Nuvigil For Treatment Resistant Depression (Top voted first)

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.

REPLY

REPORT

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.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

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.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Re: Patrick (# 14)

I can't thank you enough for the info about Nuvigil. I knew the first day I took it that it was the answer. Recently I contacted the drug manufacturers who make Nuvigil and it's generic, Armodafinil, hoping someone would be interested in knowing how great it works for depression. They were not interested. I don't understand it. As I mentioned, I've tried all the meds. And after my last round of ECT which didn't help at all, my memory has been severely affected - lost most of the last 10 years. I don't think marijuana is legal where I live, but I'm so happy that it works for you. People don't understand the hell we have been through unless they have experienced it themselves. My mother suffered from depression and anxiety and committed suicide. At the time I didn't understand, but now that I have it I understand all too well. I will continue taking Nuvigil, but I need a small increase. Why would my doctor or the insurance companies decide that I can't take anymore when it obviously works? Health issues? I think suicide is a pretty big health issue. Hang in there.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

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 .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

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..

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Patrick (# 12)

Thank you for clearing things up about Nuvigil in your reply to Bobby. I was 38 years old when my depression hit - I am now 61. In all those years I have lost everything to depression: my first marriage, family, friends, jobs, and the respect of everyone I know, not to mention my self esteem and confidence. I understand that Nuvigil is a stimulant, but obviously there is a particular type of depression that responds to it. I have never abused drugs or alcohol or used marijuana to self medicate. I've done everything my doctors have told me to. Before Nuvigil I was just killing time waiting to die. As I mentioned earlier, Nuvigil has given me a quality of life that I had given up on. I can feel contentment, peace of mind and pleasure. I look forward to getting up each morning and thank God for the time that Nuvigil gives me each day. I don't understand why someone doesn't look into this treatment for depression - possibly increasing the recommended dose or develop it in a new medication that wouldn't have to be increased. I've contacted the drug manufacturers regarding this and got nowhere. I guess we can hope that some day that will happen - hope it's not too late.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Re: Diane (# 13)

Don't listen to BOBBY or anyone else who doesn't know the facts. Nuvigil was actually created in Germany as an antidepressant. It did not get the funding needed so an American chemist bought the patent and created it here.
Unfortunately our FDA is assbackwards so they would not let him market the drug as an antidepressant. America is still stuck in the idea that SSRI's are actually helpful for depression which is nonsense. Other parts of the world are looking into alternative ideas to treat depression and having success. I highly recommend you stay on Nuvigil. If you're feeling dizzy or faint you should eat something or maybe adjust your dose. Talk to your doc about that. Also, I don't regularly smoke marijuana, but I will tell you that it doesn't hurt to try. Especially if you're in a state where it is legal. Just think about it in terms of medicine. You have taken probably countless amounts of drugs (as I have) that your doctor prescribed that are far more harmful to your brain and body. All of those pills can't be much worse or better than trying a little marijuana. I'm not saying it will work, but I am saying that it is worth a shot. It might be that missing piece you're looking for. The one thing I can say is that marijuana is an antagonist for most drugs. Meaning when you use it in unison with other drugs it will make them work stronger & last longer. Who knows? Anyways, good luck to you. Keep trying. Nuvigil turned my life around and then I found the right compliment to it and I'm stable for the first time in 10 yrs. You CAN feel better!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Re: Patrick (# 12)

Hey, before you start throwing facts around, PATRICK, check your own facts about taking Gabapentin... The ONLY FDA approved use of it is an anti-convulsion med...It is not a Psyc med.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

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?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

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.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

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.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Bobby (# 11)

Once again, Nuvigil is far from just a stimulant. It was actually originally created as an antidepressant. Non SSRI. It does have stimulant properties , but it is NOT the same as taking an amphetamine. BOBBY- I believe that maybe you crashed on it and had an odd reaction. But the high majority of people experience little to no crash. Comparing it to Adderall is absurd and ignorant. Just because your body reacted differently than 99% of people doesn't give you the right to say it is the same as other stimulants. The difference is apples and oranges. Plus, it is not like putting a bandaid on a gunshot or whatever stupid analogy you made. This is becoming prescribed more and more for mood disorders and it is making a TON more of an impact than any of the SSRI type anti depressants that people like me or OP have had to endur3 for years. Please do some research before you discourage someone from being in a drug that obviously is working and they just haven't figured out the right dosage and other missing pieces.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

(Bobby #11) --

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. Don't listen to BOBBY or anyone else who doesn't know the facts. Comparing it to Adderall is absurd and ignorant. Plus, it is not like putting a band-aid on a gunshot or whatever stupid analogy you made. 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. I don't regularly smoke marijuana, but I will tell you that it doesn't hurt to try. Do not tell someone to be wary of taking a drug that you don't know much about." Do not tell people to be wary of this drug. It has saved my life as well as 2 friends of mine". Yes. I pay them to pretend that they're my friends... "Stop trying to be slick when you're not even grasping the concept..." My psychiatrist was the head national sales rep for Nuvigil and he told me that!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Patrick (# 12)

nuvigil is a wakeful medication, prescribed for sleep disorders and shift work it is the new version of Provigil it is also prescribed off lable for depression, ADHD, and Bipolar disorder fibromialgia many of the patients have enjoyed great relief from these disorders works great as an add on medication low addiction available in generic form

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Diane (# 9)

Maybe if opiates were legalized and regulated, no one would have "problems". Meanwhile, alcohol causes males to rape, females to beat their children, and drivers of both genders to kill others in car accidents. Lack of opiates leads those with cancer or chronic pain or treatment-resistant depression to unemployment and despair.

