Provigil and weight loss or gain

Does Provigil affect your weight? Will you gain or lose weight on Provigil?

We don't mean to cop out, but it is very difficult to say. Difficult to say for a lot of drugs. The body's weight control system, like the sleep cycle, is a complex mechanism, consisting of several (sometimes competing) forces. Some drugs make some people lose weight and other gain.

Provigil is a stimulant, so you might think it would make you lose weight. Provigil can substitute for amphetamine compounds in some clinical applications, and amphetamines often cause weight loss. However, modafinil (the medicine in Provigil) is completely different and one of the salient points of Provigil is that it does not make people "wired". Just on that evidence, it seems less likely that Provigil would cause weight loss.

But is Provigil better than nothing when it comes to losing weight? Maybe. It effectively has antidepressant properties, so that could help some people eat less.

A 2003 clinical trial study concluded that "like amphetamine, modafinil reduced the amount of food consumed and decreased energy intake, without altering the proportion of macronutrients consumed" and further that the amount of Provigil needed to affect appetite did not raise the heart rate as amphetamines did.

A study at the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania said "Modafinil may be well suited for the treatment of obesity, although further studies with repeated dosing in overweight populations are warranted." Abstract here.

A study on Provigil for depression found that the drug was associated with weight loss.

ProviglWeb does not sell Provigil or any other medication. We are not a medical site and cannot answer specific medical questions about your condition. Prescription medications such as Provgil should be taken only under the care of a doctor. Consult your doctor for advice about your situation.

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