Where to Buy Modafinil in Canada in 2019

Many Canadian students are using modafinil for boosting their study efforts.

The drug promotes wakefulness for several hours and can dramatically improve work productivity.

Modafinil is part of a class of drugs known as eugeroics. These drugs work by flipping an “on switch” in the brain, making us feel alert and awake even after several hours of exhaustive studying.

Unlike other eugeroics, modafinil has few side effects and is considered to be one of the safest pharmaceutical options available.

The laws around buying prescription medications like modafinil can vary a lot from one country to the next.

Here we look at the laws specific to Canada and answer a few questions around the legality and availability of modafinil to those living on Canadian soil.

What is Modafinil Used For?

Modafinil is listed as a prescription-only medication in Canada. It’s prescribed by doctors for conditions like ADD/ADHD and narcolepsy (a sleeping disorder that causes sufferers to fall asleep suddenly at random points in the day).

1. Modafinil for ADHD

Many people with ADHD have been shown to have lower levels of dopamine in the brain [1]. This important neurotransmitter plays a crucial role in our bodies reward center.

The reward center is responsible for developing habits and helps us concentrate on specific tasks.

When we do something that benefits us, the reward center gives us a dose of a chemical called oxytocin, which is what makes us feel happy. Our body loves this compound and wants to perform activities that release this chemical more often.

It’s our brain’s way of managing positive reinforcement.  

In the brains of those who have ADHD, dopamine levels are often low, which makes it harder to stimulate the reward center in the brain. People with ADHD need to work extra hard to stimulate this region of the brain resulting in poor focus and fidgety behavior.

Modafinil Increases dopamine levels, making it easier to trigger the reward center. This makes it much easier to concentrate and remain productive with the condition.

2. Modafinil for Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder whereby sufferers can suddenly, without warning, drop into a deep sleep. Even while awake, sufferers often experience significant daytime drowsiness, which can have a profoundly negative impact on day to day activities.

Modafinil stimulates a region of the brain known as the orexin system.

Orexin (also known as hypocretin) is an important part of the central nervous system. It’s responsible for regulating the wake portion of the sleep-wake cycle.

People with narcolepsy who take modafinil often experience full remission of their symptoms.

3. Off-Label Uses for Modafinil

Outside of the prescribed uses, modafinil has become popular with Canadians as a way to boost productivity at university, work, or with creative projects like writing or painting.

Many people use it as a boost while learning a new language, working on a tough or tedious project, or getting through long shifts at work.

In recent years, modafinil has become a popular nootropic drug for business executives and CEOs. It’s popular among people lower down the ranks seeking to move up by outperforming their colleagues.

There are many benefits to modafinil outside of the prescribed uses which have many Canadians wondering how they can get their hands on some of it for themselves.

Buying Modafinil in Canada

Although you can buy modafinil in pharmacies, you need a prescription to get it. Additionally, most pharmacies will charge an arm and a leg for brand name modafinil — which can be as high as $65 CAD.

Online is the preferred option for most regular modafinil users in Canada. Generic versions of the drug like Modalert and Modvigil, as well as armodafinil generics such as Waklert and Artvigil are significantly cheaper than brand name versions — without sacrificing quality.

If buying your modafinil from the online vendor BuyModa.org, use the code MOD10 during checkout to save 10% off the cost of your order. If you pay with Bitcoin you can save another 20% on top of this as well, bringing the cost of modafinil down even further.

How to Get a Prescription for Modafinil in Canada

Getting a prescription for modafinil isn’t easy in Canada.

In order to get one, the doctor needs to identify one of the following:

1. ADD/ADHD (confirmed by psychological evaluations)
2. Narcolepsy (confirmed by a sleep test)
3. Sleep apnoea (confirmed by a sleep test)
4. Night shift workers (confirmed by a reference from employer)

If you’re suffering from any of these conditions, or have proof that you do shift work (involving both day and night shifts), you may be eligible for a prescription for modafinil from a GP.

How Much Does Modafinil Cost?

With a prescription, you have access to modafinil from local pharmacies. The cost of these medications can be fairly high at around $5 per day for Alertec. These prices are protected by Canada’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board.

Comparatively, online sources list generic versions of modafinil at prices as low as $1.00 CAD per dose.

These generic versions contain the same doses and active ingredients but are made by other companies. The most common generic versions of modafinil include HAB Pharmaceuticals Modvigil and Sun Pharmaceuticals Modalert.

Is Modafinil Legal in Canada?

Modafinil is available in Canada, mainly as the brand name products, Alertec and Provigil®.

Online sources offer other versions of the drug, such as Modalert and Modvigil.

Unfortunately, buying the medication in Canada is not as straightforward as it is in other countries like The United States, The United Kingdom, Singapore, Ireland, or Australia.

Canadian drug laws can be confusing, so let’s break it down;

When a medication is made, it needs to be sent to Health Canada for review. The department assesses the product and then issues a license when the drug is approved.

The drug then gets reviewed by another agency, known as NAPRA (National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities), who decides whether the drug requires prescription status or not.

