Severe Depreesion After Stopping Nuvigil (Top voted first)

I just cannot deal with this anymore. I need a minimum of two, 250 mg Nuvigil pills a day to stay awake, and go from my chronic depression, to being able to feel normal. The first year I took it I was fine. That was 2010. Since then, I get a script with 5 refills, but since I take two, sometimes three, I run out early. The first two days I sleep straight. Obviously my body can't take the overuse. Anything over 10 minutes normally, I fall into bed exhausted. Then I go into this period of severe unbearable depression. I know because I have been clinically depressed 5 times since 1992. This is much worse, trust me. This whole process takes 6 to 7 days. When this week period ends, I go back to the beginning where I have NO WILL TO LIVE. I have thought many times of taking my life but I am religious and it is against our religion, and I wouldn't want to cause embarrassment to my family. People who commit suicide are buried at the edge of the Cemetery. So I take Nuvigil, that does put be in a manic state at times but I now can control it. The most important thing about Nuvigil is I can go out in Public, and have no fear of interacting as well as having my confidence back. I have OCD and am on 8 mg Klonopin, 150 mg Anafranil, and 3 mg of Suboxone because I had a year of uninterrupted chemotherapy (my third cancer surgery starting at 41) because I couldn't get off of Darvocet for the extreme discomfort of chemotherapy. Darvocet is a glorified Tylenol. Anyway, is there something I can go on when I go off of Nuvugil so I won't have to constantly go through this Hell? I have been to so many Psychiatrists, the most recent one took a DNA swab and found out that Anafranil was the best for me. I don't know when I can go on this forum again because as I said, today I run out of Nuvigil. Can someone please guide me so I don't suffer multiple times a year. I glues it would be anywhere about 8 to 10 times a year I go through this. I don't sound to be mean but I never seam to get an answer for my problems. I suffer Battered spouse syndrome (as a man) which led to P.T.S.D. recently. Had to close my Medical Practice at age 55. And I am in the lowest poverty bracket. Not able to afford the basics of life. my parents and relatives have been supporting me all of these years. I am a failure but to drag my family down with me, is unforgivable

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I see that I didn't properly word the question. It's when I STOP taking Nuvigil, I will sleep the first 2 days after coming off of it, and then I go into a severe depressive state. This whole process lasts for about 7 days when I then get to a point of no desire to live so I wait another 10 or so days for a refill so I can at least feel alive for that short period of time I am taking Nuvigil. I keep going through this every 6 weeks. Nuvigil again for the 12 to 14 days (remember, I am taking two pills or a little more daily) and after finishing them early, go back to the 2 days of sleeping and 5 days of deep depression. Is thee anyway or anything to take, to stop this depression. I am on an antidepressant but that does nothing.

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I must apologize to everyone here. I have been getting progressively worse to the point of being bedridden for the last three months. But even before that time, and even with taking upwards of four Nuvigil a day, not only did the medication become less and less effective, but my desire to do anything just dropped to near zero.
I therefore had no desire to go on the computer and to be quite honest, I "thought" no one was answering me so I never came back after a period of time. Here is what happened. It seems over time when I run out of Nuvigil and get back on it, new adverse reactions appear that were not there before. I can describe many but the most important, and I guess serious, was that I was becoming "breathless" after taking any dose. Whether it be a half a pill or four pills. Now my most recent adverse effects are that I have severe stomach pains, always nauseous, constant lack of appetite, and now, overwhelming exhaustion. Add on to that, that I am a severe, but pharmacologically controlled Hypochondriac. Even though I take medication for my OCD (the DSM NOW has hypochondriasis under OCD) there is what is called "Break through" which means sometimes, the medication will be ineffective after a very stressful period which can be due to many reasons. Mine is because I initially was moderately tired and now I am completely wiped out. I am concerned with many potential problems that will take me from having little quality of life to none! I went to an Endocrinologist thinking I had Adrenal insufficiency. Long story short, I didn't go for a follow up test that would have showed if I have it or not. Took two separate tests for it on "WebMD and doubled both scores for having a serious case for it. But the nurse called me back and told me everything was fine except my ACTH was a little high and I was anemic. Well I stupidly looked up Chronic Renal failure (since both my Kidney and adrenal gland were removed) and sure enough, many of the symptoms were identical to Adrenal insufficiency! BUT lo and behold, C.R.F. in addition to all of my symptoms, has slight anemia as a sign which Adren. Insuf. does not have. So I am paralyzed with fear at the moment. OH, there was a reason I didn't go for the test but that's for another time.
Addendum. I am truly embarrassed for my poor grammar skills from A to Z that have cropped up in the last year. I think it is due to all of my med's. I want to thank everyone again for being so kind, understanding, and especially helpful. I've read all of your replies and appreciate the time you took out of your lives to help me.

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I had the same problem. I was addicted to opiates. I've been clean for 2 yrs. I was prescribed 500mg of Nuivigil per day. I was moody, depressed and still tired. I went to an Endocrinologist and come to find out, my Testosterone, sugar and thyroid were out of whack. Not to mention the Nuivigil offsets a lot of medication. The first 7-8 months on Nuivigil were great and then boom. All my symptoms were back. There is a reason the FDA prevents taking Nuivigil over 250mg. It's unheard of. If you are there is an underlying problem you're not addressing.

