Modafinil Side Effects & How to Avoid Them

Modafinil is a powerful nootropic and eugeroic drug (a drug that promotes wakefulness).

It’s popular among university students and high-functioning executives for its ability to boost work output and efficiency.

As with any performance enhancement medication, some side effects can occur.

We investigate what the side effects of modafinil are, why they happen, how common they are, and what you can do to avoid them.

We also highlight what the more serious side effects look like and what to do if they happen to you.

What is Modafinil Used For?

Doctors prescribe modafinil for conditions involving the central nervous system. Conditions like ADD/ADHD and narcolepsy are the most common uses of the medication. However, there are also a lot of off-label uses for the drug.

1. Modafinil for ADHD

ADHD is a condition involving an imbalance in dopamine levels.

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain. It’s an integral component of the “reward center,” as well as learning and memory.

Low dopamine levels make it harder to trigger the reward center, causing those affected to have to work extra hard to stimulate it. The results are excessive fidgeting and an inability to concentrate on one task at a time.

Modafinil helps by increasing dopamine levels within the brain by limiting the rate at which it’s reabsorbed into the neuron. The official term for this action is called a “dopamine reuptake inhibitor.”

2. Modafinil for Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a medical condition involving a dysfunctional orexin system.

Orexin is an important part of our central nervous system tasked with controlling the waking portion of the sleep-wake cycle. The sleep-wake cycle is essential for making us feel tired at night awake during the day.

People with a dysfunction in this system can become suddenly and severely tired at inappropriate times throughout the day. This is exactly the case with a condition called narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a debilitating condition that causes excessive sleepiness and at times— to suddenly fall into a deep sleep for several minutes.

Modafinil works by increasing orexin levels in the brain, causing us to feel awake and alert. In narcoleptics, this can dramatically reduce symptoms of the condition, and in healthy people, this forces a state of wakefulness.

3. Off-Label Use of Modafinil

Although modafinil is a prescription medication, it’s become popular outside of the prescribed uses. People are using it to take advantage of its ability to boost dopamine above normal levels, increasing attention and productivity along with it.

Modafinil is also used for its wakefulness-promoting (eugeroic) effects.

Students take it to allow them to stay up for many hours studying in preparation for a big exam or to finish a tough project.

Many people use modafinil for combating the adverse effects of jet lag as well. Instead of forcing themselves to fall asleep and feel groggy the next day, they take modafinil when they should feel awake. Usually, by the time the drug wears off at the end of the day, they’re tired and ready to go to bed.

How Modafinil Works

In order to summarise the side effects of modafinil and describe how to prevent them, it’s important to understand how modafinil works in the brain.

1. The Effects of Modafinil on Dopamine

As mentioned, dopamine is an important neurotransmitter. It has many roles in the human body, including the regulation of focus and concentration. Dopamine is also essential for regulating hormone balance in both men and women.

Modafinil works to increase dopamine in the brain by inhibiting its reuptake into the synapses.

The neurons release dopamine to transfer a message to other neurons. Once this message is sent, dopamine is reabsorbed and broken down. Modafinil blocks this process from happening by blocking the dopamine reuptake transporters located on the nerve cells.

2. The Effects of Modafinil on Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is involved with the fight or flight response. Levels are lowest in our bodies while we’re asleep and heighten as we start to wake up. Norepinephrine levels surge when we are stressed or panicked.

Modafinil works similarly on norepinephrine as it does dopamine. Part of the reason for this is that dopamine is an essential precursor for norepinephrine, and therefore follows many of the same pathways. 

Norepinephrine works on a special set of receptors found throughout the body that controls the fight or flight stress response.

Norepinephrine’s Effects On The Body:

1. The airways widen to let in more oxygen
2. The heart beats faster to push blood around faster
3. The immune and digestive systems shut down to designate more energy to other organ systems such as the muscles and brain
4. Blood vessels tighten to raise blood pressure and force blood into the microcapillaries with more force

Many of the side effects of modafinil come from its effect on norepinephrine and its role on the stress response.

3. The Effects of Modafinil on Orexin

Orexin is a neurotransmitter released from the control center of the brain, the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus controls many aspects of the body with the help of other hormones. It’s like the air traffic control system of the brain. It delegates work to other organs of the body to carry out its demands. By delegating these tasks, it can focus on looking at the big picture going on and take control of the body as a whole.

The hypothalamus uses orexin to carry out its demand for wakefulness and arousal.

Orexin travels to other areas of the brain to initiate “wake-up mode.” This results in a feeling of alertness and wakefulness. This system is naturally active in the morning and mid-afternoon.

Modafinil has been shown to increase the activation of the neurons responsible for releasing orexin in the brain [1]. This is the mechanism thought to be the most accountable for modafinil’s benefits in treating narcolepsy, which is known to be a condition involving poor orexin function [2].

4. The Effects of Modafinil on Histamine

Histamine is another multifunctional compound in the human body. Outside the brain, histamine is an important inflammatory molecule. It’s one of the leading causes of the symptoms we experience during an allergic reaction.

Histamine is also an important neurotransmitter in the brain but has a very different job here. It plays a major role in the waking process [3].

This is the same reason why antihistamines often used for allergies can also be used as sedatives. By blocking histamine, the brain is unable to stimulate itself, making us feel dizzy and tired.

Modafinil has been shown to increase histamine release in the brain by up to 150% [4].

Where to Buy Modafinil

Modafinil can be bought with a doctor’s prescription from a pharmacy, although this can be very expensive and nearly impossible to get if you can’t prove you have either ADHD or narcolepsy.

The best option is to buy modafinil online.

Most online vendors sell generic modafinil, which is virtually identical to brand name modafinil but costs only a fraction of the price. Additionally, few online vendors require a prescription for purchase.

Generic versions of modafinil and armodafinil such as Modvigil, Modalert, Artvigil, and Waklert can be bought for a fraction of the cost to brand-name versions — and are shipped straight to your door.

What are the Side Effects of Modafinil?

Now that we understand what modafinil is changing in the brain to produce its results, we can start to investigate the common side effects associated with it and find techniques we can use to avoid them.

The main side effects of modafinil include:

1. Insomnia

Insomnia is by far the most common side effect of taking modafinil.

This makes sense when you consider the fact that the majority of modafinil’s effects work to increase the feeling of wakefulness. If drug concentrations remain high when it’s time to go to bed, it will become very difficult to fall asleep.

This is a direct result of the increased concentration of orexin, histamine, and norepinephrine in the brain.

How to Avoid it:

A common reason why people experience insomnia after taking modafinil is that they took it too late in the day. Consider the fact that Modafinil remains active for around 10 and 15 hours.

This means that to reduce your chances of lying in bed wide awake at night; you need to take modafinil first thing in the morning or at least 10 hours before you plan on going to sleep.

It’s also important to avoid all other stimulants when taking modafinil to prevent their effects from stacking on top of each other.

2. Headaches

Another common side effect of modafinil is headaches.

This is a side effect that some users can’t seem to avoid, while others remain unaffected.

Although there are many possible causes, the most likely is an increase in a neurotransmitter known as glutamate. Its concentrations are increased as a byproduct of the stimulation of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and orexin.

Some users have high levels of glutamate in the brain already, especially those suffering conditions like anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Taking modafinil can push these users over the edge, causing them to feel headaches, as well as other side effects like jitteriness and anxiety.