Schedule I: Prescription-Only Drug

Modafinil and modafinil salts are classified as schedule I medications, which require a doctor’s prescription prior to purchase.

Other Schedule I drugs include opium, codeine, and morphine.

Regulating Schedule I Drugs in Canada

The NAPRA is responsible for regulating the sale of all prescription medications. They keep detailed information about all pharmacies selling these drugs and track how many doses are sold to each patient.

Most of this information is listed publicly on their website. In total there are 41,661 licensed pharmacists allowed to sell prescription-only medications like modafinil. The majority of which are located in Ontario.

Controlled Substances Laws in Canada

Canada has a list of substances that it prohibits anybody on Canadian soil from possessing. The list, known as the Controlled Drug Substances Act, includes Schedule I, II, and III substances purchased without a prescription.

This act is enforced by both local and federal governments, including border security officers.

Modafinil is not explicitly listed on the controlled substances act. This is why the laws around modafinil are so confusing in Canada — it’s illegal to buy the drug anywhere without a prescription.

Online vendors sell the drug without requiring a prescription because they’re operating out of a region that doesn’t have these same laws — such as India.

Buying Modafinil Online in Canada

In order to purchase schedule I drugs like modafinil from pharmacies in Canada a valid doctor’s prescription needs to be shown at the time of purchase. It’s not legal to buy modafinil from any online source in Canada, even with a prescription. This is because NARPA can’t effectively track online resellers the way they can for in-store pharmacies.

Some vendors like offer generic versions of modafinil for sale without asking for a prescription.

This is considered a legal grey area because although it’s not possible to purchase modafinil in Canada from registered pharmacies (both online and in-store), it’s relatively easy to order them online from overseas.

Canadian customs are particularly tricky to get through with prescription medications. If border security officials find it, they will send a letter to the ordering address asking for proof of prescription. If the prescription can’t be submitted within a month, the package is destroyed.

For this reason, many modafinil resellers refuse to ship to Canada without the help of a mail forwarding service. 

BuyModa is the only modafinil Pharmacy that 100% guarantees shipments directly to Canada. Use MOD10 for a 10% discount on your order. 

A mail forwarding service allows people in one country to send packages to a US address, which has far more relaxed laws on buying medications online. The company will then resend the package from the US to Canada using another shipping company. It’s an excellent way to order items online that can only be sent to US addresses, such as modafinil or other online pharmaceuticals.

A forwarding service will manage customs for you, removing most of the headaches involved with the process. They provide you with a US address and will forward the package once it arrives.

One of the most popular mail forwarding services used by Canadians is Parcl. This service will cost $64 extra to get it through to Canada.

Another good option is Shipito, especially if you will be ordering frequently to a US address.

Summary of Buying Modafinil in Canada

Modafinil is only available for purchase in a registered pharmacy and with a doctor’s prescription in Canada. It can be bought online from various overseas vendors without needing to submit a prescription.

The border security in Canada is strict and may stop your package at the border. If this happens, you’ll need to submit a prescription to have it sent the rest of the way.

In most cases, a mail-forwarding service is needed to get modafinil through to Canada. Items are shipped to an address in the United States and then forwarded across the border.

This significantly increases the chances of your modafinil making its way to your door successfully.

If you want Modafinil shipped directly to Canada, you can use this online pharmacy. Don’t forget to use MOD10 for a 10% discount on your order.

References

1. Li, D., Sham, P. C., Owen, M. J., & He, L. (2006). Meta-analysis shows significant association between dopamine system genes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Human molecular genetics, 15(14), 2276-2284.

Where to Buy Modafinil in Belgium in 2019

Modafinil is a popular nootropic drug in Belgium. The medication is used to boost cognitive performance at work or university.

This eugeroic (sleep-inhibiting) medication is highly effective for providing mental and physical energy and delaying the onset of fatigue. This allows users to stay alert and focused for longer periods of time.

In Belgium, the laws around modafinil are a little confusing. The drug is considered a prescription-only medication, specifically used to treat narcolepsy (a rare sleeping disorder).

Despite its prescription-only status, the medication can be purchased online.

In this article, we’ll highlight the laws surrounding modafinil in Belgium, and offer a few simple ways you can purchase the medication to boost your cognitive output and overall productivity.

Modafinil in Belgium: Highlights

• Modafinil is a safe and effective eugeroic medication
• The most popular off-label use for modafinil is for enhancing productivity
• Modafinil is considered a prescription-only medication by the European Medicines Agency
• The best way to get modafinil is to buy it online

How to Buy Modafinil in Belgium

Modafinil is available by prescription only in Belgium/

This doesn’t mean you can’t find modafinil in Belgium, it just changes the way you have to buy the compound.

Here, we’ll go over the two options you have available for acquiring modafinil.

Option 1: Use Your Prescription to Buy Modafinil from a Pharmacy

The first option is to pick up your modafinil from your local pharmacy. This involves obtaining a prescription from a medical doctor. In order to do this, you need a narcolepsy diagnosis — a rare sleeping disorder involving chronic daytime sleepiness. This condition is a result of a deficiency in the neuropeptide known as orexin — responsible for making us feel awake.

