4 replies to this topic

[MissRae]

Hello all!

 

I had been taking Nuvigil for over a year when I found that it seemed to not be working quite as well as I'd like. My doctor switched me to taking Ritalin after discussing with him my thoughts and a recent conversation with a Pychiatrist about my ADD. The Ritalin is a "when needed" type of med and I take it 3 times a day (the max.) It does lift me a little higher than the Nuvigil, but then I drop back down after a little bit. Also, with the Ritalin, I can not eat for 30 minutes after I take it (it's best taken on an empty stomach), but I noticed if I don't eat after the 30 min it doesn't seem to work as well either.

 

My doctor suggested when we started this that we may also consider combinging the Nuvigil and the Ritalin, with the Ritalin as a "as needed" pick-me-up.

 

 

Has any one tried this?

 

Also, I take Allegra for Allergies, a multi vitamin, an iron supplement, acidophilus for digestion issues, and St. John's Wort for mood swing issues.

 

It's at a point I take the Ritalin when I first get up, wait 30 min, eat and then take the other 4-5 pills. I can't take the last part with out food or I just about bring them all up. Suggestions?

[DeathRabbit]

Maybe switch to XR dose of ritalin?

[MissRae]

I think my specialist said something about that being an option, but there were some concerns with it as well... I'm not certain; we didn't speak that long about it.

[Bunny0726]

I've tried Nuvigil and Ritalin (the generic version) and it worked really well.  The Nuvigil kept me functioning at a good base level on a daily basis and I took the Ritalin on days when I knew I would have a long evening requiring lots of attention (I was taking grad school classes at the time and really struggling to remember anything because my brain was zonked out).  I understand wanting to minimize the number of pills/meds (I share this goal), though I was able to feel more comfortable with the arrangement knowing that I didn't have the take the Ritalin on a daily basis (unless I needed it).  

 

It might help to talk with your doc about upping your dose of Nuvigil...and I also spoke with my sleep specialist when I thought I was having attention issues (I didn't have an ADD diagnosis, but it sounds like you do?) and he indicated that many people with sleep issues think that they're experiencing an attention disorder, but because they're not getting good quality sleep (or aren't on the right dose of narcolepsy meds), they're unable to concentrate or remember what people have told them.  So you may want to consider tackling the sleep quality issue and the effect it's having on your daytime sleepiness/falling asleep as well as your ability to concentrate.  Again, this could all be different if you've had an ADD diagnosis that perhaps preceded your narcolepsy.

 

My doc suggested I take supplements before bed so that I have a better chance of sleeping through any stomach upset.  Also, the timing of when you take these supplements could have an effect on how other meds are absorbed, so I'd discuss that with your doctor as well....

 

I'm also assuming that you've talked to your doctor about using St. John's Wort for mood swings...not sure how that plays into the other prescription meds you're taking.  I also have struggled with depression and anxiety for years and when my depression is particularly bad, I feel a lot more tired.  Best of luck to you!

[DeathRabbit]

The main concern with XR is that you need at least 15 hrs of wakefulness before it can work its way out of your system enough to sleep. For some PWN, <9hrs of sleep wont cut it.