Nuvigil vs Provigil
Nuvigil vs Provigil
People who suffer from sleep disorders can take different medicines that can make them feel more awake. The two drugs that can increase wakefulness in a person include Provigil vs Nuvigil (Modafinil and Armodafinil). Both these drugs are extensively used by adults to promote wakefulness, especially those who are diagnosed with some sort of sleep disorder. This drug should not be used in place of sleep and does not cure sleep disorder. The entire purpose of this drug is to promote wakefulness in a person.
Both the drugs, Nuvigil and Provigil are very similar to each other and have only a few differences. This article explains the difference between the two.
What do these drugs help in treating?
Both Nuvigil and Provigil are known to stimulate brain activity which is done by boosting brain activity. This drug works by improving wakefulness in a person. These drugs can also help in treating conditions such as Shift Work Disorder, Narcolepsy, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
The condition Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep problem that causes a person to feel extremely dizzy during day time. This condition is accompanied by sudden attacks of sleep. Obstructive Sleep Apnea, on the other hand, causes the throat muscles of a person to relax at the time of sleep which helps in blocking the airway.
This causes a person to have his breathing stopped and started during the time of sleep. This disrupts the sleep of a person and can keep a person from sleeping well. This again leads to daytime sleepiness in a person because a person has not slept properly at night.
Shift Work Disorder is usually found in people who have their work shifts rotating at the time of work. People who have to work at night and come home in the morning. This can cause difficulty in sleeping which can make a person feel very sleepy especially when he is supposed to be awake. SWD is very natural as a person is not used to sleeping like that and is used to alternate the sleep cycle.
Features of Nuvigil Vs Provigil
Nuvigil (Armodafinil):
- The drug has a generic name called as Armodafinil
- This drug has many generic versions available in the market.
- This drug helps in improving wakefulness in people, especially for those who are going through Narcolepsy, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Shift Work Disorder.
- This drug comes in the form of oral medicines and comes in various dosages such as 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg, 250 mg.
- This drug stays in the system of a person for about 15 hours.
- Nuvigil is usually used as a long term treatment and should be taken after getting doctors to an opinion on it.
- There are cases where this drug has been misused by people and that is why this drug is not recommended for people who are below the age of 18.
- The general dosage of 150 mg to 250 mg is recommended by people. This drug is usually taken in the morning. If you are working in a shift, take this drug an hour before your work shift starts.
Provigil (Modafinil):
- The drug has a generic name called Modafinil
- This drug has many generic versions available in the market.
- This drug helps in improving wakefulness in people, especially for those who are going through Narcolepsy, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Shift Work Disorder.
- This drug comes in the form of oral medicines and comes in various dosages such as 100 mg, and 200 mg.
- This drug stays in the system of a person for about 15 hours.
- Provigil is usually used as a long term treatment and should be taken after getting doctors to an opinion on it.
- There are cases where this drug has been misused by people and that is why this drug is not recommended for people who are below the age of 18.
- The general dosage of 250 mg is recommended by people. This drug is usually taken in the morning. If you are working in a shift, take this drug an hour before your work shift starts.
What is meant by a half-life of a drug?
It is the time taken by the body to cleanse out half of the drug from the system. It is an important term as it determines the active drug content in the body of a person at any given time. The half-life of a drug is considered before the doctor recommends this medicine to the patient. Drugs that have a shorter half-life are usually recommended to be taken two or three times a day.
Availability, Cost, and Insurance
Both the drug Provigil and Nuvigil are branded drugs known to promote wakefulness in a person. These drugs also have their generic form available. These generic drugs have the same active ingredients as there are present in the branded ones. The only difference between the two is the cost factor. The cost of branded drugs is much more expensive in comparison to the generic form of these drugs. Over time, the drug Provigil became more expensive than the other brand name Nuvigil.
Both these drugs can be easily accessible at different pharmacies and need a proper prescription before consuming this drug. The generic, as well as branded drugs, are covered by the different insurance plans. There are some insurance companies that provide an explicit list of drugs that they can provide insurance cover. Drugs that are not preferred by insurance companies end up costing a lot as the money goes straight from the pocket.
Side Effects
The side effects shown by both the drugs, Nuvigil and Provigil are very similar to each other.
Side Effects caused by Nuvigil:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Dry Mouth
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- The fast pounding of the heart
- Change in the mood such as confusion, depression, thought of suicide
Side Effects caused by Provigil
Common side effects caused by this drug are listed below:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Anxiety
- Trouble Sleeping
- Nervousness
- Dry Mouth
- Agitation
- Insomnia
Interaction caused by Provigil and Nuvigil
There are other drugs that can interact with Nuvigil and Provigil and that is why it is important to mention to your doctor about all the medications that you are on. Interactions can cause some severe effects and in some cases, it can decrease the effectiveness of the medicine. The doctor usually sets the dosage of this medicine based on the interactions and different other drugs taken by a person. Drugs that are known to interact with this medicine include:
- Midazolam
- Birth control pills
- Cyclosporine
- Phenytoin
- Propranolol
- Clomipramine
- Omeprazole
- Diazepam
- Triazolam
Interaction of Provigil and Nuvigil with other medical conditions
Drugs Nuvigil and Provigil are known to cause problems if you have some health problems. Both these drugs come with similar kinds of warnings. Medical conditions that need to be discussed with your doctor before taking Provigil and Nuvigil are:
- Kidney Problems
- Liver Problems
- High Blood Pressure
- Heart Issues
- Mental Health conditions
Take assistance from your doctor
Both Provigil and Nuvigil are known to be very similar to each other. The main difference between the two is the different strengths that they come in and their cost factor. Patients can have different queries regarding this drug and in that case, they can just go to the doctor and talk to them. This can help them in finding the drug that is right for them.
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- Waklert 150 and Artvigil 150 are famous medications to treat sleep disorders. Theses are the medications of the Generic Nuvigil (Armodafinil).
- Modalert 200, Modvigil 200, Modaheal 200, Modafresh 200, and Vilafinil 200 are the medications of the Generic Provigil (Modafinil)