Modafinil works very well for this condition because it directly increases orexin levels in the brain.

If you don’t have narcolepsy, it’s unlikely a doctor will give you a prescription for modafinil in Belgium.

Even with a doctor’s prescription, buying the modafinil from a pharmacy is less than ideal. Most pharmacies only sell brand name modafinil such as Provigil or Nuvigil which are significantly more expensive than the generic equivalents sold online.

Provigil can be expensive — some sources selling 30 tablets (1 month supply) for 80 €.

Generic modafinil is much cheaper — usually costing around 34 € per month.

Option 2: Order Modafinil Online & Have it Delivered

This is the preferred option for people living in Belgium — even if you already have a prescription.

Online vendors have the option of selling either brand name modafinil and armodafinil or generic options. Most online vendors choose to sell generic versions of the drug because they’re the same quality and dosage as their brand name counterparts, only much cheaper.

Why spend 90% more for a medication when you don’t need to?

Generic medications are regulated the same way as brand name medications. The only reason they’re so much cheaper is that they’re manufactured by companies that didn’t invent the drug. This means they didn’t spend millions of dollars during its development.

All drug companies are protected from competing manufacturers for 20 years after inventing a new drug with patents. Since modafinil is older than 20 years old, these patents have since expired. There are now several large pharmaceutical manufacturers producing the drug at a fraction of the cost of the original brand name versions.

How to Buy Modafinil Online

Buying modafinil online is simple — go to an online vendor like BuyModa.org, and choose which product you’d like to have delivered.

BuyModa.org offers a few different options, including:

• Modvigil 200 mg
• Vilafinil 200 mg
• Modalert 200 mg
• Waklert 150 mg
• Artvigil 150 mg

Although all of these options are very similar, some people notice slight differences between each manufacturer. You may want to try a few different options before deciding on one, in particular, to see how they affect you individually.

Buy Moda also offers sampler packs so you can try a few different versions of the medication.

Once you’ve decided which products you’d like to order, simply go through the checkout process like any other online store. Many vendors will offer discounts if you pay for your order with Bitcoin — this is simply because of the many benefits Bitcoin offers when making payments online.

The Benefits of Paying With Bitcoin:

• Faster payment confirmation
• Keeps your payment discrete
• Significantly lower fees for the vendor compared to credit card payments
• More financially secure than credit cards

Even if you don’t want to pay for your order with Bitcoin, you can still pay for your order with credit cards during checkout.

The Benefits of Ordering Modafinil Online

• Much cheaper
• No prescription needed
• Convenient
• Multiple options available
• You can pay for it with Bitcoin

Is Modafinil Legal in Belgium?

In Belgium, modafinil is considered a prescription-only medication by the European Medicines Agency. It’s only prescribed for treating the rare sleeping disorder known as narcolepsy.

Purchasing modafinil online allows customers to get modafinil with or without a prescription. Most modafinil is shipped from India, where it’s completely legal to sell modafinil without asking for a prescription.

What Happens if my Package is Stopped at the Belgian Border?

This is a common question people often ask when buying modafinil online.

Most of the time, your package will travel through Belgian customs without any issues — however, in some cases a keen border officer might open your package. If they can’t find a copy of the prescription in the box, they’ll hold the package.

What tends to happen in this case is the Belgian border security officials will send a letter to the address requesting a copy of the prescription to release the shipment.

If you don’t have a prescription, you can simply disregard the letter and send an email to the vendor. Most vendors (including BuyModa.org) offer delivery guarantees — should this happen to you, they’ll ship another identical package in the mail free of charge to replace what was lost.

It’s rare that border security officials will stop two packages in a row.

Your first package will either be sent back to the vendor or destroyed.

Why is Modafinil Only Available by Prescription in Belgium?

Prior to 2007, modafinil was legally purchased in pharmacies without a prescription. It was used for treating conditions such as ADHD and sleep apnea, on top of its contemporary use for narcolepsy.

A lot of people were using the medication for cognitive enhancement as well.

In 2007, the drug was re-evaluated by the European Medicines Agency. The agency was investigating reports of side-effects and wanted to get a new evaluation on the effectiveness and safety of the drug.

At the end of the study, the EMA decided the drug was valuable but should be moved to a higher restriction level due to some potential side-effects of the drug.

Is Modafinil Harmful?

This question has been asked many times before. There are a few studies that seek to answer it.

One study looked specifically at the safety (and efficacy) of modafinil for children diagnosed with ADHD 1.

130 children and adolescents were given either modafinil or placebo control (sugar tablet). Over 9 weeks, the vitals of the children were monitored, and they were given tests to assess ADHD symptoms (ADHD-RS-IV scores).

Over the course of the study, only 3% of patients in the modafinil group dropped out due to adverse side-effects. Milder side effects were reported in at least 5% of patients in both the modafinil group and placebo group.

What are the Side-Effects of Modafinil?