Another cause for headaches when taking modafinil is dehydration.Often, modafinil users become so focused on the tasks they are working on, that they forget to eat and drink, causing dehydration headaches later on.

How to Avoid it:

The best way to prevent headaches while taking modafinil is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and take measures before-hand to lower glutamate levels.

A great way to manage glutamate levels is to supplement daily with L-Theanine. This compound is one of the active components in green tea and has been shown to lower anxiety in humans [5].

3. Poor Appetite

Poor appetite isn’t as much of a problem for occasional modafinil users, but it can become a major problem in people that use modafinil every day.

The stimulating effects of modafinil on the central nervous system can kill our hunger cravings. Users often report that on the days they took modafinil, they didn’t even realize they’d gone all day without a proper meal.

Only later on in the evening when the drug’s effects have worn off do they realize how hungry they are.

Long term, low appetite can lead to significant health problems.

We need adequate nutrition to build neurotransmitters, blood cells, skin cells, and even to process modafinil and other compounds in our body through the liver. If we go too long without adequate nutrition, all of these systems can start to become dysfunctional and cause problems.

How to Avoid it:

This can be a challenging side effect to avoid. The most common method of ensuring we’re eating enough food while on modafinil is to set a timer for lunch and dinner reminding us to eat periodically.

Some people might think this sounds ridiculous, but it’s a lot easier to forget to eat when you have no hunger cravings whatsoever.

Another way to ensure we get enough nutrition while on modafinil is to pack nutrient-rich shakes or power bars with us. This makes it easier to get a large hit of nutrition even though we aren’t hungry enough to eat an entire meal.

4. Diarrhea

Diarrhea and mild gastrointestinal discomfort can be common. The issue involves a slow breakdown of Modafinil in the intestinal tract, causing it to irritate the intestinal tissue.

Additionally, in some people, activation of the fight or flight system with modafinil can cause a stimulating effect on the lower intestines— resulting in diarrhea.

How to Avoid it:

The best way to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort of any kind with Modafinil is to ensure it’s taken withfood, especially food containing fats like butter, olive oil, or animal fats.

This is because the same foods that allow fat to enter the bloodstream will act on modafinil. As a fat-soluble compound, modafinil takes the same path of absorption in the gastrointestinal tract as dietary fats.

5. Anxiety

Anxious people often have higher activity of neurostimulators in the brain. Neurotransmitters like norepinephrine are especially abundant in anxious individuals.

This makes it more common for anxious people taking modafinil to experience an increase in their anxiety symptoms.

A common way we measure brain activity is to measure weak electrical impulses in the brain. This is done using a specialized piece of medical equipment called an electroencephalogram (EEG).

We have theta, alpha-, and beta-waves. By measuring their activity using an EEG, we can determine what our general mental state is at the moment. This is often used in scientific research to see how various substances affect the brain.

Anxious states are often associated with low alpha-wave activity and high beta-wave activity as recorded by an EEG. This gives us an excellent way of measuring substances that both induce and alleviate anxiety.

How to Avoid it:

L-Theanine is one of the best ways to reduce the chances of developing anxiety while taking modafinil. Studies have shown that just a single dose of L-Theanine can significantly increase alpha-wave activity and reduce anxiety symptoms [6].

L-Theanine is used similarly for reducing the anxiety-inducing side effects of another common stimulant, caffeine.

Another way to avoid anxiety while taking modafinil is to practice breathing techniques whenever symptoms start to appear.

Breathing is considered by experts to be the most effective way of taking over our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This part of our nervous system directly opposes the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is responsible for symptoms of anxiety when it becomes to hyperactive.

With slowed, rhythmic breathing for even just a few seconds we can completely inhibit anxiety attacks and reach a much calmer state.

For more information on how this works, we suggest you take a look at this video of Dr. Gevirtz explaining this concept in greater detail.

6. Dry Mouth

Another frustrating side effect of modafinil is a dry mouth. It’s the result of overstimulation of our central nervous system by modafinil.

Receptors outside the brain known as muscarinic receptors are triggered by norepinephrine. They bring all digestive secretions to a halt so that the energy can be re-routed to more critical areas like the brain and muscles.

Our body does this during the fight or flight response to help us escape a hungry tiger or other dangerous situations.

Saliva is considered a digestive secretion, and once it stops flowing, can cause an excessively dry mouth. For short durations, this is nothing more than an annoyance, but if this happens for too long, we can begin to experience issues like mouth ulcers and symptoms of poor digestion like constipation or diarrhea later on.

How to Avoid it:

The fix for this is the same as many of the other side effects mentioned above. If we can keep ourselves in a state of relaxation, with supplements like L-Theanineor relaxation techniques like slow, rhythmic breathing exercises, we can prevent overactivation of our fight or flight response.

Some More Serious Side Effects to be Aware of:

Although far rarer, there are some serious side effects that can come from modafinil use. If any of these symptoms are experienced, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

More serious side effects of modafinil include:

1. Fever

This is an excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The hypothalamus is essentially losing control of homeostasis. This will eventually lead to much more serious consequences like blood pH changes, enzyme breakdown, and eventually seizures if it’s not controlled effectively.

This is best avoided by drinking plenty of water and staying within the recommended doses for modafinil as set by the manufacturer.

2. Hallucinations

This is an indication of much deeper neurological dysfunction. 

Modafinil SHOULD NOT be causing hallucinations. Visit a doctor immediately if you are experiencing these side effects.

3. Severe Depression

Modafinil is actually used as a treatment for depression; however, in some cases, dopamine levels can drop as modafinil wears off.

This can be prevented by ensuring modafinil is not mixed with other medications or alcohol and ensuring that you are in good mental health before taking modafinil. If you suffer from depression, it’s important to talk to your doctor before taking modafinil.

4. Chest Pain

Although we haven’t found any reports of heart-attack induced by modafinil, any unexplained chest pain should be examined by a doctor. This is theoretically possible due to the central nervous system stimulating effects of modafinil— though very uncommon.

5. Severe Skin Reaction

This condition is rare, but there are some reports of severe skin reactions resulting from modafinil use in select individuals.

Some users have a severe allergy to modafinil and will break out in skin rashes after taking the drug. This is referred to as Steven Johnson Syndrome.

It’s imperative that anybody experiencing these symptoms visits a medical doctor immediately.

Conclusion

Modafinil is a popular medication for promoting wakefulness and improving productivity. Although rare, some side effects can occur from taking modafinil.

The most common side effects are insomnia and headaches. These side effects and most of the others are the results of overstimulation of the central nervous system and dehydration.

The best way to avoid side effects is to ensure you’re drinking plenty of water, and do things that make you feel calm while the medication is active. Things like L-Theanine supplementation, periodic breaks from work, and breathing exercisescan go a long way in keeping you calm, without negating any of the beneficial effects of the medication.

It’s also important to know what the more serious side effects are and when you should seek medical support.

