Short answer: The Nuvigil label dose is taken by mouth once a day as a single dose. For obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy it is 150 mg to 250 mg in the morning; for shift work disorder, 150 mg about 1 hour before the work shift. In sleep apnea, 250 mg showed no consistent added benefit over 150 mg. The dose is reduced in severe liver impairment. The label gives no missed-dose rule.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Nuvigil is approved for: Nuvigil is approved to improve wakefulness in adults with excessive sleepiness from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), narcolepsy or shift work disorder (section 1). In OSA it treats the sleepiness, not the blocked airway. It has not been studied in children and is not approved for them (section 5.1).
Source
NUVIGIL (armodafinil) tablets, for oral use, C-IV, prescribing information and Medication Guide. Cephalon (Teva Pharmaceuticals). DailyMed, version published May 7, 2025. DailyMed setid d878aed0-ddbf-8fa1-abf7-d3e480260845
Nuvigil is a tablet taken by mouth once a day as a single dose, with or without food. It comes in 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg and 250 mg tablets (sections 2.1, 2.2 and 3; Medication Guide).
The Medication Guide says taking it too close to bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep, and not to change the time of day without talking to the doctor.
In sleep apnea, Nuvigil treats the sleepiness only; CPAP is tried fully first where it is the treatment of choice (section 1).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Condition or group | Dose | When |
|---|---|---|
| Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or narcolepsy | 150 mg to 250 mg orally once a day | Single dose in the morning |
| Shift work disorder (SWD) | 150 mg orally once a day | Single dose about 1 hour before the start of the work shift |
| Severe hepatic impairment | Dosage should be reduced (no amount given) | Same timing |
| Geriatric patients | Consider lower doses, with close monitoring | Same timing |
In OSA, doses up to 250 mg/day as a single dose have been well tolerated, but there is no consistent evidence that they add benefit beyond 150 mg/day.
Nuvigil can lower levels of drugs cleared by CYP3A4/5, such as hormonal contraceptives and cyclosporine, and raise levels of drugs cleared by CYP2C19, such as omeprazole, phenytoin and diazepam. INR is checked more often with warfarin, and caution is used with MAO inhibitors.
With hormonal birth control, a barrier or non-hormonal method is advised during Nuvigil use and for one month after stopping.
Tablets are stored at 20 to 25 C (68 to 77 F).
The Nuvigil label gives no missed-dose rule. Neither the prescribing information nor the Medication Guide says what to do if a dose is missed. The Medication Guide does say that a dose taken too close to bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep.
More on this: missed a dose of Nuvigil.
In Dose Track you set up Nuvigil as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.