Stimulants
Stimulants are the staple medications prescribed to patients with narcolepsy in order to improve daytime alertness and to reduce daytime sleepiness tendencies. Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that raise the levels of physiological or nervous activity within the body. They are used primarily to treat and prevent the immediate symptoms of narcolepsy such as excessive tiredness during the day. The most commonly prescribed stimulants are Ritalin, Provigil, and Nuvigil. Stimulants are often prescribed in supplement to other longer lasting medications, which gives patients the flexibility to take stimulants as necessary in order to suppress acute narcoleptic symptoms that may arise randomly.
Ritalin
Ritalin is notoriously the most prescribed stimulant to treat narcolepsy. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a central nervous system stimulant that affects the concentrations of chemicals in the brain and nerves in order to induce hyperactivity. Ritalin is known to improve measures of sleepiness on standardized tests such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale test.
ProvigilProvigil is a wake-promoting medication for daytime sleepiness tendencies. Unlike most other stimulants, Provigil also targets the central nervous system, which allows for it to be used in conjunction with other medications.
|
Nuvigil
Nuvigil is the latest FDA approved wakefulness sleep medication for narcolepsy treatment. Armodafinil (Nuvigil) is an isomer of modafinil which is the active main ingredient of Provigil. Like Provigil, Nuvigil treats symptoms of narcolepsy and sleep apnea, though it is a longer-acting stimulant than Provigil.
|
Common Medications
The Narcolepsy Network, “Narcolepsy Medications.” 09/09.
M. Billiard, “Narcolepsy: current treatment options and future approaches,” Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 557–566, Jun. 2008.
M. Billiard, “Narcolepsy: current treatment options and future approaches,” Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 557–566, Jun. 2008.