Hello,
I am new to this message board and just wondered if anyone takes provigil for the fatigue of fibro? I was just given an RX for 200 mg provigil which I take in the morning. It has helped me with the fatigue I am still tired but at least it is not as bad as it use to be.
But now after being on the provigil for a month I am finding it harder to fall asleep. I hate to end up taking anything to help me sleep because the last time I did it got to the point I could not sleep unless I took the meds to help me sleep.
Until I started the provigil I was able to fall asleep but woke up at least every 45 mins then by 2am the pain is so bad I have to get up.
I also can't seem to gain any weight I lost alot of weight when I got sick with my gallbladder and am down to 112 pounds which for being 5 fot 8 in tall is to thin I am wondering if the provigil might be the reason why I can't put weight on I eat 6 meals a day now trying to gain some weight but so far no luck hopefully after awhile I will gain some weight back.
I also wondered what meds are good for muscle spasms I get really terrible muscle spasms in my back between my sholders it feels like electric current going through my back and sometimes this lasts for 6 months. I tried Flexeral but that made me so tired I could not function. I also get awful cramps in my legs and feet I did find an over the counter pill I believe is more of an herbal type that has quinine in it and that helps the cramps. But when the cramps get really bad those pills don't help either.
Sometimes I feel like there is no hope for me. I have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis too so my pain is constant. I do have vicoden for the pain but I am not able to take any of the new arthritis medications because of liver damage the doctor does not think those medications would be good for me since I had hep C and have the liver damage. I just recently had gallbladder surgery which has caused me to have a bad flare from my fibro. but I am slowely recovering from that.
This has been a bad year for me I have had 4 surgeries most minor but the stress from worry about the surgeries caused my fibro to flare up worse then normal.
When I first went to the rheumatoligst with my symptoms it took 5 years before they finally figured out I have fibro I also found out I had hep C to but lucky for me the combination therapy I had to take worked and the hep C is now gone hopefully forever. I will have to be tested every year to be sure the hep C does not come back.
I sure wish they could find a cure for fibro I am 50 years old and have not been able to work more then an hour a day for 7 years now and all I do now is sit in front of the tv or computer or my sewing machine it sure is sad to live this way. I try to remember there are others worse off then me but sometimes this fibro just comsumes me to where I can't focus on the good things in life.
I also have problem with my memory and my balance to, is problems with your balance related to fibro? Once a doctor told me I had MS but after testing I was told I do not have that so that was a good thing.
I hope everyone has a great day.
Pamm

Welcome! Sorry it's under such painful conditions. You will find much support and many good, loyal and honest friends here. It is my support system with I'm feeling badly, in pain, sad, depressed, happy, have good news to share...well you get it. It will be a place you can come to for so many different reasons. So be prepared to have plenty of people cheer you up and give excellent advice. Sometimes the advice is a simple "hang in there and jump in a warm epsom bath." But, it gets you thinking or not thinking about the pain and what to do at that moment.

Balance- I experience that more in weather changes or especially cold weather. I've noticed others as well. It def goes along with this crazy fibro.

My daughter is calling me to head out for our day of lunch/movies and the mall. I can feel my "balance" slipping already. :D

Have a nice day...hang in there and soon you will start to get other responses from people who relate to some of your other problems associated with pain.

Hugs and smiles, Annie :wave:

One other thing.... I was given Provigil for the same reason and experienced positive for awhile, but had to get off because after two weeks I could not sleep at all. Even with Ambien for sleep.

That is what I was afraid of with the provigil would be sleeping problems. My fatigue is so bad I can be driving in my car and suddenly realize I am in the car driving and not even remember getting in the car. So now I only drive to work do my one hour go to the store get groceries and dog food then come home and stay the rest of the day.
I am now experiencing something similar to restless leg syndrom except it is my entire body so I am wondering if it is the provigil doing this to me or just anxiety. I suffer from anxiety attacks but my doctor will not give me any medication for the anxiety it was so bad once I lost all feeling in my legs and face and went to the urgent care center thinking I was dieing and was really embarassed when I found it was only anxiety.
I can't seem to sit still and am very jittery. Are there any other drugs that might help fatigue?
I really need something that will help me to stay awake and focused. I have 5 grandkids and I make all their halloween costumes so I really need something to stay awake. This is the one thing I enjoy doing ( makeing the costumes for them ) right now I have one done but 4 more to go. I normally start the costumes earlier but we tore our old house down and put up a modular home and the place who set the house took their time 6 months to be exact so now I am way behind on my sewing. I lived in my camper in the back yard with 5 dogs and 5 cats no electric or running water for 4 and a half months so there was no way to sew.
Thanks for the warm welcome it is nice to have a place to come when I am feeling bad I really appricate it.
Pamm :wave:

