July 9th, 2005
Modafinil - the Scary Time-Shifting Drug
Forget TiVo on time-shifting. Today there’s Modafinil. And how scary is this?! Wasn’t Cocaine considered a good thing back in the day?
“The wonders of pharmacology keep appearing regularly, each new drug seemingly too good to be true. In recent times there have been several killer apps for the drug industry – chemical substances that replace depression with a happy disposition or bolster a flagging sex drive to royal command performance (with encore) levels. Prozac and Viagra provided benefits so compelling they have entered everyday language and have a global following. Now there’s another “drug-most-likely-to-succeed” – this one enables you to stay awake for 40+ hours with close to full mental capacity with few side effects
“Modafinil improves memory, and enhances one’s mood, alertness and cognitive powers. The drug has a smoother feel than amphetamines and enables the user to stay awake and alert for 40 hours or more. Once the drug wears off, you just have to catch up on some sleep.
“Marketed as Provigil ‘, ‘Aletec’ and ‘Vigicer’, Modafinil is a psychostimulant approved by the US Federal Drug Administration for improving wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness associated with shift work sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea / hypopnea syndrome and narcolepsy.
“Not surprisingly, a drug that enables people to stay awake for 40 hour periods at close to full mental capacity with no real side effects could quickly gain widespread usage as a time-shifting drug. Got a project to do, Particularly, when it is devoid of the jitteriness associated with most drugs commonly used in such circumstance such as dextroamphetamine, cocaine and the world’s most popular drug, caffeine. ” Source: Gizmag
Charles says:
Very cool… I’d try it. For sure I’d be a bit wary, but I’d try it.
…but it’s all fun and games until someone does a murder-suicide and the stuff is found in their system.
…and then the lawsuits will begin.
July 9th, 2005 at 6:36 pm
JTintle says:
Whats sad is that the first groups of people who are going to use this drug are Military Personel and Truck Drivers.
July 9th, 2005 at 7:37 pm
Mike says:
I vote for Alice to grab a couple bottles of this and give it a whirl.
You always have your website to keep you company
Mike
July 10th, 2005 at 4:40 am
Alice says:
I just did major time-shifting without drugs. NY to London to Madrid and still one more connection to go…..help!
July 10th, 2005 at 8:02 am
JTintle says:
This is a phrase that has gotten me through some major sleep-deprived sessions. “You can catch up on sleep when you are dead, so get your butt in gear.”
July 10th, 2005 at 9:10 am
Hunter says:
Actually, it was developed initially for military pilots on long hops.
I’ve been using it for about a year, now; it works
- h.
July 11th, 2005 at 8:45 am
Bob says:
Hunter what brand of the medicine do you use? I know the most major one is Provigil.
Are there any side effects besides being really tired afterwards?
How safe is it? Approved by the FDA yet?
Can you show evidence it is actively used in the military? I remember hearing about the possibility but never found out if the military ended up using it.
July 11th, 2005 at 9:27 am
Jimbo says:
Hunter,
You are right, in fact as I recall correctly this drug was developed by the Canadian Military in the mid 80’s! Those wacky Canadians…just so they can drink more Molson’s!…lol
July 11th, 2005 at 9:51 am
RTFA says:
Bob-
“Marketed as Provigil ‘, ‘Aletec’ and ‘Vigicer’, Modafinil is a psychostimulant __approved_by_the_US_Federal_Drug Administration__ for improving wakefulness in patients with”
July 11th, 2005 at 10:12 am
Clint says:
Actually, someone I know has been on Provigil for several years
It is commonly prescribed for people with excessive daytime sleepiness, which is why s/he takes it (somewhat related to nacrolepsy, from what I understand). The body does build up a tolerence to it, and every fewe months s/he has to go without it for a while. This person still has some sleepiness throughout the day, so it is not a miracle drug if taken on a regular basis.
July 11th, 2005 at 10:15 am
John says:
Jeez people, try to stay current. This stuff has been on the market for years now. I had a prescription for it in 2001. Works as advertised, but isn’t even close to “new.”
July 11th, 2005 at 10:19 am
Jim Z says:
This drug is being used to counter the overly sedative effects of pain control drugs such as morphine or methadone.
Many folks with chronic severe pain must take high doses of opiates like morphine/methadone to stay comfortable. Unfortunately at high doses these drugs can make one feel tired and sleepy all the time.
I have used modafinil and Ritalin to counter these sedative effects in several patients sucessfully. However, as was mentioned above, modafinil is not a miracle and tolerance develops so that it becomes less effective after a while. Also the sleep cycle is affected despite the manufacturer’s claims otherwise.
