Nuvigil is the brand name of the generic drug Armodafinil manufactured by Cephalon, Inc. It is a prescription drug and it is available in tablets of 50, 150 and 250 mg.
Indications
The drug is prescribed for extreme sleepiness and it acts by making the person wakeful and more alert. This symptom occurs with people who suffer from narcolepsy, sleep apnea and shift work disorder. It is also prescribed outside of its normal approved use to treat ADHD in children as well as adults and it has seen good results. It is also prescribed at times for depression and for bipolar disorder.
Action
It is not known exactly how this drug makes a person more awake and alert. In studies, it does not show any propensity to bind to the relevant sleep enzymes or receptors. A single dose of the drug is given in the morning for this condition. It binds itself to the dopamine reuptake site and while it showed that there was an increase in the production of dopamine, the increase in the release of dopamine could not be determined.
Side Effects
Nuvigil can cause side effects especially allergic reactions like hives, rash, swelling of the throat, face and tongue as well as dizziness, headaches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and insomnia. It also has other side effects like depression, increased heart beat, hallucinations, dry mouth, sores inside the mouth and the tendency to easily bruise or bleed. There could also be mood alterations and mood swings for some and these effects should be monitored with care.
Caution
The doctor must be contacted if there are any reactions that could seem serious. In the case of allergies like swelling, no time should be wasted as it could quickly progress to a dangerous stage. The doctor must be in the know of every other medication or supplement that you might be taking or anything new that you try out. There could be drug reactions and you can be treated with the right medication only if the doctor knows. This drug has a stimulant effect so it must be carefully monitored in patients who have a history of substance abuse. The slightly euphoric effect it produces could tempt patients to take more of it that the recommended dosage. Research on monkeys showed that there was a tendency to self-administrate this drug.
Contraindications
Like most drugs, women who are breastfeeding or those who are expecting a baby should not use this drug. Children should not be given this drug as there have been no studies to indicate that it is safe. In fact, there has been not enough of research done on children below seventeen to be sure about the safety of this drug.