References

1. Scammell, T. E., Estabrooke, I. V., McCarthy, M. T., Chemelli, R. M., Yanagisawa, M., Miller, M. S., & Saper, C. B. (2000). Hypothalamic arousal regions are activated during modafinil-induced wakefulness. Journal of Neuroscience, 20(22), 8620-8628.
2. Lin, L., Faraco, J., Li, R., Kadotani, H., Rogers, W., Lin, X., … & Mignot, E. (1999). The sleep disorder canine narcolepsy is caused by a mutation in the hypocretin (orexin) receptor 2 gene. Cell, 98(3), 365-376.
3. Thakkar, M. M. (2011). Histamine in the regulation of wakefulness. Sleep medicine reviews, 15(1), 65-74.
4. Ishizuka, T., Sakamoto, Y., Sakurai, T., & Yamatodani, A. (2003). Modafinil increases histamine release in the anterior hypothalamus of rats. Neuroscience letters, 339(2), 143-146.
5. Kimura, K., Ozeki, M., Juneja, L. R., & Ohira, H. (2007). L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. Biological psychology, 74(1), 39-45.
6. Juneja, L. R., Chu, D. C., Okubo, T., Nagato, Y., & Yokogoshi, H. (1999). L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 10(6-7), 199-204.
7. Redmond Jr, D. E., & Huang, Y. H. (1979). II. New evidence for a locus coeruleus-norepinephrine connection with anxiety. Life Sciences, 25(26), 2149-2162.

Is Modafinil Safe Long Term? Modafinil’s Long Term Effects

Modafinil is becoming fairly well-known in academic circles and among business executives. This is especially true in places like silicon valley.

People are enticed by its effects on enhancing focus and memory and its ability to keep us awake and motivated for several hours at a time.

Supplement companies and nootropic blogs have been talking about the benefits of modafinil for years. We know that modafinil can be beneficial in the short term for studying or finishing tasks, but how does it affect us long-term?

Is it safe? Are there any lasting effects of modafinil?

There Are 3 Types of Modafinil Users:

In order to talk about the side effects, we need to discuss the different ways modafinil is used.

People that use modafinil more often are going to have a higher chance of side effects both long-term and short-term.

1. Daily Prescription Users

People suffering from conditions like narcolepsy or sleep apnoea fall into this category.

Other people that use modafinil in this way are people who have attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD) or chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis that often produce severe fatigue as a side effect.

Most people prescribed modafinil to treat a medical condition take the medication on a daily basis.

2. Occasional Users Looking to Boost Their Competitive Edge

These are the people using modafinil specifically on days they want a boost in their productive output.

People in this category may include:

• Students looking to boost their study efforts in preparation for an exam
• Business executives looking to get through a particularly tough or tedious project
• Interns looking to excel in performance to score a job opportunity once the internship is over
• CEOs and business executives with heavy workloads and a need to perform at the highest capacity possible
• Creatives looking for a boost in their creative process

These users may take modafinil anywhere from 1–4 times per week or less. Some only take it once or twice per month when they have a project or exam to finish.

3. Frequent Users Looking for Daily Cognitive Enhancement

Others will take the medication every day for general cognitive enhancement.

Usually, the people in this category are ultra-high achievers and are very productive people. They take modafinil every morning to enhance their workday performance.

In order to sustain this practice, people in this category usually have a good routine with their modafinil use. They often don’t drink, don’t smoke, eat healthily, and ensure they get enough sleep each night.

They then take modafinil to get as much as possible out of the working hours in their day.

How Does Modafinil Work?

Modafinil uses a few different mechanisms to produce its effects on the brain:

1. Modafinil Increases Dopamine Concentrations

Dopamine is an essential neurotransmitter in the brain. It’s involved in the process of learning, emotion, memory, and focus. It’s also an integral part of the reward system responsible for regulating our habits and routines.

Much of modafinil’s benefits relies on its ability to increase dopamine.

This neurotransmitter has been found to be in lower levels in people with attention issues like ADHD. In healthy people, modafinil increases dopamine levels outside of the normal range, helping us zone in on the task at hand.

It can significantly improve our attention spans and may help with the storage and retrieval of memories.

Long-Term Side Effects of Increased Dopamine:

• Higher potential for addiction
• Depression
• Hormonal imbalance

2. Modafinil Tells Our Brain To Wake Up

Modafinil is considered a eugeroic medication.

A eugeroic is a compound that puts the brain into a state of wakefulness. It essentially tells the brain to enter “wake” mode. It does this by interacting with some of the neurotransmitters used to regulate our sleep-wake cycle.

The Sleep-Wake Cycle

Everybody contains a special biological clock that regulates the release of stimulatory compounds, as well as sedative compounds.

We calibrate our internal clock with our daily routines and exposure to sunlight.

Many people can picture this when they think back to a time where they got a new job, forcing them to wake up earlier than usual. Most people experience difficulty getting out of bed for the first few weeks once the body clock has adapted to the new schedule, they often find themselves waking up naturally right before their alarm was scheduled to go off.

In the morning when we wake up, our biological clock turns on the waking portion of the sleep-wake cycle.

When the sun goes down, and we start to get closer to bedtime, the biological clock shifts to releasing sedative compounds instead.

Overriding The Internal Body Clock

Modafinil works by stimulating the waking side of the nervous system directly.

It causes a release of a neuropeptide known as orexin, which the brain uses to carry out the effects of the waking portion of the nervous system.

Modafinil’s ability to override the sleep-wake cycle makes it useful for treating conditions like narcolepsy or sleep apnea that involve dysfunctions of the sleep-wake cycle. It’s also useful for getting over the symptoms of jetlag, or for patients experiencing chronic disease like multiple sclerosis with accompanying daytime tiredness.

Long-Term Effects of Overriding the Sleep-Wake Cycle:

• Chronic insomnia
• Fatigue
• Poor concentration
• Anxiety

3. Modafinil Increases Norepinephrine Levels In The Brain

Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter and hormone used to regulate the fight or flight system.

This system is activated under stressful conditions. It’s designed to help us get away from danger when we need to.

Norepinephrine increases our focus by stimulating the brain. It also increases available glucose in the blood to give our muscles additional energy to fight or run, and it turns down systems that aren’t immediately necessary. This includes immune function and digestion.

Long-Term Effects of Increased Norepinephrine:

• Poor stress resistance
• Weight gain
• Adrenal fatigue
• Insomnia OR excessive sleeping
• Low immunity
• Poor digestive function

Is Modafinil Safe Long-Term?

In general, modafinil is considered a safe medication.

It’s well-studied and has been used by millions of people over the last two decades.

Doctors and researchers have spent countless hours monitoring and recording the effects of modafinil both in the short-term and over several years of use.

Although the chances of long-term reactions are low, there are a few areas of concern. If some extra care is applied to these areas of weakness, we can reduce the chances of long-term adverse effects from happening.

Issues With Neurotransmitter Balance

Our brains are made up of complex interactions between neurotransmitters. They carry out the transfer of information from one area of the brain to another, sending signals out to the rest of the body,

This chemical reaction is kept at an equilibrium. Everything is connected, so if you increase or decrease one neurotransmitter, it will affect all the others as well.

Modafinil causes a shift in this neurotransmitter balance.

Once the modafinil is metabolized and cleared from the body, neurotransmitter levels will return to baseline.

If the drug is taken frequently, dopamine levels may be perceived by the brain to be higher than they really are. The body will adapt to this and may change the balance of these neurotransmitters.

This can cause long-term issues with drug tolerance and dependency.

The body will now depend on the medication to produce adequate dopamine levels.

If this happens, and a dose of modafinil is missed, it may cause the body to have low dopamine levels. This would come with effects like inability to concentrate, lowered libido, and emotional sensitivity.

The Importance Of Sleep

Many different issues can arise when you go without sleep for too long.

In 1965, a man named Randy Gardner achieved the world record of the longest a human has gone without sleep.