Every psychoactive drug causes dependency and withdrawal symptoms, including drugs like SSRIs which, unlike opiates, are so ineffective that they have been shown to be no different in efficacy to placebo. Yet they still caused "discontinuation" (i.e. withdrawal) syndrome. Lock those Paxilzaklexa junkies up, they caused the problem themselves, right?

Didn't think so, huh, you hypocritical bird?

I suppose you're one of those intellectually challenged marijuana shills who think "it helps everythiiiiing". Fifty years ago, the shoe was on the other foot and the brain damaged lazy marijuana smokers were going to jail while responsible opiate users were able to work and be productive. The lesson: society always needs a scapegoat, and most people are too stupid to see the ever-shifting goal posts as just more of the same "blame the victim" crap.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

At 60 years of age and 23 years of long term treatment-resistant depression, I was ready to give up. My doctor prescribed Nuvigil - it's a miracle drug for me. I took the first dose, with much skepticism, and within 45 minutes I giggled at something silly on TV. My first thought was "where did that come from". As the day went on I knew this was what I'd been searching for since I was 38 years old. I was out of the black hole! I could feel peace of mind, contentment, pleasure, passion for my husband and began to realize all the possibilities that I had given up on or forgotten. Instead of sleeping just to pass the time, there weren't enough hours in a day for all I wanted to do. I became much more socially active, and threw myself into all the hobbies that were too overwhelming for me before. I had no side effects, - not jittery or anxious like with Adderall, or other meds of that type. The only problem is that Nuvigil needs to be increased over time to maintain it's effectiveness. I've been taking 3 a day for over a year and my doctor will not increase it any more. I don't think it's ever been evaluated for depression since it's for narcolepsy so the recommended dose is for narcolepsy. Over the past 6 months I've began sliding back into that black hole. I can't find anyone knowledgable enough on this med to OK more. I think it's horrible that I'm limited on a life-saving drug because no one will help me. If I had cancer or alzheimers, doctors would never stop or limit a drug that was curing me. So why this? Everyone is afraid to take a chance -" what if something goes wrong?" Well I can say with much certainty that SUICIDE is the ultimate side effect. I have decided that I won't go back to killing time waiting to die. Isn't my life as important as those with other deadly diseases? Please help me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Diane (# 21)

Pls try spiritual path. Find a bible believing Christian church and join their fellowship gatherings/bible studies/church worship services to lift up your mind and spirit. Your body will eventually follow and will eventually not need the meds. Follow doctor directions when starting to wean away from the meds.
I did it in 2010 and now am very much ok.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Sickofpainpatientssuffering (# 20)

Wow! One of the best post's that I have read in a long time!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Shea (# 22)

Not everyone will be able to take the path that you did. There are many of us who need prescriptions to function. If there's a way for me to get off them, I would love to but I have much to live for and happen to need the blood pressure meds and the modafinil (the generic of NuVigil) to stay awake due to chronic fatigue.

I'm happy you've found something that works for you, but please don't belittle another's journey if it is different than yours. Thank you for understanding that some of us have several medical conditions and if you mess up one thing, it sets off a domino effect with the others.

Blessings to you!
Nikki

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Nikki (# 24)

Please note that there was no "belittling" aspect in my message. In fact, I mentioned "pls try...." and "follow doctor's advise when weaning....". Sometimes when the meds are not helping anymore and doctors don't/can't increase dosage of meds we can try other non-med options. That was what I suggested when I said please try... Nothing belittling about that.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Has anyone any experience taking this medication and has it helped for your Depression? I realize this is not yet consid...

42 REPLIES

For 40+ years I have battled bipolar illness.. been through all meds, many ect, rTMS. and clearly dealing with trd... Ho...

4 REPLIES

March 15 looking for a center greater Los Angeles area or throughout the country that is not acute facility but similar ...

1 REPLY

If someone is being treated with fluvoxamine and are then diagnosed with graves disease could the fluvoxamine also be tr...

2 REPLIES

Clinical trials were looking at the use of opiod agonists as off label anti-depressants. Since they block the release of...

1 REPLY

looking for a center in Southern California that takes Medicare for treatment of bipolar and depression ## Hello, John! ...

2 REPLIES

I had depression n anxiety 10yrs ago. Was given Seroxat n had very good results. Been off meds since then. Now depressio...

3 REPLIES

I developed a severe fungal infection internally in my neck and vagina after taking natural wild organic mushroom capsul...

## What is Cispin? ## Cispin is a common misspelling for the antidepressant called Zispin SolTab. Active Ingredient: Mir...

3 REPLIES

My friend was prescribed Haldol for depression. My friend suffers from being addicted to Perocets, and because he was go...

1 REPLY