Provigil is just another tool that can be used to correct certain medical conditions. It appears to have relatively low abuse potential at this time, but that assessment may change as more people start to use it.
July 12th, 2005 at 5:50 am
daughter says:
IDIOTS. There are people out there that need this drug in order to be able to function half way normally. Such as patients suffering the horrible disese Parkinsons. The more IDIOTS that abuse this drug, the harder it is for my father to be able to obtain this medication that he needs to stay awake long enough to drive a few miles.
July 12th, 2005 at 7:12 am
Cyrus says:
Chill out, we aren’t idiots. Lots of people try to figure out the perfect way to break into a bank and never do it. None of us mean any harm to your father, we are just discussing a topic of interest and examining all options. Please use constructive language in the future.
July 12th, 2005 at 7:35 am
daughter says:
This is true and I send my apologies. I had just spent the evening trying to visit with my father who had fallen a sleep three times during our visit.
July 13th, 2005 at 6:46 am
rashen says:
The drug sounds too good to be true. And it is. I had it prescribed because I have a sleep disorder and can’t stay awake at work. It had 0 effect. It’s advertised as helping people stay awake for 40 hours - it didn’t keep me awake for 20 minutes.
July 13th, 2005 at 10:19 pm
Harlan Wilde says:
This stuff works; it is NOT amphetamine-like, and I have taken a dose, been awake and alert, and then fallen asleep without problems just a few hours later. To me, it is like a long-lasting strong cup of coffee, but without the jitteriness. It has been a god-send in helping me work 60 hours per week. So far, no side effects, and no tolerence. I have been using it almost daily since February. I have found it helps to divide the recommended 200 mg. dose, taking 100 mg. in the morning, and 100 mg. at noon.
A psychiatrist friend is using it to potentiate anti-depressants, to treat narcolepsy, to treat milder forms of ADHD, and to help shift-work folks here in Nevada where I live to stay awake during long midnight shifts. He also uses it for people who suffer from psychomotor retardation associated with some types of depression. He states that he has patients who “just can’t get out of bed” due to depression, and this medication has made a startling difference in their lives. I certainly hope that there are no long-reaching side effects that emerge somewhere down the line, and I also hope that people don’t find a way to abuse it (if there is a way, though, I’m sure they will) and thus have it removed from the market. Thanks for reading.
July 23rd, 2005 at 12:36 pm
Dottie Sue says:
Someone on this site said that provigil can be prescribed
to people that take methadone to help with the side effect of sleepiness , but I have read numerous times that provigil interacts with methadone causing people to go into withdraws.
Can anyone tell me which one is true?
September 29th, 2005 at 8:01 am
fredric says:
i have been taking this along with wellbutrin for adhd. i was prescribed this after becoming addicted to amphetmines (adderall, ritalin) and it seems to work. i can stay up and work but i still seem to grind my teeth. This very well could be Provigil and Wellbutrin. The odd thing is that nobody knows how it works, just that it works. Kind of disconcerting not knowing what is happening in your brain.
September 30th, 2005 at 12:37 am
robert says:
to the poster—-methadone/provigil. yes, you’re right ………………provigil interacts in the brain at receptor sites where methadone has its effects. provigil thereby blocks these sites from the methadone and withdrawl symptoms may occur.
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July 26th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Ray says:
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. From the original article:
“Not surprisingly, a drug that enables people to stay awake for 40 hour periods at close to full mental capacity with no real side effects could quickly gain widespread usage as a time-shifting drug. Got a project to do, Particularly, when it is devoid of the jitteriness associated with most drugs commonly used in such circumstance such as dextroamphetamine, cocaine and the world’s most popular drug, caffeine.”
Stupid gen-X pill popping junkies like this shouldn’t make claims that can potentially harm others. I take Provigil because of nacrolepsy. Fortunately I had two doctors who ran test after test and finally did a couple of expensive sleep studies to properly diagnose me. This drug helps, but the side effects are VERY irritating. I find it hard to concentrate on the medication, so I take low dosages (100 mg / day typically.)
Somebody taking 600-800 mg a day just to pull 40 hour shifts is really stupid in my opinion. It’s those kind of idiots that run people off the road in their 18 wheelers, or sew 12″ medical instruments into patients after surgery. Sure you can stay up the extra hours, but your brain turns off and your body just runs around on auto-pilot. I guess for people like the original poster this isn’t a problem!
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