Cephalon, Takeda to market Provigil

Biopharmaceutical company Cephalon Inc. said Monday that it will team with Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc.

[Virginia Scalese]

Hi, I am a senior deaf woman who was in a severe slip and fall on the black ice..2 yrs. ago..My Dr. for Brain and head problems after putting me thru several tests decided I have Narcleptsy.(MISSPELLED) My health insurance all of a sudden stopped paying for it,and I was told I have to find another Neurologist and get a letter from him saying why I need it and for what reason.(INSURANCE CO. IS HORIZON BLUE.)I was told by the pharmacist it cost four hundred dollars for 60 pills, and that is the reason why I cannot have it anymore unless it is life threatening..It helped me sleep at night,only because it kept me awake all day and alert and memory was great, now I had to go off it cold turkey, HEADACHES,BAD MEMORY,WAKEFUL NIGHTS,and fall asleep all day, IRRITABLE, etc. I cannot handle this, and would like to know why I cannot have this med..I understand,truck drivers can get it,College students studying for exams can get it,etc. Thank you, Sincerely, Virginia Scalese..

[Susan]

Virginia, you could try calling Cephalon and asking about their Patient Assistance Program. I know Takeda has one for their own drugs because I used to work for them. They have a web site, www.cephalon.com Do you have a family member who could call for you? Keep in mind that they may be closed Mon & Tues for the holiday, so call Wednessday. So sorry to hear about your medical conditions. Insurance companies are only interested in $$ most of the time.
I pasted the following from their website:
Patient Assistance/Reimbursement Assistance Programs
Patient assistance is open to patients who have no health insurance coverage. Reimbursement Programs are for patients who have health insurance and need assistance.
PROVIGIL® Reimbursement Assistance
Tel:(topix.net would't allow the phone number)
www.provigil.com
This is the link I used:
http://www.cephalon.com/contact/index.html
Hope all goes well.
Susan

[Mike]

I take provigil for narcolypsy (probably also spelled wrong:) and it works like magic. It's a thousand times better than any stimulant with little or no side effects. The only problem,(60 count) 200 mg tablets per month without insurance=around $700!!!!! Not a typo either.$7-0-0. Cephalon should be ashamed of themselves. I know they're a business and to survive you must make money, but they're the only ones who are allowed to sell in the U.S. I tried to have the generic known as modafinil shipped in from a NASDAQ traded medicine manufacturer out of India (one that's approved by the USFDA) but because of the FDA's laws on the shippment of controlled substances, the company wouldn't ship. I'm now having a lot of problems getting my medicine too and Cephalon's reimbursement program...it always seems to be full. Sounds like a bit of bulls*@t to me. My suggestion to anyone who needs a medicine like provigil and who can't get it paid for or afford it themselves, move to Canada. It's not a perfect country but they take better care of their average hard working citizens then the United States does.

[Carollj]

I agree. Cephalon should be ashamed of itself. Nearly $600 for a prescriptiion that my general physican and two specialist all agree that I should be taking - Provigil !! There is no way that I can have a roof over my head and even cheap food in my stomach and other medications and STILL have Provigil !!! It greatly improves the way of my life following a serious head-on collicion, with the resulting consussion. My mother always fold me when she woke me as a chid, don't sleep your life away. BUt, that is exactly what I am doing without Progial. My health incurance to pay for it. Good thing I am now on SSD, cause all I want to do is sleep and sleep without the Provgil !!

[Andrea]

I have Narcolepsy and take provigil, it is awful, severe migraines, nausea, constipation.
I don't know if I get these side effects because I'm a Narcoleptic so genuinely need it or what but I prefer not to take it.
Have you tried Melatonin? I take three each morning and it really helps with my narcolepsy, it's natural too, it you try it with multivitamins it may work for you but I only have my own experience, I've had narcolepsy for almost 40 years, I was born with it and this is the only thing I find that works. It works as a natural sleeping remedy for non-narcoleptics.

[Andrea]

Oh, by the way,if you really want it, united pharmacies sell provigil and it's genuine, I ordered it with something else to make sure their drugs weren't fake. I forget that you have to pay in the US, we get our drugs free in the UK.
I take zopiclone at night to regulate my sleep.