Modafinil vs Armodafinil: Provigil and Nuvigil comparison

I liked nuvigil better because it seemed like I needed less and often didn't need to take multiple doses. Insurance no longer covers nuvigil and I have to take a higher dose of provigil 2x day.

Armodafinil .... Modafinil did not work at all for me. I had to fight insurance to switch me back. I finally won!

I was on modafinil for around a year and it left me with the same stomach issues, doctor told me it had caused me to develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome! Came off the medication and it took me 3 years to get back to normal, although I still occasionally have issues xxx

I took Provigil for 7 years and I've been on Nuvigil for 3 years. Provigil is weaker and Nuvigil works better in my opinion. I don't have any side effects from Nuvigil

I started on modafinil few years ago and it didn't do anything like that to me. However, the longer I took it my body became immune to it. Course seems like lots of meds end up like that for me. That's why my doc switches it up for me when need be.

never took Nuvigil but I was on Provigil. Way back during my senior year of highschool I took that and Xyrem. At first I had only needed one pill a day but after awhile I became tolerant so my neurologist didn't want to increase the MG's so she told me to take it twice a day. My Xyrem intake remained the same. When my insurance was cancelled I couldn't take my medicines anymore but for a short amount of time several months back I went back on Provigil but it didn't work at all. I don't know if it would work with Xyrem or if I went too long without it.

The Rx I have makes it so I don't feel hunger. Ever. I haven't felt hungry since before I started adderall -- seven years ago. Not joking, not exaggerating. I have to set alarms so I don't forget to eat.

However, when I was on modafinil, it didn't keep me awake and it gave me terrible headaches--combine that with the fact that it interacted with my BCP and made my PCOS flare up again for the first time in years--and it was bye-bye provigil!

So, adderall kills my appetite. Alarms are super annoying. Sometimes I forget to eat and then feel nauseous / headachy... but that almost never happens to me anymore. BUT, it keeps me awake/prevents sleep attacks and keeps my EDS in check (obviously i still have bad days). So I decided to stay with it.

With Rx, it's about balance--can you live with the side effects? Does it effectively control your symptoms?

It sounds to me like you can't live with the symptoms--and I can't blame you. I would've been on the phone with my doctor every week complaining about it until she made another appointment...

Essentially, armodafinil (Nuvigil) is modafinil (Provigil) with the crusts cut off. Binding sites are identical, but the small differences in their composition (most prominently the absence or presence of a chunk of the compound) make the body's recognition and tolerance different for the two medications.

I think which one is better is a very individual thing. Everyone responds differently to stims. Most stims I tried just didn't work for me, but Nuvigil is the only one I actually hated because it gave me so many side effects. Provigil works great for me though.

Also, now that they both have generics, they probably cost the same for anyone with fixed generic copays (assuming they're both covered).

they cleared it up, but i actually take nuvigil daily, and it was a little difficult to get used to at first but now its been about 5-6 months and it's really turned things around for me. i noticed it helps me think more clear too it just just help me stay awake

Depends on the person. Modafinil didn't help as much as it should have, and it made my blood pressure rise. Armodafinil has helped me well, and didn't change my blood pressure. Both are now available in generic in the US, so the cost isn't a big difference between them anymore.

I agree, it's very individual. I had nothing but miserable side effects on Nuvigil, but none on Provigil once I adjusted, and Provigil is the only stim that helps my symptoms too. Some people act like the two are interchangeable because they're so similar chemically; they claim that if one doesn't work for you, neither will the other, but plenty of us have found that isn't true. So...you just have to try them and see.

As others already said, it really depends on the person. For me I took Provigil/Modafinil for nearly 15 years and it worked well for me. Nuvigil didn't seem to do anything.

