Ask The Sleep Experts

Is it safe to take Provigil for depression? I understand Provigil is a drug for narcolepsy but it is also popular as a mood enhancer so I am assuming it would be perfect for depression. Besides, I heard this isn’t addicting at all so it’s totally safe, isn’t it?

Provigil (modafinil) is a new drug manufactured by Cephalon Inc and is FDA-approved for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with narcolepsy and other sleeping disorders. However, it has been noticed that more than half of Provigil users are not narcoleptics at all, but choose to use the drug for its off-label uses. Provigil has been found to be a great memory booster and mood enhancer sans side effects common among traditional stimulants like amphetamines. Provigil is not yet recognized by the FDA as a mood and memory enhancer. However, several researches suggested that Provigil can be used as an effective adjunct therapy to patients experiencing clinical depression. Provigil was given to subjects with depression and it showed significant positive results after several days of trial. Now, you might be wondering what a drug for a sleep disorder like narcolepsy has to do with depression. Simple. The common features of clinical depression include lack of energy and hypersomnia, or excessive sleepiness. And if I remember correctly, these two are also major signs of sleep deprivation seen in narcolepsy which is exactly what Provigil is for. This drug is thought to act on the hypothalamus, the part of the brain involved in regulating mood and wakefulness, which means Provigil for depression could be a big possibility in the near future. Provigil also claims to have a lower potential for abuse, it being a neurostimulant which acts on specific receptors in the nervous system other than the so-called dopamine receptors that is associated with pleasure and euphoria leading to abuse and subsequent dependence. Provigil, in depression, simply enhances mood and induces wakefulness in near-natural and, apparently, safer ways. But let us not forget the fact that depression also causes sleeping disorders such as insomnia. Which means excessive use of stimulants can aggravate insomnia and further increase in excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Not to mention excessive and prolonged use of stimulants can lead to depression. That is why we need the help of professionals to regulate the timing and dosage when taking Provigil for depression. A lot of things has to be taken into consideration before taking drugs, especially regulated ones such as Provigil for depression. A medication intended for one disorder with symptoms similar to another disorder may be used for that other disorder as long as it has been proven that using the medication for both of these disorders will be safe and not cause further complications. I guess there is lesser harm in waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Authority’s approval than in going ahead and taking the drug especially without your doctor’s blessing. There are a lot of other ways to deal with excessive daytime sleepiness and sluggishness and depression. All you need to do is get up and look.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 26th, 2007 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Blog, Sleep Medications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.