Generic Name: armodafinil (ar moe DAF i nil)
Brand Names: Nuvigil
What is armodafinil?
Armodafinil is a medication that promotes wakefulness.
Armodafinil is used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work sleep disorder.
Armodafinil may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about armodafinil?
You should not use this medication if you are allergic to armodafinil or modafinil (Provigil).
Before using armodafinil, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease, heart disease or high blood pressure, a heart valve disorder, a history of mental illness, a history of drug or alcohol addiction, or if you have recently had a heart attack.
Armodafinil may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert. Avoid other dangerous activity until you know how this medication will affect your level of wakefulness.
Stop taking armodafinil and call your doctor if you have a skin rash, no matter how mild. A medicine similar to armodafinil has caused severe skin reactions serious enough to require hospitalization. Other signs of a severe reaction include fever, sore throat, headache, and vomiting with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash.
There may be other drugs that can interact with armodafinil. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.
What should I discuss with my health care provider before taking armodafinil?
You should not use this medication if you are allergic to armodafinil or modafinil (Provigil).
To make sure you can safely take armodafinil, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:
cirrhosis or other liver problem;
kidney disease;
a heart muscle or valve disorder such as mitral valve prolapse;
a history of mental illness;
a history of drug or alcohol addiction;
heart disease or high blood pressure;
if you have recently had a heart attack.
Skin rashes serious enough to require hospitalization have occurred in people using a medicine similar to armodafinil. These rashes usually occurred within 1 to 5 weeks after the first dose.
Stop taking armodafinil and call your doctor at the first sign of any skin rash, no matter how minor you think it might be. FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether armodafinil will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication. Armodafinil can make certain types of birth control less effective for as long as a month after you stop taking armodafinil. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking armodafinil. It is not known whether armodafinil passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Do not give armodafinil to anyone younger than 17 years old.
How should I take armodafinil?
Take exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
This medication comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
Armodafinil is usually given for up to 12 weeks. Follow your doctor's instructions.
Armodafinil is usually taken each morning to prevent daytime sleepiness, or 1 hour before the start of a work shift to treat work-time sleep disorders.
If you are taking armodafinil to treat sleepiness caused by obstructive sleep apnea, you may also be treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This machine is an air pump connected to mask that gently blows pressurized air into your nose while you sleep. The pump does not breathe for you, but the gentle force of air helps keep your airway open to prevent obstruction.
Do not stop using your CPAP machine during sleep unless your doctor tells you to. The combination of treatment with CPAP and armodafinil may be necessary to best treat your condition.
Armodafinil will not cure obstructive sleep apnea or treat its underlying causes. Follow your doctor's instructions about all your other treatments for this disorder.
Taking this medication does not take the place of getting enough sleep. Talk with your doctor if you continue to have excessive sleepiness even while taking armodafinil.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
See also: Armodafinil dosage (in more detail)
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember, but avoid taking the medication if you do not plan to be awake for several hours. If it is close to your normal bedtime hour, you may need to skip the missed dose and wait until the next day to take the medicine again.
Talk with your doctor about what to do if you miss a dose of armodafinil. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.
Overdose symptoms may include confusion, feeling excited or agitated, fast or slow heart rate, and chest pain.
What should I avoid while taking armodafinil?
Armodafinil may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.
Avoid other dangerous activity until you know how this medication will affect your level of wakefulness.
Avoid drinking alcohol while taking armodafinil.
Armodafinil side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop using armodafinil and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
fever, sore throat, headache, and vomiting with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
the first sign of any type of skin rash, no matter how mild;
bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness;
easy bruising or bleeding;
mouth sores, trouble swallowing;
upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
depression, confusion, hallucinations, aggression, unusual thoughts or behavior;
chest pain, uneven heart beats.
Less serious side effects may include:
headache, dizziness;
feeling nervous or anxious;
nausea, diarrhea, upset stomach;
trouble sleeping (insomnia); or
dry mouth.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Armodafinil Dosing Information
Usual Adult Dose for Narcolepsy:
150 mg or 250 mg orally once daily in the morning
It is not clear if doses beyond 150 mg daily confer additional benefit.
Usual Adult Dose for Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome:
150 mg or 250 mg orally once daily in the morning
It is not clear if doses beyond 150 mg daily confer additional benefit.
Usual Adult Dose for Shift Work Sleep Disorder:
150 mg orally once daily one hour prior to the start of the work shift
What other drugs will affect armodafinil?
Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:
cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf);
propranolol (Inderal);
omeprazole (Prilosec);
St. John's wort;
rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate), or rifapentine (Priftin);
an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), dalfopristin/quinupristin (Synercid), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), or telithromycin (Ketek);
an antidepressant such as nefazodone or clomipramine (Anafranil);
antifungal medication such as clotrimazole (Mycelex Troche), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend);
a barbiturate such as butabarbital (Butisol), secobarbital (Seconal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);
HIV medication such as efavirenz (Atripla, Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence), nevirapine (Viramune), or ritonavir (Norvir);
a sedative such as diazepam (Valium), midazolam (Versed), or triazolam (Halcion); or
seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin), or primidone (Mysoline).
This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with armodafinil. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.
More armodafinil resources
- Armodafinil Side Effects (in more detail)
- Armodafinil Dosage
- Armodafinil Use in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
- Armodafinil Drug Interactions
- Armodafinil Support Group
- 138 Reviews for Armodafinil - Add your own review/rating
- armodafinil Advanced Consumer (Micromedex) - Includes Dosage Information
- Armodafinil Professional Patient Advice (Wolters Kluwer)
- Armodafinil MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)
- Armodafinil Monograph (AHFS DI)
- Nuvigil Prescribing Information (FDA)
- Nuvigil Consumer Overview
Compare armodafinil with other medications
- ADHD
- Bipolar Disorder
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Fibromyalgia
- Hypersomnia
- Jet Lag
- Narcolepsy
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome
- Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Where can I get more information?
- Your pharmacist can provide more information about armodafinil.
See also: armodafinil side effects (in more detail)
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