Artvigil (Armodafinil) 150mg

What Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet is and what is it used for?

Artvigil (Armodafinil) is a medication that is used to promote wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness that is associated with narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or shift work disorder (SWD).

Narcolepsy is a condition in which you experience severe sleep attacks during the daytime or you fall asleep in inappropriate situations because you lose control. While in shift work disorder you feel sleepy during working hours and feel difficult to fall asleep during sleeping hours. This mostly happens with people who do night shifts. Artvigil (Armodafinil) helps you to combat the situation and keeps you up and alert.

Artivigil (Armodafinil) is also called a wakefulness promoting agent.

Pharmacology

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Psychoanaleptics, centrally acting sympathomimetics

ATC-code: N06BA13

Mechanism of action

The exact mechanism of action of armodafinil is still unknown but its activity is similar to modafinil and they both promote wakefulness similar to sympathomimetic agents. Armodafinil works as an indirect dopamine receptor agonist and inhibits dopamine reuptake.

What do you need to know before taking artvigil (armodafinil) Tablet?

Do not take artvigil (armodafinil) tablet:

• If you are allergic to armodafinil or modafinil
• If you have serious rash including Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
• If you have hypertension i.e., high blood pressure
• If you are experiencing irregular heartbeats or cardiac arrhythmias
• Discontinue artvigil if you experience angioedema or anaphylaxis reaction

Warnings are precautions

You must consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking the Artvigil ( armodafinil) tablet:

• If you have cardiac issues or suffering from high blood pressure as in this case regular screening of heart performance and check on blood pressure would be required
• If you have heart muscle or heart valve disorder
• If you have mental illness or psychosis
• If you have severe renal or hepatic issues as dose adjustment is required in this case
• If you ever suffered from depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, etc as this medicine exaggerate the situation or reoccurrence of the disease happen
• If you have a history of drug abuse or alcoholism

You must immediately contact your doctor or pharmacist if you experience suicidal thoughts, aggressive behavior or depression, upon using this medicine.

Stop taking artvigil if you have a skin rash or allergic reaction and immediately tell your doctor.

If you use this medicine for a longer duration of time then you may develop dependency as it is a habit-forming medication.

Children and adolescents

Artvigil tablet is not meant for children less than 18 years of age.

Other medicines and Artvigil tablet

Do not take Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet with other sleep-inducing medications as it can worsen the condition. You must consult with your doctor or pharmacist before taking artvigil with a sleeping pill, narcotic medication, muscle relaxer, anxiolytics, antidepressants, or anti-seizure medications.

If you are using hormonal contraceptives as Artvigil reduces the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives, use alternative methods to control birth.

Artvigil and food interaction

You can take artvigil with or without food.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

The effect of artvigil on an unborn baby is unknown and you must consult your doctor before taking artvigil if you are pregnant.

It is also unknown if artvigil passes into the breast milk or harms the breast-feeding baby therefore you must consult your doctor if you are a breast-feeding mother before taking artvigil.

Effect on the ability to drive or operate machines

It is reported that the use of the Artvigil (armodafinil) tablet can cause blurred vision or dizziness. If you feel dizziness or blurred vision or you still feel sleepy after taking the Artvigil tablet, then do not drive or operate machinery.

How to take Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet?

Always take this medicine exactly the way your doctor or pharmacist has told you.

Administration: Take this medicine orally with a glass of water. It is taken during the daytime to prevent sleepiness or can be taken one hour before the night shift to keep awake.

Dosage:

The recommended adult dose is 150-250 mg once a day. It is recommended to take a single dose of 150 mg one hour before your night shift.

If you are geriatric then a lower dose is recommended.

The dose should be reduced in case of hepatic impairment.

You can take this medicine with or without food as food does not affect the bioavailability of armodafinil.

Usually, it is recommended to take armodafinil for up to 12 weeks.

What if you take more Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablets than you should?

If you take more Artvigil tablets than you are prescribed by your doctor, you will experience side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, confusion, feeling restless or excited, fast or slow heart rate, chest pain, trouble sleeping, or hallucinations. You must immediately contact your doctor or visit the nearby hospital if you take an overdose of Artvigil.

What if you missed a dose of Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet?

If you forget to take your dose of Artvigil (armodafinil) tablet, take it as soon as you remind it, or can take the next dose at its right time but do not take the medicine if you don’t have any plan to be awake for several hours. But do not take a double dose to make up for your missed dose.

Side effects associated with the use of Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet

If you experience any of the following side effects after using Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet, you must immediately stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor:

Skin rash, skin bruises, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness, unusual bleeding, chest pain, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, aggression, suicidal thoughts, etc.

Artvigil can cause some other side effects as well if you experience any unusual side effect call you doctor or pharmacist.

How to store Artvigil (Armodafinil) tablet?

This medicine does not require any special conditions of storage.

Keep this medicine out of reach and sight of children.

Any unused product should be disposed of following local requirements.

Do not use this medicine after its expiry date, mentioned on the pack/container or blister strip.

Reference links:

https://www.drugs.com/mtm/armodafinil.html

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/021875s023lbl.pdf

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Armodafini