A lot of people hit a 3:00 lag where work becomes harder and pushing through until the day is over becomes more difficult. But instead of reaching for another cup of coffee or heading to the soda machine for a caffeinated pick-me-up, some people are taking a narcolepsy drug. The drug is called Provigil, and was designed to promote waking up for those who have sleep disorders. According to the PubMed Health files, narcolepsy is a sleep issue that occurs in teens and young adults. Normally, the illness makes it hard for people to function during the day, because they are desperate for some sleep.

Patients with narcolepsy will have extreme bouts of exhaustion for about 15 minutes each, or dream-like hallucinations while awake. They will also suffer from sleep paralysis, which is a condition where the patient cannot move before falling asleep or when waking up. The illness can also come with cataplexy, which causes people to lose muscle tone after exhibiting strong emotion. The attacks of cataplexy can last for about 30 seconds. During a catoplexy, the victim’s head will fall forward, and his or her knees will buckle.

Sometimes a person will fall forward and stay paralyzed for several minutes. All of these inconvenient symptoms cause many narcolepsy patients to take Provigil so that they will stay awake and alert at school or work. While this is a legitimate reason to take Provigil, more and more people are replacing energy drinks or espressos for the energy infused pills. A doctor at the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania says that people try to use the drug to get an advantage when studying at school. People think that the drug can increase their alertness, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with any sleep-disorder conditions.

Doctors admitted to ABC News that they don’t know if Provigil is safe for people to consume if they haven’t been diagnosed with narcolepsy. One researcher says that chances are that the drug is actually very bad for the users. A cognitive neuroscientist told ABC News that the drug has not been around long enough to study its adverse effects and its long term results. There is a possibility that those who are subjected to the drug long term could have all sorts of future medical issues. There are also immediate side effects that have been associated with Provigil.

The National Institute of Health says that the drug often brings on headaches, nausea, tingling or burning skin, rashes, back pain, hives, swallowing difficulties, depression, trouble breathing and hallucinations. All of these issues certainly don’t help patients to focus on their school or work, but are instead debilitating and uncomfortable distractions. Doctors are also concerned that people are trying to use the drug as a replacement for sleep. If people pop Provigil pills in replacement of a full eight hours of sleep, then they may end up with negative health effects and sleep deprivation. This will give them a lower immune system and make things very difficult.

College students who tend to stay up late cramming for tests and writing papers have attempted this feat with the help of Provigil, and have oftentimes ended up in the hospital. One researcher says that the drug fakes the body into thinking that it is all right without sleep, but the negative symptoms of sleep deprivation are often still present behind the façade. The drug manufacturers who supply Provigil have warned consumers on their website that the drug should never take the place of sleep. Regardless, military medical staffs have experimented with Provigil as a pill for in-combat soldiers to take during periods of intense sleep deprivation. If your doctor prescribed Provigil to you for a purpose other than narcolepsy, and you experienced negative effects, then talk to a medical malpractice attorney. You may have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.