In order for me to move forward I now take Testosterone 1/wk, an anti depressant and I feel awesome. When off Nuivigil or just stop. If you just stop you will feel very tired. But get your blood checked and take care of that first. Then take 1.5 for a week, 1 for a week, .5 for a week. Then your good. I didn't feel anything coming off that way. If u feel tired take .5 every other day for a week. Then stop. Don't continue. If u can't control it then dig deep and have someone hold them and give them to you. You keep going you're going to think your BiPolar. Good Luck

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Thank you. My problem is two fold though. First, without Nuvigil, I fall asleep at the wheel other places that are not the safest places to do this. I totaled three cars and had numerous accidents all from falling asleep at the wheel ALL from my condition of Sever Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That's why I was given Nuvigil in the first place. I also have an indescribable amount of stress and anxiety in my life and my Psychiatrist told me that the FDA has approved Nuvigil for depression but insurance companies have not recognized it as such and therefore will not cover the expense which can be a whopping $700 for 30 pills.
There was a special on Television (I think 60 minutes) on how many people are taking these med's off label which means NOT for its intended purpose. CEO's, Professional ball players, One parent families. It provides them with acuity in there thinking, strength to take care of a whole family yourself and work, etc. When I take one, after I started only two days prior, I remain tired and sleepy. I then have to increase it little by little until that feeling goes away. I also , at times, get extremely achy and by just taking another half a pill or even a whole pill, will the achiness dissipate.
Please understand that I have NO drug seeking behavior as I did when taking Darvocet so if I don't have it, I don't have it but I know what to expect and it upsets me. The particular medication I take for my OCD is affected by Nuvigil. For drug interaction, Nuvigil will decrease the level of Anafranil (the med for my OCD) by affecting the Hepatic (Liver) enzyme CYP1A2 (I have no idea what that is!) metabolism. The drug interaction site I found this on says to monitor the patient closely! Significant interaction possible. So maybe that's why this keeps happening to me. I am just looking for something to replace or something to do to prevent this gargantuan feeling of depression, albeit, it lasts only three to four days.
I hope I am not coming off like a know it all but I have been going like this for so long, I just can't deal with it. It's not a drug addiction problem. it's a medication that takes me out of an "I don't care about anything anymore" feeling to a I enjoy life and motivated to do so many things.
I want to thank you for taking time out of your schedule to try to help me wit this. It means a lot to me. Thanks so much.

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Are you on anything for depression? If Not you should be. Nuivigil symptoms go away after 2-3 days. Like myself, I was prescribed an anti depressant before whining off. I felt great after my process. I am still taking Pristiq and its the best thing I have done. Nuivigil changes your mechanical makeup of your brain. It's a stimulant and takes 2-6 months to get your brain function normally again. See your doctor for an anti depressant and leave the Nuivigil at the pharmacy.

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It takes 2-6 months to get your brain functioning normally again. May I ask where you heard that from? I have been on Anafranil, 200 mg at night since 1992. It is a Tricyclic Antidepressant. For years I was between 25 mg and 150 mg. every night but now I am up to 200 mg. It works well on both my OCD and depression. I am also taking a 8 mg of Klonopin daily.

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Pristq is a great Anto Depressant. I take it. Nuivigil for me made depression worse when I didn't have it. Are you on a BiPAP or CPAP for your Apnea?

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I tried the CPAP. I don't know if I gave it a fair try because when I first started it, I was beginning with Nuvigil as well. So I would be up to 2 A.M. and wake up at 7 A.M. to go to work. I was still tired so I said the CPAP machine did not work. I am trying to start again, but this time, trying to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. I have to find a D.M.E provider though.

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I have neck and back injuries I take 6 percover and 3 method one and Lyrica everyday,,my pain specialist prescribe nuvigil 250 milligrams I was on the medication for about 3 years my husband's company was bought out and they gave us a new insurance company and they have refused to give me my nuvigil plus my dr doesn't want to bother with pre authorization so the insurance company will ok paying for the medication I had to go off the medication abruptly I run into a very serious depression finally I was sent a coupon for one month free of my nuvigil I have 2 pills left like I have my life back when I'm taking the new video because of all the narcotics that I have to take for the pain I sleep all the time and I've developed narcolepsy how can I get my position to understand I need him to fight for me to get the medication back again I have very little quality of life because of the damage I have and then to sleep all the time I have no life how can I get through to him that he must fight for me I do I just have to say tell him I have to have a new doctor please advise

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Oh my gosh I feel for you so much, I also deal with bad depression, now I am way to scared to even try to use this med

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I had the same issue. Here it is in a nutshell. The FDA limit on Nuvigil is 250mg for a reason. I was on 2-3 per day. By 7pm I was angry and depressed. I take suboxone as well. I through Nuvigil in the garbage and was put on 450mg Welbutrin and 100mg of Pristq. I feel myself again. Get off Nuvigil and be treated for your underlying condition of depression. The Nuvigil will knock u out at end of the day. It's horrible feeling. Good Luck

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I was in a serious accident that left me with lots of pain. My pain management doctor put on Lortab and now it is called Norco. I was also put on Nuvigil because I had trouble staying awake, The Nuvigil did not help with staying awake much, but I still took it. I have had severe sweating, nervousness, tremors, jerking of arms and legs, burning and tingling in hand and feet. No intolerance for heat. I just happened to put my meds in a drug counteraction site,. and low a behold I had a major interaction warning between the Norco and Nuvigil. Seems like the side effects of these two medicines have been affecting my well being for years and not one doctor caught the problem. So sad.

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Depression is simply perceiving the world in a distorted way. Develop a meditation practice. Check out sam Harris's book "waking up". YouTube people like alan watts, j krishnamurti, sri ramana maharisi and eckhart tolle. You're in a perfect position to walk a higher path.

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