He made it a total of 11 days

After just two days without sleep, Randy lost the ability to focus on objects with his eyes. By day three he was unable to identify objects by touch and became uncoordinated in his movements.

By the eleventh day, Randy was expressionless, had slurred speech, was unable to concentrate on tasks. He had also been experiencing occasional hallucinations and appeared to be very unwell.

Although this is an extreme example, sleep deprivation is a common problem in the modern world.

As many as 90% of teenagers are sleep deprived according to one study [1].

Even minor sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on health. As we become fatigued, our brains turn up the stress response to give us the energy to keep going.

Long-term, this can cause changes in body weight, energy levels, and can make us less adaptable to stresses in our environment.

Why This Is Important

When we’re sleep deprived, our brain doesn’t work efficiently.

Reaction times slow, we develop issues with short and long-term memory, and our motor movement becomes clumsy.

Modafinil is an excellent tool for making us feel awake and alert, but it’s NOT an alternative for sleeping. Having at least 7 hours of sleep per night is important.

Immune Function

Modafinil stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

This is the stimulating side of our nervous system, responsible for the fight or flight response.

The fight or flight response is designed to help us get away from danger. It increases energy levels, makes us feel alert and awake, increases heart rate, and turns down all systems that are not immediately necessary.

Let’s say you come face to face with a hungry bear. Your fight or flight system immediately recognizes the threat and kicks in.

You feel your senses heighten, your eyes sharpen, and your muscles have access to a rich source of fuel should you need to start running or climb a tree.

At the same time, this fight or flight response tells the immune system to shut down. It can be turned back on later once the danger has been dealt with.

In the short term, this is very useful. As humans evolved this feature, it was used in short durations.

The danger was either dealt with (fight), or avoided (flight). Then once the danger was gone, we could recover, and all body systems were restored to normal function.

In the modern world, it’s become common to be in a constant state of stress (fight or flight).

This means that our immune system is suppressed over extended periods of time which has a more significant impact over long-term immune health.

If the immune system is suppressed over long periods of time, it can lead to the development of hypersensitivities and allergies, inflammation, and frequent or more severe infections.

How to Avoid It

The best way to avoid the side effects of long-term use is to allow recovery from the SNS activation as often as possible.

This means not only taking periodic breaks, but finding time regularly to relax, and allow the PNS to turn immune function once the drug has worn off.

How to use Modafinil Safely Long-Term

Most of modafinil’s long-term side effects are the result of overstimulation in the central nervous system.

Whenever one side of the immune system is more active than the other for too long, problems can arise.

The best way to avoid this is to allow the nervous system to recover and normalize between doses.

This involves spending enough time sleeping and finding time to take breaks on Modafinil and relax.

References

1. Loessl, B., Valerius, G., Kopasz, M., Hornyak, M., Riemann, D., & Voderholzer, U. (2008). Are adolescents chronically sleep‐deprived? An investigation of sleep habits of adolescents in the Southwest of Germany. Child: care, health and development, 34(5), 549-556.
2. Volkow, N. D., Fowler, J. S., Logan, J., Alexoff, D., Zhu, W., Telang, F., … & Hubbard, B. (2009). Effects of modafinil on dopamine and dopamine transporters in the male human brain: clinical implications. Jama, 301(11), 1148-1154.
3. Lin, J. S., Hou, Y., & Jouvet, M. (1996). Potential brain neuronal targets for amphetamine-, methylphenidate-, and modafinil-induced wakefulness, evidenced by c-fos immunocytochemistry in the cat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(24), 14128-14133.
4. Qu, W. M., Huang, Z. L., Xu, X. H., Matsumoto, N., & Urade, Y. (2008). Dopaminergic D1 and D2 receptors are essential for the arousal effect of modafinil. Journal of Neuroscience, 28(34), 8462-8469.
5. Arrang, J. M., Devaux, B., Chodkiewicz, J. P., & Schwartz, J. C. (1988). H3‐receptors control histamine release in human brain. Journal of neurochemistry, 51(1), 105-108.
6. Nasr, S., Wendt, B., & Steiner, K. (2006). Absence of mood switch with and tolerance to modafinil: a replication study from a large private practice. Journal of affective disorders, 95(1), 111-114.

Modafinil Overdose: Is it Possible?

A standard Modafinil dose ranges from 100–400 mg per day. It’s a pharmaceutical drug with a robust set of benefits.

There are reports of people taking the drug in higher doses to get stronger effects, and for its ability to produce a euphoric high.

In this article, we discuss overdosing on modafinil, what it feels like, and what dosages run the risk of causing it.

The Normal Modafinil Dose

Officially, modafinil is used for treating narcolepsy.

Unofficially, modafinil is used as a cognitive enhancer and for treating symptoms of ADHD.

When doctors prescribe the drug, they usually give it in doses of 100 or 200 mg.

The maximum dose a doctor would prescribe is 400 mg per day.

The recommended dose depends on the reason for taking it, as well as the weight of the person.

Due to the long duration of effects (~15 hours), only one dose of modafinil is prescribed each day, preferably first thing in the morning.

A similar product, Armodafinil (such as Modvigil or Artvigil), is considered slightly stronger and is usually given in doses of around 150 mg each day.

Where Do People Get Modafinil? 

Modafinil is easily bought online.

Thanks to some blurred lines in how the legislation controls the sale of modafinil, it’s possible to buy the drug without a prescription and have it shipped to your door from overseas.

The laws in most countries prohibit the sale of modafinil without a valid prescription. Some places, like India, don’t have these same legal restrictions.

Therefore, online vendors such as AfinilExpress.com are able to operate overseas and send modafinil to customers around the world hassle-free without asking for a doctor’s prescription. Online vendors also tend to offer their products at significantly lower prices.

Most online vendors will sell four versions of the drug; 

Why Would Some People Take Larger Doses of Modafinil?

If you were to obtain a doctor’s prescription, they wouldn’t recommend a dose larger than 400 mg. More commonly, the dose remains around 200 mg per day.

However, buying the drug online at a fraction of the price allows people the luxury of taking larger doses should they want to.

Here’s some example of why some people take larger doses:

1. To Chase a High

Some people take high doses of modafinil in an attempt to feel the high it produces.

We recently wrote an article talking about the modafinil high in more detail.

To summarize, doses of about 800 mg per day will produce a mild euphoria, but it’s not without its side effects.

Some people have taken doses as high as 2000 mg or even 4000 mg trying to maintain this euphoric feeling. All of these people experienced debilitating side effects, sometimes lasting as long as four days.

2. Misinformation On Dose

When you buy something over the counter or receive a prescription from a doctor, instructions are provided on how to use the medication and what dose to take. Doctors will also monitor you to see if there are any side effects and modify the dose accordingly.

When you buy online, it’s up to you to make sure you’re taking the right dose.

I’ve met people who took 3 or 4 tablets of modafinil for their first dose. When asked “why,” they said they just assumed that was the dose “because that’s how much Aspirin or Tylenol they usually take” and the pills looked a “similar size.”

Let’s be clear, 3 or 4 tablets of modafinil is 600–800 mg— That’s 3 or 4 times the recommended dose!

3. Tolerance To The Drug

Whether or not you can develop tolerance to modafinil is controversial.

There are a lot of people online reporting tolerance formation to the drug. However, scientific research has found that modafinil does not produce tolerance [1].