Compared to other stimulant medications, modafinil has very few side-effects.The most common of which is insomnia. This makes perfect sense when you consider the fact the drug is designed to make us feel awake and alert.

Let’s go over the common side-effects of the drug and offer a simple solution for each to avoid them.

1. Anxiety

Anxiety attacks are not uncommon with modafinil, simply due to the stimulating nature of the drug.

The best way to avoid this side-effect is to avoid other stimulants (like caffeine) when taking modafinil.

It’s also beneficial to practice slow, rhythmic breathing whenever you feel anxiety coming on. This is by far the most effective method of stopping an anxiety attack before it even starts.

2. Headaches

One of the main causes of headaches when taking modafinil is dehydration. This is because modafinil often makes us forget to drink water throughout the day, and can act as a diuretic (promoting a loss of water).

The best way to avoid this side-effect is to ensure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

3. Insomnia

Insomnia is the most common side-effect of modafinil. The best way to alleviate this side-effect is to take the modafinil earlier in the day so that the effects wear off by the time you’re ready to go to sleep.

Additionally, practicing winding down before bed with meditation, relaxing walk, or even a calming tea is an excellent way to avoid insomnia.

4. Fatigue

Fatigue occurs in some people who take modafinil — usually as the drug starts to wear off, or the day after the modafinil dose.

If you experience fatigue as the modafinil wears off, we recommend lowering your dose. Everybody responds to modafinil differently, so it’s useful to learn your own limits and take a smaller dose if need be.

5. Weight Loss

This is a problem that happens over several weeks or months of modafinil use. The drug can reduce our appetite, making us forget to eat during the day.

The easiest way to avoid this is to ensure you always eat a good, hearty breakfast before the modafinil kicks in, and to pack snacks to eat throughout the day.

Some people will even set a daily timer on their phone to remind them to eat throughout the day.

Key Takeaways: Modafinil in Belgium

Modafinil is an impressive pharmaceutical-grade nootropic. People often take the compound to delay mental fatigue while working or studying to get longer, more productive work or study sessions.

In Belgium, modafinil is only available through a prescription and local pharmacy. However, you can also buy the drug online and have it sent directly to your door.

Buying online is the most convenient, and cheapest way of getting modafinil.

We recommend starting with a sampler pack if you’ve never used modafinil before to try a few different types of the compound out before deciding on anyone in particular.

Although the drug does have some side-effects in some individuals, they tend to be very mild, and preventable if you know what to do.

References

1. Biederman, J., Swanson, J. M., Wigal, S. B., Kratochvil, C. J., Boellner, S. W., Earl, C. Q., … & Greenhill, L. (2005). Efficacy and safety of modafinil film–coated tablets in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose study. Pediatrics, 116(6), e777-e784.
2. Boivin, D. B., Montplaisir, J., Petit, D., Lambert, C., & Lubin, S. (1993). Effects of modafinil on symptomatology of human narcolepsy. Clinical neuropharmacology, 16(1), 46-53.
3. Sevy, S., Rosenthal, M. H., Alvir, J., Meyer, S., Visweswaraiah, H., Gunduz-Bruce, H., & Schooler, N. R. (2005). Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of modafinil for fatigue and cognition in schizophrenia patients treated with psychotropic medications. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 66(7), 839-843.

Where to Buy Modafinil in Austria in 2019

Modafinil is a productivity-enhancing medication often sold under the brand name Modasomil or Provigil in Austria.

The drug first became popular when it came to light that high-level executives at tech startups in places like Silicon Valley, California were taking the drug to increase their productivity.

Over the past 5 years, modafinil has become a popular cognitive enhancement medication in Austria for the same reason — to enhance overall productivity and get ahead of the competition at work or university.

People taking modafinil report being able to work harder, faster, and longer than ever before.

But is modafinil legal in Austria? Is it safe?

We’ll go over these two questions in detail and offer some sources you can use to get modafinil whether you have a valid prescription or not.

Where to Buy Modafinil in Austria

Modafinil is available in pharmacies across Austria — however, it’s only available for purchase from these pharmacies if you have a valid prescription from a doctor. The only reason a doctor will give a prescription for the drug is for treating a rare sleeping disorder known as narcolepsy.

The only way Austrian residents can order modafinil without a prescription is to order the drug online.

There are a lot of excellent online vendors selling generic modafinil without a prescription — making the medication readily available for everybody.

Buying modafinil online is also significantly cheaper than buying modafinil at your local pharmacy despite being the exact same dose and active ingredients. You can also buy larger amounts of the compound to save even more on the cost of the medication.

How to Order Modafinil Online in Austria

Ordering modafinil online in Austria is simple if you follow our 5 step process:

Step 1: Visit a Reputable Online Modafinil Vendor

There are a few excellent modafinil vendors specializing in generic versions of the drug.

Here are some of our favorites:

• ModafinilXL
• BuyModa.org
• Afinil Express

Step 2: Setup a Mail Forwarding Service

Mail forwarding is a service that allows you to order packages to one country, which arrives at the service provider’s address. The company will then repackage your order and send it directly to your door.

