Provigil Generic » shift-work

Modern society

Jen — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:51:01 +0000

This is certainly alarming, that the number of different accidents that are being caused by excessive sleepiness is in a rise, especially in the last two years. The good news is that the number of accidents that are related to use of alcohol and drugs are in decline. The number of industrial accidents has also increased, that is related to sleepiness people doing shift works and especially night shifts experience.

The study has confirm that people doing night shifts constantly are more at risk of being involved in an accident, as their level of concentration, alertness and performance in lower.

These people also have higher risk of developing life style related disorders, such as heart problems, diabetes or obesity.

Using Provigil

Nor — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:02:42 +0000

Provigil is approved for people age 16 and older. Off-label Provigil uses may also include the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and fatigue due to other causes.

Provigil^® (modafinil) is a medication used to promote wakefulness. This means that it helps people stay awake and alert. It is approved to promote wakefulness in people with excessive sleepiness due to:

Narcolepsy
Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), a problem in people who work night shifts or who frequently change between day and night work shifts
Sleep apnea (known medically as obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome or OSAHS).

Provigil Uses for Narcolepsy

Provigil can be used as part of narcolepsy treatment. Symptoms of narcolepsy include falling asleep uncontrollably and at unusual times. People with this condition often appear paralyzed when they are asleep and have hallucinations when falling asleep. These people often fall asleep several times during the day.

Although Provigil can help people with narcolepsy stay awake, it is not a cure. Even while taking Provigil, most people with narcolepsy will still experience symptoms, although these symptoms will usually be less frequent or severe.

Provigil Uses for Shift Work Sleep Disorder

Most people work a typical “nine to five” shift or something similar. However, for many jobs and professions, night shift work is a necessity. Sometimes, the body has a hard time adjusting to night shift work. It is difficult to sleep during the day (due to sunlight, noise, and other problems), and staying awake at night is also difficult. While many night shift workers will eventually adjust to their new schedule, not everyone does. This is especially a problem for people who switch back and forth between night shifts and day shifts. The body may never get a chance to adjust in these situations.

Provigil helps night shift workers stay awake at work. This, in turn, can help them sleep during the day. The need for Provigil may be temporary, as symptoms improve on their own as the body adjusts to the new schedule.

Provigil Uses for Sleep Apnea

Although there are different types of sleep apnea, this phrase usually refers to obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), often just called obstructive sleep apnea. This is the most common type of sleep apnea. During sleep, not enough air is able to flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose, even though you try to breathe. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by relaxation of soft tissue in the back of the throat that blocks the passage of air (see Causes of Sleep Apnea). While the most obvious effects of sleep apnea usually involve daytime sleepiness, it can cause serious health problems, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) or depression. Sleep apnea treatment usually involves continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses a mask that blows air to cause pressure that keeps the throat open during sleep.

Provigil can be used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea stay awake and alert during the day. However, it does not cure the condition or decrease the chance of dangerous effects. For this reason, Provigil should always be used along with appropriate sleep apnea treatment (usually CPAP). In fact, the drug should not be started unless sleep apnea has been appropriately treated for a little while, since daytime sleepiness will usually improve with CPAP or other treatment.

Source: http://sleep.emedtv.com/provigil/provigil-uses.html

Provigil and shift work

Nor — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:12:46 +0000

During this 23-day study, a wide selection of food items and beverages were freely available. During this double-blind, within-participant study, volunteers (N=11) received oral Provigil dose (0, 200, or 400 mg) 1 h after waking for three consecutive days under two shift conditions: day shift and night shift. Shifts alternated three times during the study, and shift conditions were separated by an “off” day.

Provigil (200, 400 mg) dose-dependently decreased total caloric intake by ~18% and ~38%, respectively, regardless of shift condition, without selectively altering the proportion of total calories derived from carbohydrate, fat and protein. Ratings of “Hungry” were also significantly decreased by both active doses, but only immediately before the lunch break period.

In addition, tolerance to the anorexic effects of Provigil was not apparent, as these effects remained stable across the three days of Provigil dosing. These findings show that Provigil produced clear reductions in food intake and suggest that future prospective studies should examine the drug in obese participants.

Provigil for Shift Work Sleep Disorder

Nor — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:17:02 +0000

Health Canada approved a new indication for Provigil (Alertec tablets, made by Shire BioChem, Inc), allowing its use for the symptomatic treatment of excessive sleepiness in shift work sleep disorder.

The approval was based on data from a double-blind, 12-week study in 209 patients showing that nightly treatment with 200 mg of Provigil increased sleep latency from baseline (1.7 ± 0.4 vs 0.3 ± 0.3 minutes; P = .002) and improved clinical symptoms in a greater proportion of patients (74% vs 36%; P < .001) compared with placebo.

Provigil-treated patients also experienced a decrease from baseline in the frequency and duration of attention lapses during nighttime testing, contrasting with the increase observed among those receiving placebo (Psychomotor Vigilance Test score, –2.6 vs 3.8; P < .001).
In addition, patients receiving Provigil therapy reported fewer accidents or near misses while driving home from work compared with those receiving placebo (29% vs 54%; P < .001).

The most commonly reported adverse events associated with Provigil therapy were headache (25%) and nausea (9%). Treatment did not adversely affect daytime sleep compared with placebo.

Although 200 mg of Provigil reduced the extreme sleepiness of chronic shift work sleep disorder and resulted in small but significant improvements in performance compared with placebo, patients continued to have residual sleepiness and impaired performance at night. This finding suggests that the therapy is not completely effective and underscores the need for development of more effective interventions.