic is treating her also with high doses of pain meds everyday but it didn't change her condition at all.

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My daughter is disabled blind because of retina deattachment.She is 22years old and cannot speak. Her cognitive level is about two years old child. She has severe behaviour issues like self injuries behavior and aggression and sleeplessness. She has given diagnosis name muscular dystrophy with muscle eye brain disease. And lots of other labels by psychiatric like autism, ADD, ADHD, Severe behavior disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder etc. We tried lots of. Medications since she is two years old till continue. But no benefits. She is getting more of behaviors and side effects. We tried to help her by lots of behaviors therapies by experts also. Nothing is helping her. We are feeling helpless for her. If anyone knows any medicine work for this condition please help us. She never slept throughout the night since last 15 years even with sleeping medications. We also tried CBD and THC treatment for her. Everything made her health and behaviors more worse.

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I tried nuvigil myself and suffered awful crashes once it started to ware off.. even more so than from amphetamines like Adderall and Vyvanse. I know you feel better when your dose is peaking in your blood but like you said you need to keep upping the dose with nuvigil fast! I noticed that if I dropped my dose to a very low dose split through the day it worked better .

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I am on Nuvigil as well. I have had depression my entire life and nothing worked. I used drugs for a long time trying to combat It. I eventually got clean and my doc prescribed me Nuvigil. It helped me tremendously. More than any other treatment by far. Unfortunately, you can only go to a certain dosage. That is for a good reason. Too much Nuvigil is not a good thing. My psychiatrist was the head national sales rep for Nuvigil and he told me that, while a higher dose may feel great at first, it will end up making you kind of a zombie. Plus, it curbs appetite so you won't eat as well. Also, dizziness becomes a real problem in that high of a dose. It is not safe. I recommend you remain on a stable dose and find another drug that compliments the Nuvigil. For me it was Gabapentin. I know that seems odd because it is for nerve pain, but it is being prescribed for mood balancing more and more. I also got my blood evaluated again and found out I needed a pretty large increase on my thyroid medicine - This is far more important than I ever could have imagined. So my advice is that you: A) Maintain a stable (not too high) dose of Nuvigil. B) Find a complementary drug for your mood that you can take in combination with Nuvigil. And C) Get your blood evaluated for anything and everything. It might not be your thyroid like it was for me, but there are quite a few things in your body that, if not working properly, can cause lethargy, depression, etc.... Good luck! Post your progress soon or feel free to write me back.

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What dose are you currently taking? I'm sorry, but I really can't provide you with an accurate answer without this information.

The FDA lists its typical side effects as possibly including nausea, dizziness, headache, irritability, anorexia, and insomnia.

Are you on any other medications?

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