This is recommended when buying modafinil in Austria because certain countries (like the UK or Germany) have much less stringent border security when it comes to ordering online pharmaceuticals.

By ordering your modafinil to a UK address with the mail forwarding service, you can have your packages reshipped to your address in Austria without flagging border security officials.

The problem is that in Austria, border officers will often investigate packages in more detail if they come from places like India or China — which is where most modafinil ships from.

We recommend one of the following mail forwarding services:

• Mailboxes Etc
• Skypax

Step 3: Order Your Modafinil

The next step is to place your order. You can either choose to use the mail forwarding service (recommended) or have the order sent directly to your address (not recommended).

When paying for your order, you will usually be given the option to either pay with credit card or Bitcoin.

Bitcoin payments are fast, secure, and confidential. It also helps the vendors bypass the expensive credit card processing fees involved with online pharmaceuticals. Most of these online vendors offer a 20% – 35% discount on the cost of the order when you pay with Bitcoin for saving expensive credit card processing charges.

Step 4: Wait For Your Order to Arrive in the Mail

Most online modafinil vendors use a tracking number for your order once it’s left the warehouse. This allows you to check on the status of your order as it travels across the world.

Depending on the mail forwarding service, you may be given a separate tracking number once the package leaves the UK or Germany.

Deliveries can take between 10 and 30 days for your order to go from the vendor to the mail forwarding address. If you used a mail forwarding service you will need to add an additional 3 and 10 days on top of these delivery times.

The total shipping time takes between 13 and 40 days — but it’s well worth the wait and this is the only way to acquire modafinil in Austria unless you have a valid prescription.

How Much Does Modafinil Cost in Austria?

There are two main classifications for modafinil; brand name and generic.

Brand name modafinil is sold under the names Modasomil, Provigil, or Nuvigil in Austria. They’re sold by large pharmaceutical manufacturers like Cephalon Inc. that owned exclusive rights to modafinil in the late eighties and early nineties. Brand name modafinil tablets cost significantly more per tablet than identical generic versions of the drug.

Since the patents protecting the exclusivity of Cephalon Inc. to manufacture modafinil, the drug has now opened up to other manufacturers to produce their own (identical) versions of the drug.

Companies including HAB Pharmaceuticals and Sun Pharmaceuticals have stepped up to the task, producing their own generic forms of the drug. These tablets are identical in dose and active ingredients to the brand name options but are often as much as 90% cheaper.

Generic versus brand name medications are the same as buying brand name and unbranded clothing. A brand name T-shirt can cost 80€, while an identical unknown label may cost closer to 15€. The only difference between the two is who manufactured them.

Medications are the same in this respect — what you’re paying for with expensive brand name medications is simply the name, not the ingredients.

Cost Breakdown of Modafinil

(Generic modafinil prices listed are taken from Afinil Express[1] )

	Manufacturer	Generic or Brand Name	Cost per Tablet	Bulk Modafinil Cost (300 Pills or More)
Provigil	Cephalon Inc	Brand Name	5 €	N/A
Nuvigil	Cephalon Inc	Brand Name	5 €	N/A
Modalert	Sun Pharmaceuticals	Generic	2.45 €	0.86 €
Modvigil	HAB Pharmaceuticals	Generic	1.84 €	0.70 €
Artvigil	HAB Pharmaceuticals	Generic	2.14 €	0.80 €
Waklert	Sun Pharmaceuticals	Generic	2.58 €	0.87 €

Is Modafinil Safe?

With modafinil listed as a prescription-only medication, many people are wondering whether or not modafinil is a safe medication for cognitive enhancement purposes.

In fact, modafinil is very safe, and there are a lot of scientific research studies to prove it.

One of the best studies on the subject involved a group of 130 children diagnosed with ADHD. The children were given either modafinil or a placebo (sugar pill) for 9 weeks and monitored to assess the efficacy of using modafinil for ADHD, as well as adverse side-effects. The study found that although there were some mild side-effects, the drug was well tolerated throughout the study [1].

Interestingly, the placebo control group had the same dropout rate due to side-effects as the modafinil group despite the fact that the placebo control group were only taking sugar pills that looked like modafinil. This suggests many of the medication’s side-effects weren’t solely due to the effects of the drug. The side-effects even appeared with the placebo sugar pill.

Other studies have also compared the safety of taking 200 mg doses of modafinil per day alongside conditions including multiple sclerosis [2]. This study also concluded that modafinil was well tolerated and was unlikely to produce any serious side-effects.

Modafinil is a safe and effective drug when taken in the normal 200 mg per day doses.

What Are The Side-Effects of Modafinil?

One study investigated the safety and efficacy of modafinil — researchers in the study reported insomnia as the most common side-effects of the drug [1]. This makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that the drug is designed to delay mental fatigue and drowsiness.

The easiest way to avoid this side-effect is to take your dose of modafinil earlier in the morning and practice simple wind-down techniques before bed.

The Studies Findings Included:

(Percentages represents the number of people in the modafinil treatment group experiencing side-effects of any intensity).

