The drug to not sleep/lose weight.. everything...

[MercilessKiller]

Hey...

You may have seen me posting in the teccy section! That's where my skills lie. When it comes to life and common sense I have none!

Anyway i'm looking for a drug I read about in a recent new scientist issue. It seems that the rare drug is called modafinil and comes in the form of Provigil (an anti depressant) as well as other types of names....

The cheapest I could find is £60 for around 30 pills (100mg a tablet)... £60 a month is a lot :o so I'm just wondering if real life pharmacists are gna be cheaper than online etc etc

(The drug is designed to keep the user stimulant, i.e to stop tiredness, increase awareness, and also helps a user to lose weight by loss of appetite or increased energy use etc etc... seems perfect for me, a student at uni who wants self change and has sleeping problems!)

[mr_fishbulb]

It sounds lilke exercise in a tablet form :D

[Lydia]

If you are having problems sleeping is a stimulant drug what you need? Would it not be better for your health and cheaper to go to your GP and get help with self change than spend 60 a month on a drug?

[Nile]

Hello MercilessKiller


I'll move your thread to the 'Health MoneySaving' board, where it should get more views and responses.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).


Kind Regards

Nile

[MercilessKiller]

If you are having problems sleeping is a stimulant drug what you need? Would it not be better for your health and cheaper to go to your GP and get help with self change than spend 60 a month on a drug?

Well, the problem is I can't sleep properly some nights, even using things that supposedly make you go to sleep... Now I read a lot of information about the drug, and if taken in a controlled way it can improve sleep.

What you do is take it to stay up for 24 to 36 hours.. the drug not only keeps you awake, but you feel 100% awake, full of energy, liek its the day time pretty much. The next evening when you DONT take it, the energy is drained out and you have a good night's sleep. It has been recommended by some scientist/inventor in this new scientist magazine.

As silly as this may sound, I'm not a fan of GP's and don't really have the time at uni anyway... maybe I'm too stubborn but hey... if I can find something else to do i'd rather do it!


Thanks for moving the post Nile

[SnowyOwl]

I think I would suggest you walk into a pharmacy and ask directly if the drug you're after is available in the UK, either over the counter or if it's prescription. They should be able to find out for you. If it's not legal in the UK, then it's up to you whether or not you buy it from another country via ebay or whatever.

Forgive me for being critical, but you seem to be looking to use a sledge hammer to crack a nut. There are lots of ways to encourage a good sleeping pattern, but perhaps the best thing is to figure out what is causing your problem then fix that. Have you tried exercise, eg brisk walk for a half hour a day, given up all caffeine for good, given up stimulants such as cigs and booze, done some talking therapy with a good friend who listens rather than talks all over you, or with a counsellor etc. I realise you're a student and know how stressful it can be - but that is life, we all have stress in our lives. Managing stress is a skill - maybe a stress management self-help book would be more productive for you in the longer term? Drugs are for people who are ill. I'm not sure why you view the use of chemicals as a first resort rather than a last resort, unfortunately there isn't an instant cure for many problems, no matter how good the research. You mentioned that the drug you're interested in is an anti-depressant. Just so as you know, some of the side effects which may be experienced while taking an anti-depressant include:

nausea
change in sex drive or function (ie forget about it, whether you're male or female)
lack of appetite
insomnia (!!)
dizziness/tremors
blurred vision
yawning
dry mouth
diarrhoea or constipation
sweating, feeling weak
bruising easily
skin rash or skin itchiness
not being able to pass water
vomiting
low blood pressure
seizures
abnormal production of breast milk in men and women
allergic reaction to the drug


That's taken from an actual leaflet pertaining to an anti-depressant. And it's not the full list. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why anti-depressants are not freely available over the counter but must have medical supervision in their use. I won't mention the likely side effects when coming off the anti-depressant.


Good luck whichever way you choose to tackle this issue, (but I think a box of camomile tea and a stress management book would be of benefit to you; you of course can make up your own mind).

[MercilessKiller]

Hey.. thanks very much for your comments.. as you can tell i'm not the most sensible person when it comes to health/living etc...

The drug been a first resort... no.. I have tried many many many things.. councellors as you say, excercise, cutting the caffeine, eating nothing (just to test!).. i don't smoke or drink really anyway..

I just don't really know what to do anymore... I am a little :s about all the side effects of the type of drug... so maybe as you say a managing stress book, or maybe seeing a doc would be better...

lots to consider.. i know in a way what's causing it, but confronting it doesn't help... only make things worse really! It's something i gotta live with.. so i suppose i just gotta try and deal with it!

Ok.. my next steps then... will buy one of these stress dealing books... will drink some herbal tea and have some of that "Rescue Remedy" that someone was on about... then will see what happens.

Thanks a lot..

[Dora the Explorer]

Try this http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/elearning/index.php
It's non-invasive, not addictive, no side effects, free, available on demand and round the clock Good luck.

[MercilessKiller]

Am currently going through it all.. seems like a good resource so far! Thanks a lot!