Modafinil (PROVIGIL®) Can Improve Physical Fatigue in Patients With Parkinson's Disease: Presented at ANA

By Maggie Schwarz

WASHINGTON, DC -- October 9, 2007 -- Modafinil can reduced physical fatigue commonly seen in patients with Parkinson's disease, researchers reported here at the 132nd Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA).

"It was very gratifying to find that modafinil improves physical fatigue in patients with Parkinson's disease," reflected study presenter Jau-Shin Lou, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Oregon Medical School, Portland, Oregon, United States.

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When i told my GP that fatigue was getting to the point where i could not get out of bed in the morning, he prescribed provigil. For me anyway, it never did anything more than a couple of cups of strong coffee! I could take it and go to bed and sleep!
I dunno, but i think that provigil holds no current special status as a new drug for any applications that older drugs don't fit. Sure , it is chemically unique as far as a structure of a central nervous system stimulant, but I don't think it's anything better than what we have on the market now, that is, generic and cheap. cs

Provigil did nothing for me either. I don't know of anyone offhand that it has worked for.

Charlie

I had heard about this drug and had been wondering if it might help. However, I'm having so much trouble with insomnia that I'm leery of taking anything that might make it worse. I quit drinking coffee because I thought it might be contributing to my difficulty with sleep, but it didn't seem to matter either way. Coffee does help reduce daytime fatigue, however. If a cup of coffee doesn't have much impact on sleep, perhaps provigil might not either.

Has anyone with insomnia tried provigil? If so, how did it impact your insomnia?

Karl

Thanks for the comments. I had hoped that maybe this was just the med I needed for my fatigue...guess not.

I do believe I need another sleep study. It has been about 10 years since my last study. I am tired of being tired all day long and getting out of bed already needing to return and sleep within 2 hours.

Well, darn!!

carolyn,

my dad has been taking provigal for years. it's the only thing that keeps him awake and going during the day. he doesn't drink coffee or caffienated drinks because of prostate problems. ( he refuses to stop eating his fave food...dark chocolate )

keeping himself awake and not napping during the day has helped him to sleep better at night.

Modafanil was a lifesaver to me. I’ve been taking it a breakfast and lunch for several years. Requip had me so sedated during the day that it was a battle to stay awake. Requip helped my mobility to such a degree that there was no thought of dropping it. I couldn’t take any more than 2 doses of Modafinil per day as my face broke out in spots. Sinemet builds up in me as the day goes on and I get progressively more stimulated so by 11 pm I need Trazadone to sleep or else I’d still be puttering at 4am. Guy

I think the success rate with Modafinil over on my narcolepsy forum is about 25%. It totally depends on the person.

It made me MORE sleepy.

For the record, nicotine activates the same areas of the brain as orexin. You may want to try the patches. Take them off at dinnertime, or they will give you extremely weird dreams.

Provigil helped my husb. feel more energized as he did not feel as though he was pushing a truck uphill to walk. It definitely helped his narcolepsy. He was taken off it a year ago because it interfered with Diflucan. However he will pick it up soon.

Karl,
Trazodone is an old anti-depressant and it was prescribed too me for its sedative properties. It is slow to metabolize and once it does hit, I can feel a weightedness come over my limbs. Karl, because you’ve been struggling with insomnia for so long and a ways back you said you were being treated for sleep apnea, don’t you think your neuro needs to go over your med sheet with you and see if there is a sedation that is right and safe for you? The Modafinil helps me to not nap so much and I think that gives me a better night. When I don’t sleep my PD is definitely worse. My concentration isn’t so hot tonight so I didn’t absorb the vitamin article well -- hot milk releases B 6 I think, hence its sedative effect. We’re back to more tweaking. Good luck. Guy