Nevertheless, if you experience something like this, the drug will gradually start to lose its effect, prompting you to take larger doses.

The larger the dose gets, the more chances you have of experiencing side effects or overdose.

The Recommended Dose For Modafinil

Modafinil should be taken in doses of either 100 mg or 200 mg for best results.

If you take a 200 mg dose and experience adverse side effects, moving down to the 100 mg dose will usually be enough to eliminate side effects without negating the beneficial effects of the drug.

Remember everyone is different, and just because you know someone taking a higher dose doesn’t mean it’s wise for you to take the same dose. Listen to your body and find a dose that works best for you.

Modafinil is a productivity-enhancing drug, not a party drug. If it’s giving you side effects that make you less productive, it’s logical to take a lower dose until you only receive the effects you want.

Special Dose Considerations

Some people need even lower than average doses.

For example, people with liver disorders may need a smaller dose. This is because the liver metabolizes modafinil. If the liver isn’t working the way it should, it could take a lot longer to filter and metabolize the drug, making its effects last longer.

If these people take higher doses of modafinil, it may result in its effects lasting much longer than 15 hours, which can interrupt sleep patterns and have an overall adverse effect on productivity.

Older people may also need to take smaller doses.

Usually, around age 50, our metabolism and kidney function starts to slow down. This can also cause the drug to remain active in the system a lot longer than we’d like it to, increasing the chances of developing side effects and overdose.

For those with minor liver disorders, or who are above the age of 50, we recommend using a smaller dose of the drug.

Start with 50 mg, and work your way up in 50 mg doses each day until you find a dose that works for you.

Overdosing On Modafinil

Those taking larger doses of modafinil run the risk of causing an overdose.

For most people, this simply results in an increased incidence of side effects, sometimes lasting several days at a time.

What Doses Cause Overdose on Modafinil?

Generally speaking, the risk of overdose starts at around 400 mg and above but is more common around the 800 mg range.

A case study of a 24-year-old woman who accidentally took 400 mg of modafinil (instead of her usual 200 mg) checked into the ER presenting with a blood pressure of 168/131 mmHg and a heart rate of 168 beats per minute.

These vital signs are very abnormal, as the normal ranges are 120/80 mmHg and 80 beats per minute.

Blood pressure and heart rate as high as these run a significant risk of causing a stroke or heart attack.

She was monitored by hospital staff and discharged a few hours later without any lasting side effects.

A 65-year-old man was reported to have taken 800 mg of modafinil accidentally (thinking it was Aspirin), but only developed minor side effects like high blood pressure (137/78) and insomnia.

In short, everybody reacts differently to modafinil, an overdose can occur anywhere from 400 mg and beyond. It’s very rare for overdoses to occur within the normal range, even in sensitive individuals.

The Symptoms of Modafinil Overdose

The symptoms of a modafinil overdose mimic its side effects, increasing in severity as the dose increases.

Most cases of overdose involve a severe headache, lasting 2 or 3 days, severe insomnia, and depression.

Common Side Effects of Modafinil Include:

• Anxiety
• Back pain
• Blurry vision
• Burning or tingling sensation in the skin
• Depression
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep (Insomnia)
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Excessive thirst
• Eye pain
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Muscle tension
• Nausea
• Nosebleeds
• Poor appetite
• Rapid heartbeat
• Runny nose

More Severe Side Effects of Modafinil Include:

• Anorexia
• Blisters around the mouth or groin
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Hallucinations
• Heart palpitations
• Suicidal thoughts
• Swollen face or hands
• Migraine headaches
• Vertigo

Steven Johnson Syndrome:

A severe allergic reaction may also result, called Steven Johnson Syndrome.

This condition is rare, but often very severe.

It’s a delayed allergic response, which can take between 3 and 20 days to develop fully.

Starting with tingling sensations in the skin, it slowly develops into ulcers around the mouth and mucous membranes. These ulcers then spread to other areas of the skin and can be very painful.

With treatment, most patients will start to recover, but the blisters can take as long as three months to heal fully.

In roughly 5–10% of cases, Steven Johnson Syndrome is fatal.

Luckily, this condition is extremely rare, only one person was documented to have developed this reaction during the clinical trials conducted by the original manufacturer, Cephalon Inc. This was still enough to require them to include this on their warning labels.

What Does A Modafinil Overdose Feel Like?

There was one case where someone took 4000 mg (4 g) of the drug and experienced excruciating headaches, dry mouth, heart palpitations, and insomnia for four days. He says it was the worst experience of his life.

This is what an overdose on modafinil would look like.

He recovered four days later with no lasting side effects.

Can A Modafinil Overdose Kill You?

Modafinil is very safe as far as pharmaceutical stimulants go. Overdoses are not considered lethal, just very uncomfortable.

The universal metric of drug toxicity is called LD50. It’s the dose needed to kill 50% of the mammals it’s given to. In the case of modafinil, this is very high, around 1000 mg per kg [2].

This means that the average 75 kg male needs 75,000 mg of modafinil before risking death. That’s 375 tablets of your standard 200mg modafinil!

This dose simply isn’t possible.

The most common finding with overdosing is an inability to sleep for 24–72 hours despite extreme fatigue, severe anxiety, migraine headaches, and on occasion some hallucinations.

Doses of 16 g (16,000 mg) have been reported but have shown no lasting side effects or damage.

High doses of modafinil are not recommended but are also not considered lethal.

Mixing modafinil with alcohol or opioids, however, is very dangerous, and can indeed be lethal.

What to do If You Overdose on Modafinil

The biggest concern when overdosing on modafinil is heart rate and blood pressure. These are the effects that need proper management in a hospital to prevent any serious issues.

This is especially the case in people with a history of heart disease.

The other side effects, such as anxiety, depression, muscle tension, and nausea, for example, are all managed symptomatically.

If you overdose on modafinil, here are some tips to help you get through it safely:

1. Drink Plenty of Water

A lot of the issues with modafinil come down to dehydration.

Symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, constipation, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat can all result from dehydration induced by modafinil.

This happens because we need water to metabolize and excrete modafinil from the body. When we take high doses of the drug, it forces a heavy burden on the body to get rid of it. This forces water through the kidneys to filter the compound out of the blood. We then begin to lose water much faster than usual.

Combine this with the fact that modafinil often causes us to forget to eat or drink and we have near perfect conditions for dehydration.

We should drink at least 3 L of water per day. When we take modafinil (especially higher doses)  take closer to 6 L per day to account for extra water lost on modafinil.

This is one of the simplest ways of preventing or treating modafinil overdoses.

2. Practice Relaxation Techniques

Modafinil overdoses almost always involve symptoms of overstimulation. Insomnia, headaches, and anxiety are examples of this.

Therefore, if you’re experiencing an overdose, the best way to treat it is to try and relax the central nervous system.

This, in turn, will lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety.

To do this, sit in a dark, quiet room if possible, or place some headphones in your ears with relaxing sounds or music and close your eyes.

Concentrate on your slowed rhythmic breathing for a few minutes. The goal is to breathe in slowly, and out even slower. Try counting to 5 on the outbreathes and ten on the in breaths.

After a few minutes, this will manually override your nervous system and tell your brain to relax.

This happened to me a few months ago. I took a little too much modafinil than I was comfortable with after stressing about a deadline at work. I started to have severe anxiety and was getting dizzy. I could feel the early effects of a modafinil overdose.

