Anyone tried "wakefulness" drugs to combat fatigue?

[Jeff]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has tried so-called wakefullness drugs--nuvigil or provigil--to combat Crohn's-related fatigue. If so, how was your experience on it? Did it work? Side effects? Does it continue to be a good solution long term?

What else have people tried to combat fatigue (besides Vitamin D and B12)?

 

[maria]

What is that? I've never heard of it.

 

[Jeff]

I'm not an expert, but here's my understanding.

They're prescription drugs. Some or maybe most insurance plans only cover them if there's a diagnosis of narcolepsy or sleep apnea, but I believe other plans cover them for more generalized fatigue. Unlike Adderall, they don't work to increase concentration; they work just to decrease fatigue (i.e. to increase wakefulness).

Provigil was released first. One online commentator (with medical credentials) suggested Nuvigil was released because the patent on Provigil was expiring. The commentator suggested Nuvigil is essentially the same thing.

 

[DustyKat]

Until Sarah managed to get her diarrhoea under control she had issues with fatigue throughout the day due her needing to use the toilet so much at night. I know during her last year at school, which culminates in major exams, she started using an OTC tablet called No Doz. It is a caffeine tablet and at the time she did not drink coffee. It certainly seemed to help her get through this period and there were no side effects that I was aware of.

I have seen Provigil prescribed off label for MS and Chronic fatigue.

Dusty. xxx

 

[maria]

I'm not an expert, but here's my understanding.

They're prescription drugs. Some or maybe most insurance plans only cover them if there's a diagnosis of narcolepsy or sleep apnea, but I believe other plans cover them for more generalized fatigue. Unlike Adderall, they don't work to increase concentration; they work just to decrease fatigue (i.e. to increase wakefulness).

Provigil was released first. One online commentator (with medical credentials) suggested Nuvigil was released because the patent on Provigil was expiring. The commentator suggested Nuvigil is essentially the same thing.

Well that's good.. I need something like that

 

[Nataliamas]

My doctor has prescribed me adderall for the last 3-4 years to help combat the fatigue. Ironically, it seemed to help with mt GI symptoms as well. Maybe because I wasn't eating as much? It does cause some weight loss. Upon first start, some jitteriness, but overall, it's become the one drug I won't stop taking because it gives me the energy to have a life outside of the bed.

 

[GFinDC]

I am trying Rhodiola Rosea right now. It seems to help me stay more alert. I take it every other day though, not every day, and just one 700 mg capsule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodiola_rosea

 

[elizamt]

I've used No Doz and/or Vivarin to get through the past two semesters of law school exams. They're just caffeine pills, basically. I didn't really have any side effects and was taking them on a regular basis for almost a month each time. If I combined with anything else that had caffeine (coffee, soda, redbull), I'd have to go to the bathroom more frequently, but it was worth it to be able to stay awake long enough to study. They're really cheap, too, so that's an added bonus. Taking them might increase your heart rate a bit, though.

 

[Jessasha]

I have been taking Thermo fuel by Gentec to get me through my exercise routines, it works a treat and really sparks me up, increases heart rate, sometimes I'll go to the toilet 15-20 mins or so after taking it but the crash as you come down was the worst.. Anything loaded with caffiene can make you crash after you come down.. Until I started my B12 injections this was the only way I could work out because fatigue was huge for me. It served it's purpose though and I still use it every other day.. It's helped me get active again.

 

[mnsun]

I've been experimenting with alternate sources of caffeine in hopes of better toleration. I usually drink yerba mate which supposedly contains a different form called mateine--I can handle this stuff alright. I was thinking of trying an exclusively yerba mate extract pill of sorts.

Right now I've found some Energy Shots from NOW products because they were 70% off--otherwise I would never pay full price for these suckers. They contain chocolate derived caffeine in addition to other energy supps. I can tolerate these just fine, but I have very few digestive symptoms.

Recently I've been reading about nasal caffeine sprays but I think I'll hold off and wait to see others' experiences/side effects. I see they contain just a couple mgs per spray but mainlining caffeine to the brain seems a bit scary, but it would probably bypass any digestive issues. I know there are sublingual caffeine tabs in development by some company that will market them as alternatives to chew packets---probably to baseball players and kids, of course.