Neither worked for me. I was on adderall 240 mg/day but it stopped working. Now I'm on desoxyn 10mg 3x/day and it works wonderfully without the major side effects of the other amphetamine side effects. I had previously tried dexedrine, armodafinil, modafinil, Ritalin, vyvane, zyrem, adderall xr, dexedrine long lasting

I've been on Armodafinil (Nuvigil) for 5 yrs plus Adderall as needed as a supplement to Nuvigil when it wears off. I've been on multiple ADHD meds trying to control those symptoms, but none have ever worked. From a symptom standpoint I was diagnosed w/ ADHD, but after no meds were helping, a full psychological exam was ordered & concluded I didn't have ADHD from results of all those tests. Said my ADHD- like symptoms were co-occurring symptoms with & caused by my depression & sleep disorder. Told me CBT therapy would most likely be best way to address the patterns of behavior I have that appear ADHD in hopes that I could "train" myself to keep some under control. I've stopped trying to treat ADHD w/ any meds, but I still have a few symptoms that I know r specific to ADHD & don't really correlate w/ my other conditions. So, I'm just doing the best I can to try to figure out a way to battle that, bc I haven't been able to follow thru w/ CBT therapy when I've true unfortunately

WIth modafinil, I had to 1/2 my dose to minimize side effects in AM, but would routinely forget to take my afternoon dose. Armodafinil works great for me as my AM dose will usually get me through my afternoon lull...as long as I take regular naps during my breaks at work.

I was on Modafinil but it really didn't do much, now i'm on armodafinil & it works better but to be honest i'm on ritalin & armodafinil to help me have energy & stay awake & i'm exhausted all the time & nothing seems to work. I wish i could have energy & feel the way i use to. It's very frustrating.

I think that may be how most medications will work as your body builds a tolerance. I've only used ar modafinil and adderral. My armodafinil dosage was never changed. The side effects were too much for me, so we just made a clean switch.

I was on modifinil (generic Provigil) for a while and it didn't work consistently or well enough. I've been on Nuvigil a week and I can't believe how much better it is. I'm still having having trouble sleeping but I know sometimes there's an adjustment period. I'd give it a try I'm seriously amazed by the difference.

I started nuvigil about a month ago. Doc said to start on 75 mg and to up the dosage to no more than 250 until I began to see a difference - and if I didn't, we would pursue other options.

I'm currently taking 250 mg. I don't *have* to take naps anymore through my workday, but I wouldn't say I feel "awake." I can still go home and go straight to bed after work and sleep straight through the next morning. This past Saturday I was up at 8 after a full night of sleep, home and asleep by 10 AM, and slept through until 6 pm. I would say that it helps but by no means is it enough. My next appt is in two weeks and I will be pursuing other options.

It just... Isn't enough.

Provigil was not nearly as good as nuvigil. Like Moshe said though, regular usage will negate pretty much any effect after about 2 years or so. I only use mine for really important days, since my job keeps me pretty active and I have time for naps.

I become tolerant to modafinil in under a month. The generic fid nothing. I now just live with it which is hard but saves me the distress of medicines being blocked that we have in the UK.

Ive taken modafinil for about 10yrs and find its still effective. I do occassionally have breaks from it when im not in work and some days are harder than others but on the whole its been good for me

When I was first diagnosed I was put on Modafinil . I quickly built up a tolerance and ended up switching to Adderall IR after 6 months. I was getting severe migraines and nausea... When I took it, I felt like I could hear everything in the building and see behind me but at the same time someone was pulling my eyelids shut - it was stimulating me so much I was having sleep attacks. This was in college; I was recommended Armodafinil but declined bc the Provigil experience was so bad. Now, 8 years later I find out modafinil contains gluten and I have an intolerance to it, so that may explain why my time on it was so bad.

I've been on Provigil/Modafinil for 18 years, works great for me. Ive never had side effects or anything else others have listed.
I was off of it for about 4 days because they (insurance) wanted me to try Nuvigil....I turned out to be allergic to it, so I was switched back to Modafinil. I take 600mg a day, I've never had issues UNLESS it's the last 3-4 days of the prescription then it seems not to work but I just renew my prescription.

As several people have noted Provigil and/or Nuvigil work well for them over time without a decrease in efficacy. That is true. But the number of those who find other wise is larger, IMHO.