I went into a spare office, closed the door and blinds and spent 20 minutes controlling my breathing.

By the time I had finished, I felt significantly better. I even ended up going back to work without any further problems, and it ended up being a pretty productive afternoon.

Trust us, it works.

3. Take L-Theanine

One of the most useful companion supplements for modafinil is L-theanine, an amino acid isomer found in green tea.

L-theanine is relaxing, and directly opposes the symptoms of modafinil overdose.

It slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and allows us to collect our scattered thoughts.

If you think you’re starting to overdose on modafinil, take some L-Theanine and try to relax.

It can take 45 minutes for the effects to begin, so it’s important to take it at the first sign of trouble.

The normal dose of L-Theanine is 400 mg.

4. Visit A Doctor

If you think you’re overdosing, on modafinil, it’s worth going to the doctor.

Despite not considered lethal, excessively high blood pressure or heart rate can be dangerous, especially if you have a history of heart disease, or have a close relative with a heart condition.

Always visit the doctor if you feel dizzy, hear a distinct ringing in the ears, or faint when taking modafinil.

Conclusion: Overdosing on Modafinil

Modafinil is a very safe drug, but overdoses are possible.

It usually starts to appear at doses exceeding 400 mg. However, some people can take doses much higher without any problems. It’s important to listen to your body and know how the drug affects you before taking doses outside the recommended dosage range.

Most of the symptoms of overdose are related to its normal side effects but are more severe.

Always try to stay inside the normal dosage range of 100–200 mg per day to avoid risking overdose.

References

1. Nasr, S., Wendt, B., & Steiner, K. (2006). Absence of mood switch with and tolerance to modafinil: a replication study from a large private practice. Journal of affective disorders, 95(1), 111-114.
2. Carstairs, S. D., Urquhart, A., Hoffman, J., Clark, R. F., & Cantrell, F. L. (2010). A retrospective review of supratherapeutic modafinil exposures. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 6(3), 307-310.
3. Ramachandra, B. (2016). A critical review of properties of modafinil and analytical, bioanalytical methods for its determination. Critical reviews in analytical chemistry, 46(6), 482-489.
4. 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.
5. Robertson, P., & Hellriegel, E. T. (2003). Clinical pharmacokinetic profile of modafinil. Clinical pharmacokinetics, 42(2), 123-137.

Modafinil Not Working? Here’s What You Need to Do

Although not a common occurrence, some modafinil users find the drug doesn’t seem to kick in as it should.

This is more common with people who use modafinil regularly — but it can also happen in new users.

Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to get your modafinil working if this happens to you.

We’ll go over why your modafinil may not be working, and offer 5 tips you can use to fix it.

What is Modafinil?

Modafinil is a popular study drug.  It works by promoting wakefulness and boosting dopamine concentrations in the brain. The effects of modafinil can be compared to caffeine but last much longer and work better for inducing states of focus & concentration.

Modafinil is a prescription-only medication, used primarily for conditions like ADHD and narcolepsy. It’s very similar to other drugs used for this, like Adderalland Dexedrine, but comes with far fewer side effects.

Off-label use is becoming increasingly popular in developed countries. It’s used as a general productivity enhancer and to help users stay awake on long overnight work or study sessions.

People also use it to get over jet lag when traveling to other time zones and to improve many of the health issues that result from alternating day and night shift work.

How to Get Modafinil

In most countries, modafinil is technically a prescription-only medication. There are ways you can buy it online, however.

Most countries have this same classification, including; The United States, Canada, Australia, The United Kingdom, Singapore, Ireland, and a number of other countries.

Laws are different in other countries, such as India — where modafinil isn’t regulated and can be sold legally without a prescription. 

This allows users to buy their modafinil from online sources, based out of countries with looser laws on the sale of medications.

There are a couple of different reasons why your modafinil may not be working. They can be grouped into two categories depending on who is experiencing them — new users or long-term users.

1. Modafinil Not Working for New Users

Have you tried modafinil a few times and found it doesn’t give you the boost that was promised when you bought them?

There are a few things you can try before looking for a different nootropic, but first, it’s important to understand why it might not be working in the first place.

A) Poor Quality Modafinil

Depending on where you’ve purchased your modafinil, you may have received low-quality modafinil that isn’t capable of producing effects.

This is more common than you’d think and is the reason why we recommend always ordering your modafinil from high-quality, trusted vendors.

The unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of scam websites and companies with poor integrity in the modafinil space due to its unregulated nature. Companies often ship expired or inactive modafinil tablets.

How To Fix It:

If you think your modafinil tablets were faulty, the simplest fix is to order a new batch from a reputable source. Otherwise, you could try and have a friend test it to see if it works on them or not.

The best way to test if the drug is active or not is through something called Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC).

If you’re really determined, you can make your own TLC testing kits to test for the active constituents (not for the faint of heart).

We recommend this DIY TLC test kit if you want to give it a shot.

B) Insufficient Dosage

The standard dose for modafinil is 200 mg. However, some online sources are selling doses as low as 50 mg. It’s relatively common for people to order these 50 mg tablets thinking this is the standard dose — and have it not produce any noticeable effects.

In other cases, even the 200 mg dose is too small. This is especially true for people with larger than average builds.

Think of your body like a lake. When you take a medication or supplement, it gets diluted into this lake. If the lake is very small, there will be much higher concentrations of the drug in the water. Conversely, if the lake is large, the drug will become less concentrated when dissolved into a larger body of water — therefore producing fewer effects.

Learn more about dosing modafinil.

How To Fix It:

Take a look at the tablets you’re using, what’s the dose?

If the dose on the tablet is only 50 mg or 100 mg, and you’re an average sized person, you’ll likely need to increase the dose to produce any meaningful effects

Many people also find improvement when they upgrade from modafinil to the stronger version — armodafinil. The most popular armodafinil products are Artvigil and Waklert.

Aim for around 200 mg of modafinil or 150 mg of armodafinil.

Likewise, if you’re a larger person and the 200 mg dose isn’t doing enough for you, try using a larger dose. If this is the case, it’s recommended that you move up in dosage gradually by breaking a dose in half for the next one so that you’re at 300 mg, before graduating to a double dose of 400 mg.

If effects still aren’t felt at 400 mg, you most likely have either low-quality capsules, or your body needs extra help to experience the effects of the modafinil.

Which brings us on to the next point…

C) Genetic Polymorphisms (Issues With Drug Metabolism)

The field of genomics has exploded over the past several years. Since the completion of the human genome project — which mapped out the entire human genome — our understanding of how different genes affect our health has grown exponentially.

Genetic polymorphisms are unique variations of a particular gene. It’s what makes people have different hair and eye colors, and can affect many other functions of the human body as well.

Some genetic polymorphisms affect the way we metabolize drugs in the liver, some allow us to metabolize them faster (thus inactivating them quickly), and others cause metabolism to be slower than average (making the effects last much longer).

Have you ever met someone who seems to be easily affected by caffeine or alcohol? Or perhaps someone who can drink coffee or alcohol for hours and remain relatively unaffected?

These are both likely to be the result of genetic polymorphisms affecting the way they metabolize these compounds.

Like most drugs, when modafinil enters the body, we immediately begin breaking it down in the liver. Luckily, modafinil resists this breakdown, allowing it to remain in circulation for about 10-15 hours.