• Insomnia — 48%
• Headache — 32%
• Decreased appetite — 26%
• Infection — 19%
• Rhinitis (runny nose) — 16%
• Pharyngitis (sore throat) — 14%
• Cough — 13%
• Abdominal pain — 12%
• Rash — 10%
• Vomiting — 10%
• Accidental injury — 8%
• Nervousness — 7%
• Fever — 8%
• Pain — 8%
• Asthenia (Weakness/Lethargy) — 6%
• Somnolence (Sleepiness) — 4%

(Link to Study)

Key Takeaways: Buying Modafinil in Austria

Modafinil is a popular study drug taken by business executives and students alike to get more out of their workflow. The drug induces a powerful state of alertness and concentration and can be used to delay the onset of fatigue for many hours.

Unfortunately, modafinil is considered a prescription-only medication in Austria. However, it can be purchased online without a prescription, where the order is sent to your door with a mail forwarding service like Skypax.

Contrary to the prescription-only status of the drug, multiple large-scale clinical trials have proven the drug to be safe and effective in children and adults, even over several weeks or months of regular use.

As with any medication, it’s wise to take a smaller dose the first time you take the medication. Modafinil tablets are easily split in half using the crease down the middle. If this dose doesn’t cause any major side-effects, you can start taking a full dose more safely.

References

1. Biederman, J., Swanson, J. M., Wigal, S. B., Kratochvil, C. J., Boellner, S. W., Earl, C. Q., … & Greenhill, L. (2005). Efficacy and safety of modafinil film-coated tablets in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose study. Pediatrics, 116(6), e777-e784.
2. Rammohan, K. W., Rosenberg, J. H., Lynn, D. J., Blumenfeld, A. M., Pollak, C. P., & Nagaraja, H. N. (2002). Efficacy and safety of modafinil (Provigil®) for the treatment of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a two-centre phase 2 study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 72(2), 179-183.

 

Where to Buy Modafinil in Australia in 2019

Are you living in Australia and looking for a good source of modafinil?

The drug laws in Australia can be confusing, and in such a conservative country, fairly outdated at times.

For this reason, we’ve set out to debunk some of the theories around modafinil use in Australia, investigate their drug scheduling classifications— and talk about how and where you can buy modafinil in Australia.

Modafinil Use in Australia

In recent years, the public interest in nootropics (including modafinil) has significantly increased. People are looking for ways to increase their productivity to perform better at work, finish tough projects, or boost their own creative process.

Modafinil is quickly becoming a staple medication for improving productivity.

Unfortunately, the laws around modafinil in Australia are limiting but the drug can be purchased easily online if you know where to get it.

Brand Name Modafinil in Australia & New Zealand

With a doctor’s prescription, Australians (and New Zealanders) can purchase modafinil from the chemist shops and pharmacies.

The brand name version currently sold in Australia and New Zealand is called Modavigil, made by TEVA Pharmaceuticals.  Some pharmacies will also carry either Alertec or Provigil, made by Cephalon Inc.

Other Names Modafinil is Sold Under Includes:

• Modalert (Sun Pharmaceuticals)
• Modvigil (HAB Pharmaceuticals)
• Alertec (Cephalon Inc)
• Provigil® (Cephalon Inc)
• Vilafinil (Centurian Labs)
• Modaheal (Healing Pharmaceuticals)
• Modafresh (Sunrise Pharmaceuticals)
• Modafil MD (INTAS)
• Modawake (HAB Pharmaceuticals)

Where to Buy Modafinil in Australia

If you have a prescription, you can purchase your modafinil from pharmacies (Chemist shops). These sources are often costly as they generally only sell brand name versions.

The most common source for modafinil in Australia is online. 

Most online vendors offer two versions of modafinil (Modalert & Modvigil) and two versions of armodafinil (Waklert & Artvigil). They also sell modafinil at a fraction of the cost of brand-name versions and don’t require a prescription to make a purchase.

What Modafinil is Used for

Modafinil has two primary uses medically:

1. It’s used to treat sleeping disorders like narcolepsy
2. It’s used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Outside these prescribed uses, however, modafinil is used to promote wakefulness and productivity at work, while studying, or while away on trips where jet lag would otherwise cause problems with productivity and work performance.

Examples of Off-Label Modafinil Use Includes:

1. Productivity enhancement
2. Support for late night study sessions
3. Enduring long work hours
4. Shift-workers experiencing sleep disturbances
5. Reducing the effects of jet lag
6. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
7. Parkinson’s Disease symptoms
8. Multiple Sclerosis (the fatigue side effects)
9. Myotonic dystrophy
10. Sleep induced by opioid medications
11. Depression
12. Fibromyalgia (fatigue symptoms)
13. Cerebral palsy

How Modafinil Works

Modafinil works on a series of receptors in the brain involved with the process of wakefulness.

They increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain, boost a protein known as orexin that is used to regulate the waking portion of the sleep-wake cycle, and increase histamine levels in the brain.

