Provigil Questions

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PamCA
PamCA Member Posts: 41
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

Hi, I have been having trouble with chemo brain and still have issues with fatigue, although some better than a few months ago.  I was reading "Your Brain after Chemo" book and noted he is recommending Provigil for fatigue and cognitive problems. 

Have any of you taken this, and if you have, was it helpful?  Lastly, what kind of dr. did you get to prescribe it?  My medical oncologist is a good dr., but she only seems to want to talk to me about Arimidex.  She is reaching the point of being slightly condescending and implying that I don't know what I am doing.  I refuse to take it due to its side effects I have read about and since I am 59, I want to get back to life doing things I want to do rather than being plagued with side effects for 5 more years. 

Thanks.

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited November 2012

    Hello, Pam,

    I am sorry that your doctor is being so hard headed - chemo brain and chemo fatigue are very real conditions and can be disabling. Provigil is quite an effective stimulant. Oncologists could prescribe it. So can psychiatrists. The only problem is that it is extremely expensive, so insurance carriers will typically not cover it except for certain conditions. I think fatigue/SEs from chemo may qualify. Depression too.

    A drug that is very like Provigil (an isomer - or a molecularly identical drug) is Nuvigil - another effective option. I have taken both drugs. I didn't have chemo, but I suffered disabling fatigue from hormone therapy. I found both very effective, but each person has a different brain chemistry.

    There are other stimulant drugs that may help, such as Ritalin or Adderall. Those have more controls and are more associated with bothersome SEs for some people, but they are likewise extremely effective for others.

    Good luck, and keep us posted on what you decide to do.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2012

    PamCA- I have taken Provigil in the past due to fatigue from fibromyalgia.  It worked wonders for me!  Unfortunately it can be a struggle to get some insurance companies to approve it.  My GP is the one who originally prescribed it and she really had to go to bat for me to get my insurance to cover it.  I eventually went off it but just recently asked to be put back on it but my insurance company is refusing to cover it at all.  I hope you have better luck.  If you absolutely can't get anyone to prescribe it I do have a little relief from taking supplements of Guarana which is like a natural caffeine.  

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