Provigil - Modafinil Article - Posted September 14, 2000 MS Energy Builder September 13, 2000 Channel 4 - The Carolina Channel Imagine the smallest task leaving you exhausted, unable to carry on without a few hours rest. That's the way people with Multiple Sclerosis often feel. They're often forced to become dependent on others. Ms patients are gaining independence with a new drug for fatigue. Cheryl Hillman has energy now to smell the roses. Life is sweet thanks to a fatigue fighting drug that's helped this multiple sclerosis patient get out of a wheelchair and get back on her feet. "The energy level was so different. I mean I didn't have to go lay down an hour or two during the day," says MS patient Cheryl Hillman "Fatigue can be so incapacitating that you can't, once you get up in the morning, you can't get off the couch. Neurologist Kaiser Permanente tells News 4. White areas on this MRI scan show where ms attacks The brain. It causes extreme fatigue in 75 percent of ms patients. Neurologists at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego discovered the drug Modafinil, used to treat the sleeping disorder narcolepsy, can help. "Of the 69-percent of patients that improved, 30 percent improved markedly," says Dr. Jay Rosenberg. The drug has given Cheryl her energy back. "Every day when I wake up, there's a good chance that I'm going to be able to just pretty much function normally," Cheryl tells News 4. That includes swimming - prescribed therapy for MS patients, like Cheryl. "Just getting in and out of the pool, walking up and down the steps was very difficult," says Cheryl. "A whole new world has opened up for me actually, by having this drug." One side note, a month's supply of Modafinil costs 90 and is covered by insurance. Doctors recommend the 200mgms dose for MS patients. Copyright 2000 by TheCarolinaChannel. All rights reserved. ------------------------------------------------------------ MS Energy Builder: Fact Sheet 31635 TOPIC: MS ENERGY BUILDER REPORT: MB #1635 - The Carolina Channel BACKGROUND: According to Jay Rosenberg, M.D., from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, approximately 250-350 thousand people in the United States have Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS usually strikes people between the ages of 19 and 35. "This is a disorder of young people, and has a three to one preponderance for women," says Dr. Rosenberg. Symptoms of the disease include numbness, tingling, itching or pain caused by nerve inflammation. Over time, MS patients become weak, paralyzed or suffer other problems related to their loss of nerve function. One of the most common problems is fatigue, which is often incapacitating.. About 75-percent of MS patients suffer from fatigue. Dr. Rosenberg says, "There is probably some minor sleepiness but it is more of a problem of energy." This lack of energy can greatly impair the patient's quality of life as it prevents them from performing basic daily tasks. Drugs presently used to treat fatigue, such as Ritalin, appear to be only marginally effective. There is currently no cure for the disease. STUDY: Seventy-three patients with MS took part in a study to test the efficacy of the drug, modafinil, to treat fatigue. Modafinil is an approved drug for the treatment of narcolepsy, which is a condition marked by an extreme tendency to fall asleep in quiet surroundings and monotonous activities. In addition to its wakefulness-promoting effects and increased locomotor activity, modafinil produces psychoactive and euphoric effects, alterations in mood, perception and thinking. Patients were given a placebo (sugar pill) for the first two weeks. They were then given two weeks of modafinil at a low dose (200mg). The next two weeks, patients were given two weeks of modafinil at a high dose (400mg) and they received a placebo for the last three weeks of the study. Researchers found nearly 70 percent of the patients receiving the low dose of modafinil improved. Of the patients that improved, 30 percent improved markedly. SIDE EFFECTS: Researchers point out when the drug was given at the higher dose (400mg), it was not well tolerated and not effective. Dr. Rosenberg says, "Patients complained only at the 400 mg dose." These side effects included headache, dizziness, edginess and a general inability to perform daily tasks normally. However, the side effects at the patients did experience minor nausea and headaches with this dose. COST: A month's supply of modafinil costs about 90 dollars and is generally covered by insurance. It averages out to be about three dollars per pill but with it's significant impact on the quality of life, doctors predict this drug will be the first line treatment against fatigue for MS patients. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Jay Rosenberg, M.D. Southern California Permanente Medical Group 4647 Zion Avenue San Diego, California 92120 (619) 528-0061 jay.h.rosenberg@kp.org Copyright 2000 by TheCarolinaChannel. All rights reserved.