All of these effects combined causes an increase in the feeling of wakefulness. It can effectively delay the onset of sleep for several hours.

Modafinil is similar in this regard to other stimulants like caffeine, amphetamine (Adderall) and Methylphenidate (Ritalin), though with fewer side effects.

Legal Status of Modafinil in Australia

In Australia, drugs are classified by the Therapeutic Goods Act (TGA) in groups depending on their potential for abuse (how addictive and dangerous they are). They call this drug scheduling.

Modafinil is considered a schedule 4 medication, which means it comes with some limitations. 

Making Sense of the Drug Scheduling System In Australia

According to the Therapeutic Goods Act (TGA) in Australia:

Schedule 1: Not in use

Schedule 1 is not used as a classification in Australia.

The official legislation details for medication, and poison scheduling in Australia has no listed information on schedule 1.

Schedule 2:  Pharmacy only medicine

These medications are considered safe for use but are available only from pharmacies.

Examples of Schedule 2 Medications Include:

• Dextromethorphan (Cough medicine)
• Paracetamol packages containing more than 24 tablets (considered a lethal dose if taken all at once) (Pain medication)
• Non-sedating antihistamines (Allergy medications)
• Acetic acid (Manufacturing additive)
• N-Acetylcysteine (Paracetamol overdose)
• Aconitum (Less than 0.2mg total alkaloid content) (Homeopathic remedy)
• Aspirin (Pain medication)
• Benzocaine (Pain medication)
• Ether (Manufacturing additive)
• Fluorides (Used in dentistry)
• Hydrocortisone (Pain medication)
• Ibuprofen (Pain medication)
• Ipratropium (Asthma medication)
• Lithium (Anti Anxiety medication)
• Paracetamol (Pain medication)
• Selenium (Trace mineral)

Schedule 3: Pharmacist-Only Medicines

These medications are considered to be very safe, but can only be dispensed from a registered pharmacist.

They’re listed this way to ensure that someone knowledgeable on the condition being treated can screen patients before the drugs are brought home. This ensures there are no serious complications the customer is trying to self-treat and educates the customer of any possible dangers associated with their medications.

This also gives the consumer an opportunity to ask essential questions about the medication and gives the pharmacist a chance to catch potentially life-threatening conditions that a customer may be avoiding or is unaware of.

Some states in Australia have variations on how Schedule 3 medications need to be managed, and what requirements the pharmacist need to meet to sell them to the customer.

The Australian government tracks them by taking the name and details of the customers at the time of purchase. Side effects from these medications are also closely monitored and recorded.

Examples of Schedule 3 Medications Include:

• Orlistat (Anti Obesity medication)
• Pseudoephedrine (Cold/Flu medication)
• Salbutamol (Asthma medication)

Schedule 4: Prescription Only Medications

This is the schedule modafinil is listed under. 

Schedule 4 medications require a doctor’s prescription to purchase. These also include many veterinary medications.

Schedule 4 drugs either have a high potential for abuse and addiction, require monitoring to ensure dosages are used correctly or are used to treat conditions that require management by a medical professional.

This classification is also given to many new medications to allow a medical professional to monitor them to assess safety and efficacy.

This is the classification that modafinil is contained under.

The Australian government subsidizes many schedule 4 medications through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Other limitations of this schedule classification involve advertising. No schedule 4 medication can be advertised to the public.

Examples of Schedule 4 Medications Includes:

• Modafinil (Narcolepsy/ADHD medication)
• Amoxicillin (Antibiotic)
• Cannabidiol (Pain medication)
• Ephedrine (Cold/Flu medication)
• Estradiol (Birth control medication)
• Tramadol (Pain medication)
• Benzodiazepines (Sedative medications)
• SSRIs (Antidepressant medications)
• SNRIs (Antidepressant medications)
• TCAs (Antidepressant medications)
• MAOIs (Antidepressant medications)

Schedule 5: Caution

These medications require clear warning labels to identify their dangers or to indicate their low dosages.

To classify as a Schedule 5 medication, the compound needs to have only mild adverse effects and possess only a modest hazard to human health within recommended doses.

This often includes industrial compounds like methanol, pesticides, and some heavy metals.

Schedule 6: Poisons

These substances are considered poisons by the TGA in Australia. They require clear warning signs that indicate moderate to severe toxicity. These substances have specific criteria that need to be met to store and sell these substances.

Examples of Schedule 6 Substances Include:

• Ammonia (Refrigerant)
• Amitraz (Insecticide)
• Aspirin (In veterinary applications)
• Azadirachta Indica (Neem) (Medicinal plant)
• Barium salts (Manufacturing additive)

Schedule 7: Dangerous Drugs

Schedule 7 drugs have a high potential for causing harm. The TGA makes special considerations before someone is allowed to purchase or use these substances in Australia.

Examples of Schedule 7 Substances Include:

• Cyanides (Manufacturing additive)
• Arsenic (Manufacturing additive)
• DDT (pesticide)
• Mirex (Pesticide)
• Thallium (Rat poison)

Schedule 8: Controlled Drugs

These medications have therapeutic benefit but also have a high potential for abuse or addiction.