FWIW, I was taking 400mg/day of Provigil when I was taking it.

I think it is important to point out that you don't develop a tolerance to this stuff. That doesn't seem to be the issue. It's simply that it stops working. For example, when I went back to it, to Nuvigil, maybe 10 years later, it still didn't work anymore. I don't think any studies have been done on this, nor will there be. The pharma companies are not interested in telling people their products don't work.

The most interesting thing in my view is not only does nobody know WHY it stops working, but they don't even know exact;ly how it works in the first place. A somewhat unsettling fact since there is this matter of it stopping.

I am noticing the effectiveness beginning to fade. However I've also had a decrease in side effects along with it -- for example, no pounding headache on day 3 anymore. (I take at least two days off a week). I am on 100 mg, and I recently took some 250mg samples I still had around as I was waiting for a prescription refill and found no noticeable difference in effectiveness. I thought that was interesting -- I am wondering how long it will take to totally stop working for me.

They started me out on 100mg back in 2009. Very rapidly went to a dose that worked well. That equated to 100mg 2x a day after a couple years of that They up They upped the dose to 200 mg 2x a day and said that was as far as they wanted to go. So then they started with the Ritalin and other forms of speed to supplement the Modafinil. I finally after a few years of this had to just retire from secular work and supplement the supplement with naps. I don't always get to do what I set out to do on a daily basis but I've learned to accept that. I've also learned to lower my expectations on my abilities from a day to day basis as well.

I used Provigil for 2 to 3 years before deciding to switch to Adderall. Adderall gave me crazy heart palpitations so I had to discontinue after the first few days. I used Provigil for the next 7 or 8 years. Adding nighttime meds to see if that would make the days easier. And finally doubling my morning dose, then adding afternoon doses. Eventuallly tripling the original morning dose of provigil before finally giving up on it.

I prefer provigil. For me, the headaches from nuvigil were intolerable. I think it increased my bp tremendously with the dose i needed for it to be effective.( 250Mg) i didnt have it checked,but i cld feel my ears throbbing. I also got extremely irritable once it wore off. I noticed anxiety as well. Didnt have any of those on Modafinil (generic provigil)

I'm lucky that everyone close to me is understanding. When I tell people I have narcolepsy they're like "Oh, that's why you're always sleepy".

I've been taking Provigil as needed because it's the only one my insurance covers at a reasonable price right now. The only problem I have with it is that is makes me anxious, but I'm working with a psychiatrist because I have anxiety issues even without the medication.

Don't hold me to this, but my understanding is that provigil modafinil has two releases, that when you take it there's an initial release and then a later release. Whereas nuvigil armodafinil just has the one initial release. I think that's accurate, and someone may know more, so don't hold me to that fully. But they do both have the same active ingredient, modafinil, as you may know.

As an aside, like many people with narcolepsy, I have tried various treatments. The one that has seemed to work best for me, at least recently for a little while, is nuvigil twice a day. I take 250 milligrams first thing in the morning, and then another 250 milligrams around noon. However, this is twice the daily recommended dosage, and some doctors may have a problem with it. While it deserves a longer explanation, my sleep specialist did share with me why it is ok and why she recommended it. However, I may encounter a new problem. I just had to go on a different insurance, and I'm waiting to see if they are going to cover it. So there you go.

Word of caution: Nuvigil (armodafinil) has warnings about severe rashes as a side effect, so if you're the type of person who is sensitive to medications - I would consider modafinil Provigil as an option first. I took Provigil for over a year without developing any type of rash or serious side effects. With Nuvigil, I started getting a mild rash on day 3; stopped taking the med 11 days ago; and just started a strong dose of Prednisone because the rash is still spreading and now causing more systemic allergy symptoms. No fun :( p.s. I'm allergic to Sulfa antibiotics which are known to cause similar reactions but not included as a warning for Nuvigil.

forgot to mention Nuvigil has a longer 'half life' which means it's supposed to last longer than Provigil before you start feeling it wear off. This difference is what contributes to the rashes and other serious side effects.