Eventually, all the modafinil is broken down by these enzymes in the liver and excreted in our urine. Only about 10% of a modafinil dose leaves the bladder intact; the rest is excreted as the inactive metabolite known as modafinilic acid [1].

Each of these enzymes is coded for by particular genes — some of which have well-known polymorphisms. The main genes responsible are CYP2C19, CYP3A4, and CYP2D6. [1].

How to Fix It:

We cannot change our genes. That is until technology like CRISPR become more widespread of course, but that’s a topic for another article. In general, it’s safe to say that we can’t change our genes.

What we can do, however, is combine modafinil with other supplements that slow down its metabolism.

There are many plant extracts that change the metabolic activity of our liver that can be used to boost modafinil’s effects. It should be noted that if attempting this, you are doing so at your own risk.

It’s also not recommended that you inhibit the metabolism of any particular drug for too long. Taking weekly breaks from the drug is highly recommended if using any of these methods.

1. GRAPEFRUIT JUICE

Grapefruit juice (the real stuff — not grapefruit flavored juice) has been shown to reduce the activity of all CYP450 genes associated with modafinil [2].

It’s the simplest way to reduce the rate of metabolic breakdown of modafinil.

The compounds responsible for these effects are only found in true grapefruit juice, preferably freshly squeezed from the fruit. Store bought grapefruit juice may also do this, but is of much lower quality.

2. BACOPA (BACOPA MONNIERI)

Bacopa is a popular herbal nootropic with known inhibitory effects on all 3 of the main modafinil metabolism genes [3].

It’s an excellent companion supplement for those experiencing poor effects from the medication.

3. BERBERINE-CONTAINING PLANTS

This includes Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

Berberine is a compound found in a variety of plants. It’s popular as a health supplement with mild nootropic effects. On top of this, however, berberine inhibits the CYP450 enzymes responsible for modafinil breakdown [4, 5].

Berberine is usually sold as a nootropic and for treating infections in the digestive tract due to its broad antibacterial benefits.

D) Inactivation by Other Compounds

Another reason modafinil might not be working is due to interactions with other foods/supplements/medications in the gut.

Some compounds can actually bind to medications like modafinil, and prevent them from being absorbed into the body.

Modafinil only has a 40-65% absorption rate on its own [6]. Anything that further reduces the bioavailability of modafinil can lower the effects the drug has on the body.

Many people take their supplements first thing in the morning — all at the same time. This mixes the compounds together as they dissolve in the stomach, and can neutralize them before they ever make it into the bloodstream.

A good example of inhibitory compounds are demulcents and prebiotics.

These are popular health supplements used in health promotion. They can be bought at supermarkets or over the counter at drug stores. They work by forming a slimy coating over the gastrointestinal lining. This is hugely beneficial for repairing damaged areas of the gut, but also block the absorption of other compounds — including modafinil.

If demulcents like slippery elm or inulin are taken at the same time as modafinil, it’s likely they’ll block the absorption of the drug.

Other compounds may neutralize modafinil by binding to it in the stomach and carrying it through the digestive tract unabsorbed.

When people overdose on drugs, a similar technique is used to prevent absorption of more of the drugs from the intestinal tract. Activated charcoal is used to bind to these drugs and prevent them from being absorbed into the bloodstream. The same can happen with other compounds as well.

Things like tannins from green and black tea are especially known for doing this.

EXAMPLES OF COMPOUNDS THAT MAY NEUTRALIZE MODAFINIL:

• Inulin
• Slippery elm bark
• Marshmallow mucilage
• Fiber supplements
• Licorice (Glycyrrhizin)
• Cellulose
• Green tea
• Black tea
• Many herbal teas
• Activated charcoal
• Antacids

How to Fix It:

Avoiding this problem altogether is very simple; take your modafinil at least an hour apart from all your other supplements.

Most compounds will be either absorbed or move far enough down the digestive tract to avoid complications within about an hour.

Ideally, modafinil is taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, followed an hour later by a nutritious meal and some water.

If you’re taking other medications, it’s highly recommended that you consult with a doctor or pharmacist before mixing modafinil.

Not only can the drugs negate the effects of modafinil, but the modafinil may negate the effects of these drugs. If you need these medications to survive, you don’t want to risk neutralizing them.

2. Modafinil Not Working for Long-Term Users

For long-term users, any of the issues described above may also happen. However, there’s another important factor to consider if taking modafinil for longer periods of time.

Drug Tolerance

Drug tolerance with modafinil is fairly controversial. There are plenty of studies published in peer-reviewed journals that have shown that modafinil doesn’t produce tolerance.

However, it’s also a common issue reported by users who take modafinil on a regular basis.

Therefore we have to consider the fact that despite a lack of scientific agreement, tolerance is possible.

Learn more about modafinil tolerance to get some tips and tricks you can try to prevent or reverse tolerance to modafinil.

How To Fix It:

Tolerance happens when the body becomes used to a drug and stops responding to it. The easiest way to fix this is to take periodic breaks from the drug.

This usually takes a few days, but can be as much as a month. It depends on the dose you were taking and how long you were on the drug without breaks.

Preventing tolerance in the first place requires the same method. Many users will take a day off per week or 1 or 2 weeks off per month.

This is usually enough to prevent tolerance from forming.

Summing it all up

In the vast majority of cases, modafinil works as advertised and is a fairly reliable drug.

If it’s not working, there are a few things you can consider and make adjustments to that will usually correct the problem.

Poor quality tablets, fast drug metabolism, other medication/supplement interactions, and insufficient doses are all suspect. For long-term users, you also need to consider the possibility of tolerance to the drug.

The best way to avoid most of these issues is to source your modafinil from a reputable supplier and take a daily 200 mg dose of modafinil at least an hour away from food and other supplements or medications.

It’s also recommended that you take periodic breaks from the drug to avoid the development of drug tolerance.

References

1. Robertson, P., & Hellriegel, E. T. (2003). Clinical pharmacokinetic profile of modafinil. Clinical pharmacokinetics, 42(2), 123-137.
2. Tassaneeyakul, W., Guo, L. Q., Fukuda, K., Ohta, T., & Yamazoe, Y. (2000). Inhibition selectivity of grapefruit juice components on human cytochromes P450. Archives of biochemistry and Biophysics, 378(2), 356-363.
3. Ramasamy S, Kiew L. & Chung L. (2014). Inhibition of Human Cytochrome P450 Enzymes by Bacopa monnieri Standardized Extract and Constituents.Molecules, vol.19(2),p.2588-2601.
4. Guo Y, Chen Y, Tan Z, Klaassen C. & Zhou H. (2012). Repeated Administration of Berberine Inhibits Cytochromes P450 in Humans.European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol.68(2),p.213-217.
5. Guo Y, Pope C, Cheng X, Zhou H. & Klaassen C. (2011). Dose-response of berberine on hepatic cytochromes P450 mRNA expression and activities in mice.Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol.138(1),p.111-118.
6. Wong, Y. N., King, S. P., Simcoe, D., Gorman, S., Laughton, W., McCormick, G. C., & Grebow, P. (1999). Open‐label, single‐dose pharmacokinetic study of modafinil tablets: influence of age and gender in normal subjects. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 39(3), 281-288.

Why You’re Irritable On Modafinil & How to Manage It

Do you find yourself easily irritated when you take modafinil? Does it feel as though your patience for people has reached an all-time low?

You’re not alone.