Do you have a big problem sleeping? If I don't sleep more than 4 hours I have the fatigue badly. If I sleep than the fatigue is not a "major" issue. It's always there but not as bad. I really don't know what else to say about answers for the fatigue. I don't know of any meds for that. Forever I was doing the caffiene high and learned that wasn't good, but still sometimes it is better than falling asleep at the wheel.

Search out the net for fatigue and see what is recommended. That often is where I get my ideas. Especially the Mayo Clinic and NIH. I worked at NIH in the early 90's and know it is a great place full of wonderful resources.

Never, never feel bad about what happened with the anxiety problem. It has happened to all of us in some way or another. We are not doctors and have no way of knowing what everything is and means. "NOR DO THEY" lol Feel good you were smart to go and got the answer.

Gotta run, my daughter wants to go to a movie. She is 17 and will be 18 in March. We do so much together and when she does want to....I treasure every moment knowing there will be a time where that will def slow down. She does her thing with friends a lot but likes doing things with me too. It's just she and I at home. So off I go to pretend I am 17 again....ha ha :wave:

Back at ya later....hugs and smiles Annie!

By the way...we have a lot in common....

I used to design and sew all of my childrens Halloween Costumes every year. The two oldest are 22 and 25. I loved doing it. Looking forward to grandchildren some day to do the same.

You are a wonderful grandma! :angel:

I can normally fall asleep easily I just can't stay asleep. I sleep for maybe 45 mins then wake up. I tried ambien but still woke up all the time. Amitripline worked but then I was really tired the next day so I finally gave up taking that. I will do a search for fatigue and see what I can find. I know what works for one person may not work good for another.
Thanks
Pamm

Hi Pam and welcome!

Sorry you're feeling so poorly. Read these posts...they are a must for newbies. You can search for them or go back a few pages and find them.

The List (fibro symptoms)
Medication List
The Best Supplements

My Mom was given Provigil and had the same reactions. And yes the provigil will make you lose weight. Any upper will.

For muscle spasms you can take Magnesium up to 1000 mg per day. But start out with less and work up because it makes you poop. Soma and flexeril are good muscle relaxers. Also Valerian Root is a muscle relaxer and a sleep aid and it's an herb.

Hope that helps and you get to feeling better. Andy

Our youngest daughter was on Provigil for a short period of time. The longer she was on it the less she was able to sleep, the shorter her temper, the lesser the concentration, and the more jittery she got (shakey and scaring easily). The doctor said she could take it once in a while if she needed the extra boost of energy that it did give her. She hasn't tried it since.

My dr put me on Provigil 200 mg as a pick me up during the day. I started it on the 18th. To date I have lost 6 lbs. This was an added bonus for me since I'm 60 lbs overweight. As far as not being able to fall or stay asleep, if I take it after 10am I have sleep issues too. So I started taking it at 6am when I first wake up. I still don't fall asleep as easily as before, usually can't go to sleep before midnight but I do stay asleep. I don't necessarily feel like I have more energy during the day. I guess it's kind of like my mind is so tired and wants to sleep, but my body won't let it. As I sit here typing this, my eyes want to close but if I laid down I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. It's a weird feeling to describe and can be frustrating. I also take Zoloft 150mg and adderall xr 30mg in the am. At any rate, I'm losing weight and that brightens my whole world. My boys are so happy for me. They're concerned about my health. They're only 12 but they're scared I'm gonna fall over dead. I'm very lucky to have such wonderful boys. So overall, Provigil has been a blessing for me.

Looks like it makes me babble too!