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Are there any interactions with Provigil?

Provigil (generic name modafinil) is a prescription medicine used to treat people who have narcolepsy, a condition that causes frequent and uncontrollable daytime sleepiness. It also reduces yawning and is indicated to improve wakefulness in people with other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome, and shift work sleep disorder.

Provigil may interact with birth control pills, causing them to be less effective. If you take birth control pills, you should use a back-up form of birth control such as condoms or foam while taking Provigil and continue it for one month after stopping the drug. If you take Provigil long-term, you may consider using a different form of birth control other than birth control pills.

Provigil may affect the blood levels of certain drugs, including warfarin (brand name Coumadin), clomipramine (Anafranil), cyclosporine (Neoral), diazepam (Valium), phenytoin (Dilantin), desipramine (Norpramin), and imipramine (Tofranil). If you take Provigil in combination with these medicines, your doctor may need to adjust your dose of these drugs.

Caution should be used when taking Provigil with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors such as phenylzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate), as there have not been any interaction studies done with these drugs.

Sources:
Micromedex®Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2006.
Drug Facts and Comparisons, Facts & Comparisons, 2006.
Provigil Product Information, Cephalon Inc., 2006.

This answer prepared 5/10/2000.
This information updated 12/05/2006.