Not only is a doctor’s prescription required before these medications can be purchased, but they are explicitly illegal to possess without a prescription. These medications often have a high prevalence or severity of side effects and are less commonly prescribed than schedule 4 prescription medications. Very specific criteria must be met for a medical practitioner to prescribe these medicines.

All purchasing and usage of these drugs are also closely monitored by the Australian government.

Examples of Schedule 8 Medications Include:

• Morphine (Pain medication)
• Hydrocodone (Sedative/Pain medication)
• Methamphetamine (ADD/ADHD medication)
• GHB (General anesthetic)
• Oxycodone (Pain medication)
• Pethidine (Pain medication)
• Prodine (Sedative/Pain medication)
• Codeine (Cough/Pain medication)
• Buprenorphine (Opioid addiction medication)
• Amphetamine (ADD/ADHD medication)

Schedule 9: Prohibited Substances

These medications or substances are only permitted for research purposes and are not legally sold under any condition to the general public.

Even research use is heavily regulated, and all cases require the approval and investigation by an ethics committee.

Examples of Schedule 9 Substances Include:

• Benzylpiperazine (Recreational stimulant)
• Marijuana (Psychoactive recreational drug)
• DMT (Recreational psychoactive drug)
• Harmaline (Recreational psychoactive drug)
• Heroin (Opioid drug)
• 2C-B (Recreational psychoactive drug)
• LSD (Recreational psychoactive drug)
• Psilocybin (Recreational psychoactive drug)
• Salvia divinorum (Recreational psychoactive plant)

Why is Modafinil Considered Schedule 4?

Many of the medications listed as Schedule 4 are considered for their risk of addiction, though not to the same extent as Schedule 8 medications.

Modafinil is often thought of as addictive because it binds to many of the same places as the highly addictive, illicit drug cocaine [1]. Some published case studies are highlighting the addictive potential of Modafinil as well in online scientific journals [2].

Even though modafinil binds to some of the same receptors that cocaine does, it isn’t that simple.

The way chemicals bind to one substance, or another can vary a lot and can have profound differences in how addictive, dangerous, or useful they are. The Australian government is notorious for taking an overly simplistic approach to the way they regulate various substances.

A recent example of this is a recent banning of the medicinal plant known as kava. In 2015, the TGA banned the import and sale of the herb due to concerns over potential liver toxicity of the plant.

It took the efforts from a sizeable herbal medicine manufacturer, Mediherb to prove that this was not the case in properly manufactured kava extracts, and was able to bring kava back to the marketplace.

It’s likely that Modafinil is listed as Schedule 4 due to concerns over addiction, even though this potential is shallow.

Shipping Modafinil to Australia: Is It legal?

Although Modafinil is considered a Schedule 4 substance in Australia, it isn’t outright illegal.

How Does This Work?

Australian laws prohibit the sale of modafinil without a prescription in Australia.

The TGA is clear on what medications can and can’t be imported into the country, as well as what consequences will result if these rules are not followed.

The Office of Drug Control in Australia offers a public list of controlled substances. These substances are prohibited from importing without a permit into Australia.

Modafinil is not on this list.

The TGA does, however, say that any prescription medications ordered online should have a copy of your prescription included from the manufacturer/seller. If these medications are caught at the border, they will be held until a prescription can be submitted.

If this doesn’t happen, the shipment will eventually be destroyed.

In reality, this rarely happens.

Most medications make it through border security without any issues, and border officials rarely confirm prescription status on these medications. They appear to be more focused on identifying illicit substances like heroin or cocaine and shipments containing biological cultures that may disrupt the ecological balance.

How Companies Can Sell Prescription Only Modafinil Without Prescription

In Australia, if a company were to sell modafinil to someone without a prescription, they would be subject to massive fines and may even be shut down until they can remedy the situation. As a result, no pharmacy or distributor in Australia will sell modafinil to someone without a prescription for it.

This is reasonably easy to get around thanks to the internet.

Other countries, like India or Mexico, don’t have these same laws. Modafinil can be sold freely from companies operating out of these regions.

This is where most of the modafinil comes from when purchased online. Companies can buy the modafinil in bulk from Indian manufacturers and then resell them to people all over the world.

Summarizing Modafinil Laws in Australia

Modafinil is considered a prescription-only medication in Australia.

Importing prescription medications technically require a copy of the prescription in order for border security officials to confirm before allowing the package to enter the country.

In the majority of cases, these packages aren’t screened in detail and are allowed to enter the country without any delays.

In some cases, however, border security officials will identify the contents of the package as modafinil and will hold the package until a prescription can be submitted. If this doesn’t happen, the contents are destroyed.

References:

1. Dackis, C. A., Kampman, K. M., Lynch, K. G., Pettinati, H. M., & O’brien, C. P. (2005). A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of modafinil for cocaine dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(1), 205.
2. Krishnan, R., & Chary, K. V. (2015). A rare case modafinil dependence. Journal of pharmacology & pharmacotherapeutics, 6(1), 49.