Provigil for MS fatigue
27 Feb 2003
April 2002
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of MS, with 75-90 per cent of people with MS experiencing it on a daily basis.
At present there are few useful treatments for fatigue, which is defined as 'a lack of physical or mental energy needed to carry out daily activities'. Amantadine helps 20-40 per cent of people with MS with mild/moderate disability; Pemoline can help but is needed in high doses; and the aminopyridines have yet to be tested in proper clinical trials.
Provigil (or modafinil) is a drug that has been used to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes people to sleep excessively during the day. It has now been tested in people with MS.
At this early stage, the researchers wanted to find out if the drug had any benefit and whether it was safe for use in MS.
72 people were recruited to this single blind study (the people with MS did not know what they were receiving, but the investigators did). Every participant was given a placebo, followed by the drug, followed by a placebo again. They were asked to monitor their own levels of fatigue.
The drug did appear to have some benefits at both a low and a high dose. But the high dose produced worse side-effects in some people - these included headaches, nausea and anxiety.
This study suggests that it would be worth investigating the low dose of Provigil in larger and better designed clinical trials.
These results were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, February 2002, vol 72, pages 179-183.
Provigil (or modafinil) is a drug that has been used to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes people to sleep excessively during the day. It has now been tested in people with MS.
At this early stage, the researchers wanted to find out if the drug had any benefit and whether it was safe for use in MS.
72 people were recruited to this single blind study (the people with MS did not know what they were receiving, but the investigators did). Every participant was given a placebo, followed by the drug, followed by a placebo again. They were asked to monitor their own levels of fatigue.
The drug did appear to have some benefits at both a low and a high dose. But the high dose produced worse side-effects in some people - these included headaches, nausea and anxiety.
This study suggests that it would be worth investigating the low dose of Provigil in larger and better designed clinical trials.
These results were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, February 2002, vol 72, pages 179-183.
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