Provigil is roughly 50% r-modafinil and 50% l-modafinil. Nuvigil is 100% r-modafinil. R-modafinil lasts longer, requires less, and does not cause some of the stranger side effects of l-modafinil (such as stinky pee). Neither is more likely than the other to cause bad side effects like life threatening rashes.

I took Provigil first, but had some issues with side effects. They went away when I switched to Nuvigil, but I developed a sensitivity to Nuvigil after taking it for about a year.

I do agree armodafinil lasts way longer even on xyrem my mind is not ready to go to sleep. As for physically though thats a different story. Once i got used to it after a week to month later i felt no physical motivation and havent on anything actually. The day i find something that makes me want to get up & exercise or clean my house and actually don't just do that the first day even you take it ,then ill be sold & buy it in bulk! Xyrem does help me sleep at night & has even cut what i have ti sleep by half but I still feel like a dying sloth during the day. Its a big deal if i get anything done anymore!

Nuvigil is the long-acting version of Provigil. They are similar in chemistry but not exactly the same. Both are prescribed to treat excessive daytime sleepiness. However, stimulants of any kind are only treating symptoms.

For many people, multiple medications are used... Personally, I take Baclofen plus Temazepam at night for sleep, and Provigil in the morning. Narcoleptic sleep is broken... and it needs to be fixed. Many people have a lot of success with Xyrem... I cannot take Xyrem, so I take Baclofen instead... Since adding Baclofen last year, I have had little need for daytime naps (previously needing two very long naps every day just to function).

I had issues with both Modafinil and Armodafinil (increased anxiety without sufficient increased energy), but they work well for many people. Also, despite their very similar makeup, some people react well to nuvigil but not provigil, and vice-versa.

I like provigil, modafinil is the generic

So I've taken Nuvigil, and two different manufacturers of generic armodafinil. All three have been very different. Overall good, but signifcantly varying side effects. Tried Provigil briefly and it sedated me

I've taken both. Provigil (modafinil) was the first drug I was prescribed for N., I've read many reviews on reddit. Later, when it wasn't working as well anymore, my doc switched me to Nuvigil (armodafinil). I didn't notice much difference. Same type of effect and side effects, except the Nuvigil lasts longer. Which is really all it's meant to do. (I don't know if you've taken any chemistry, but modafinil is a racemic mixture, and armodafinil is only the R-enantiomer.)

I just started taking Nuvigil(armodafinil) after several years of modafinil. I've been able to stay awake longer and seem less foggy brained. I'm hopeful, but the first couple days starting were better than now...but still better than the 200 mg twice a day of modafinil.

They are the "same but different" lol I had both. Slightly different affects. In the end, neither worked. I'm now on Adderall and this is working MUCH better. Only the extended release tho. Not standard.

Modafinil only worked for a short while for me, then stopped working. I switched to Armodafinil (Nuvigil), and have had constant marginal benefit. When I upped the dose, it brought my sleep attacks down to only a couple a day. I still have to do large doses of caffeine if I want to be functional though. Overall, modafinil= stopped working, Armodafinil= worthwhile life quality improvement.

800mg of Modafinil daily worked better for me, before I had to switch to 400mg of Armodafinil. I was told it's an equivalent dose but it doesn't work as well (for me).

I made a post a while ago about a bad experience I had on modafinil. How it was basically like recreational drugs I have tried in the past. A euphoric high with the nasty come down and headache at the end.

Well yesterday I tried Armodafinil and it is much more what I was looking for. I hit the books and did some studying for my final uni exam at 6pm, and before I knew it it was 2am! It increased my energy and focus so much. Nothing distracted me and I really got into subjects I have no real interest in.

There was not a heavy crash at the end like Modafinil either. I forgot to eat, so I just quickly made a sandwich (moda completely suppressed my appetite) and I went straight to sleep. I have woken up today not feeling like death. Armodafinil is definitely my go-to study drug now.