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#1
12th March 2009, 23:50
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Modafinil
aka Provigil, Alertec, Sparlon . . .
Has anyone had any experience with this? I've been having idiotic trouble getting up for some years now as though my sleeping pattern is rigidly locked four hours later than it should be. So I was digging about looking for something that might help, and came across this stuff. I know a lot of others here have sleep troubles so thought I'd put this up as it might be of interest. The thing is, as well as being a very effective stimulant, it has some other useful/fun effects... It's used for treating:
It also has anti-depressant effects, being helpful for atypical depression, and "improves subjective mood and friendliness" (could definitely do with some of that). It increases physical and mental performance, and memory (ditto). Apparently it has a following in the top universities here and in the 'States among both students and staff for improving academic performance and for staving-off fatigue - i.e. a 'Smart' drug. Also it is used by US and French forces among others for coping with extended operations, apparently permitting them to stay awake and alert for 40+ hours at a time. Popular with clubbers for the same reason ("zombies"). And as if that wasn't enough, it has neuro-protective effects (helps prevent Parkinson's), supports the immune system, and assists with weight loss. So, what do you think? It sounds like some kind of wonder drug. I have in my paws a prescription for a month's worth (at a cost to aunty NHS of £110  ). Seeing as I have most of the problems it appears to treat I'm hoping for some positive outcomes...
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#2
13th March 2009, 00:19
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Re: Modafinil
Yeah I've had some experience with this stuff. It basically saved my life a couple of times. I used to do shift work and I would struggle to stay awake whilst driving home after a 12 hours shift on a 2 hour journey. This stuff kept me going. It also helped me not fall asleep at work.
It certainly worked in helping me concentrate and alleviating fatigue. I felt sharper and more lucid. I wouldn't say it had the effect of raising my mood as described in your post. The effect when I was really tired didn't change my mood. In fact it left me feeling emotionally lobotomised. I wasn't snappy or irritable but I certainly wasn't in a party mood either. I just felt really neutral. It's not really a stimulant in the traditional sense as you might imagine like amphetamine because there is no high or euphoria. There's no manic buzzing around and uncontrollable fidgeting. That is supposed to be one of the main reasons for it's preference over other stimulants. If you got a high off it, it would be addictive. This stuff is not addictive at all in that way. There is no come down either. The only detrimental effect I ever felt was if I took it too soon before trying to go to sleep. I could imagine it might help slightly if you were depressed because of it's mind sharpening effects. With depression you get mental fogging, and I'm sure this would help clear that. I wouldn't describe this drug as mind-blowing, it's far more subtle in it's effects than that. But it worked very well as far as I could ascertain for what it was intended for. I'm guessing the way you would use it, would be to help you stay awake and function when you force yourself to wake far earlier than you normally do? |
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#3
13th March 2009, 11:23
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Re: Modafinil
Thanks deeshow, that's exactly the kind of thing I was wondering about. What dose were you taking, btw? I've been prescribed 200 mg.
Yes that's how I'll aim to use it; start setting the alarm for say 6 am each day and take the tablet. Then have a second alarm at say 7 am by which time I'll hopefully feel able to get up. As it stays in the system for <12 hours, it'll then be well clear by bedtime, so shouldn't hinder getting off to sleep at a sensible time. Hopefully it'll eventually get the sleeping pattern back to something sensible... cheers |
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#4
13th March 2009, 12:05
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Re: Modafinil
my doctor said that he could give me drugs to make me sleep , but he can't give me anything to wake me up - HE LIED!!!
I have told him a few times about my extreme tiredness and oversleeping which has almost ruined my life, he said, do more exercise :/ crapola |
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#5
13th March 2009, 13:26
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Re: Modafinil
Quote:
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#6
13th March 2009, 13:49
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Re: Modafinil
I've used Adrafinil, which is "metabolized in vivo to modafinil, resulting in nearly identical pharmacological effects" according to wikipedia. its cheaper and doesn't require a prescription but not as potent. I used them to help me keep awake and alert while studying. If I hadn't used them I would have failed my degree.
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#8
13th March 2009, 20:58
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Re: Modafinil
Quote:
The effect seemed to be gone after 6-8 hours, so you may need to take more later. On a night shift from 8pm to 8am I'd take it around 1-2 am and that would last me til 6 am and then I might take another 100mg depending how I felt. I could still sleep fine once I got home and that is sleeping during the day time too. It took around an hour for me to notice the effects after medicating. Something else that might be helpful to you is to try and regulate your body clock with light. Don't know if you saw it but a recent Horizon showed how to do this. It recommended people that were night owls who wanted to get to bed earlier should wear sunglasses from midday onwards. This limited their exposure to light and influenced their body clocks to feel like sleeping earlier. Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...our_Bodyclock/ Quote:
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