While modafinil is an excellent productivity enhancing drug, irritability can be an undesirable side-effect— especially when you’re at work or school and need to interact with people throughout the day.

Here’s why modafinil can make you feel irritable, and how to manage it effectively.

What Makes us Irritable?

In order to understand why modafinil can make us feel irritable, we need to discuss what irritability actually is.

We have a natural threshold for tolerating stress. When we’re fed, healthy, and well-rested this threshold is high. This means we can easily tolerate small annoyances or frustrations and are much better at shrugging them off throughout the day.

As soon as we become tired, like after a poor night’s rest or at the end of a long workday, our threshold for this tolerance becomes much lower. We become more irritable and reactive to stressors in our environment.

You may be wondering if modafinil makes us feel more awake, shouldn’t it INCREASE our tolerance for these types of things?

You would be correct in assuming this, except for one thing… modafinil makes us FEEL more awake, but it doesn’t give us the same benefits of a full night’s sleep.

It also doesn’t protect us from nutritional deficiencies or the impacts of long-term stress.

What Causes Irritability?

Irritability feels like an emotion, but it’s really a symptom of something else going on.

Irritability can be caused by things such as:

• Fatigue
• Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar)
• Long-term Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep deprivation
• Cold/Flu
• Metabolic conditions
• Caffeine or nicotine withdrawal
• Nutrient deficiencies (such as B vitamins and magnesium)

How Modafinil Causes Irritability

There isn’t just one reason why modafinil can cause users to feel irritable. There are a few different ways modafinil can produce this effect.

Let’s go over them one-by-one.

1. Sleep Deprivation

The main function modafinil has on the human body is to promote the feeling of wakefulness.

Therefore, one of the main side effects of the medication is insomnia.

Learn more about the side effects of modafinil and how to avoid them.

There have been numerous studies looking at the effects sleep deprivation has on the body, and nearly all of them have shown mood disturbances (like irritability) as one of the main side effects [2].

There Are 3 Ways Sleep Deprivation Is Classified:

1. Long-term total sleep deprivation— defined as an absence of sleep for over 45 consecutive hours.
2. Short-term total sleep deprivation— defined as an absence of sleep for less than 45 consecutive hours.
3. Partial sleep deprivation— defined as restricted sleep habits to less than 7 hours of sleep every 24 hours.

Modafinil users often experience either partial or short-term total sleep deprivation. In some cases, long-term total sleep deprivation may occur.

The longer sleep is avoided, the more likely it is that you’ll begin to experience side effects like confusion, depressive symptoms, difficulty focusing, and irritability.

Managing Sleep Deprivation on Modafinil

The best way to avoid insomnia and sleep deprivation on modafinil is to ensure you’re taking your modafinil early in the day. The effects of modafinil will last anywhere from 10 to 14 hours. This means that you’ll need to take the modafinil at least 10 hours before your intended bedtime.

If you’re finding that the effects of modafinil are lasting a long time and it’s keeping you up at night, it may be necessary to lower the dose, or only take modafinil every second or third day.

It’s important that we sleep 7 hours or more every night. It’s not a good idea to push yourself too hard by avoiding sleep— especially for more than 24 hours.

Sleep deprivation will have negative effects on your productivity if it goes on for too long. For most of us, this defeats the whole purpose of taking the drug in the first place.

2. Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies are a major cause of irritability [3].

One of the main reasons this happens is because as we become depleted in nutrients, our ability to respond to various stressors in our environment begins to decline.

When we’re unable to manage stress, it can make even small things seem like big issues— causing us to overreact emotionally.

Modafinil offers no nutritional support. This is important to remember because nutritional deficiencies are common among frequent modafinil users.

Modafinil can affect our nutrient status in 2 ways:

A) Modafinil Lowers Our Appetite

One of the most common side effects of modafinil is a low appetite. This is because modafinil targets the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which works to inhibit the processes involved with digestion and appetite.

Modafinil users often report going all day without remembering to eat.

One day of fasting (going without food) isn’t an issue for most people. Our body has enough nutrient stores to function without for a few days.

With regular use, however, it won’t take long for our stores of essential vitamins and minerals to run dry, causing further changes to our neurological balance.

Low carbohydrate intake can also cause problems with neurotransmitter production.

One of the main ways this happens is through insulin transport pathways.

We use insulin to transport glucose (from carbohydrates) into the cells to be converted into energy.

Insulin release is therefore triggered by carbohydrate intake.

It’s also required for the transport of the serotonin precursor— tryptophan— into the brain. This is one of the most important neurotransmitters in our brain. One of its key functions is to regulate appetite.

If we don’t eat enough carbohydrates to elevate insulin levels, tryptophan is unable to pass the blood-brain barrier and can cause a drop in overall serotonin production. [4].

Due to the close relationship serotonin plays with appetite— the results are a gradual and increasingly severe loss of appetite. 

B) Modafinil Can Actively Deplete Essential Nutrients

Modafinil is a stimulant, which means it “turns on” the central nervous system. Neurotransmitter and hormone production ramps up, which requires the use of minerals and vitamins as cofactors to drive these reactions.

Modafinil increases orexin, norepinephrine, dopamine, cortisol, and histamine production. When this happens, we quickly burn through micronutrients like magnesium, B vitamins, and zinc.

Amino acids are also important, including L-Tryptophan and L-Tyrosine.

These serve as precursors to dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and the sleep-regulating neurotransmitter, melatonin.

When we burn through these nutrients, other parts of the body that also rely on these nutrients will start to become affected as well. Blood & immune cell production, muscle contraction, nerve impulses, and digestion can all be adversely affected.

If we’re depleted in these nutrients, we become more emotionally unable and unable to manage stress effectively— resulting in irritability.

How to Manage Nutritional Deficiencies from Modafinil

The best way to avoid problems with micronutrient depletion on modafinil is to ensure we’re eating enough high-quality food throughout the day. This is important even if we don’t feel hungry.

Try taking nutritious snack bars with you to work or school and setting the alarm on your phone for every three hours to remind you to eat.

For breakfast and dinner, when the effects of modafinil aren’t as intense, it’s important to eat enough green leafy vegetables and animal proteins. These types of foods contain the bulk of our nutrient requirements.

Nutritional supplements can also be very helpful, especially if taking modafinil on a regular basis.

Key Nutrients to Supplement for Irritability:

• Magnesium (opt for magnesium threonate or magnesium glycinate)
• B complex vitamins (especially B6, B9, and B12)
• Zinc
• L-Tyrosine
• L-Tryptophan
• Phosphatidylcholine
• Omega-3-fatty acids (such as fish oil)

3. Neurotransmitter Imbalance

Modafinil is a drug that interacts with the central nervous system.

The key elements of this system are the neurotransmitters. They serve as the communication network for the nervous system, and any changes in their function can cause significant differences in how we feel and behave.

Since modafinil interacts with this system so intimately, it can cause changes that could be either beneficial or negative.

A) Serotonin & Irritability

Modafinil has an indirect effect on serotonin levels through its dopamine boosting effects. These two neurotransmitters work closely together— often-times even opposing each other.

When dopamine levels rise, it causes serotonin levels to decrease.

When this happens, irritability and other mood disturbances may result.

B) GABA & Irritability

Another neurotransmitter modafinil affects is GABA— our main inhibitory neurotransmitter.

It functions as the “brake pedal” for the nervous system, slowing us down when it’s time for our body to relax, sleep, or digest a meal.

This is one of the main reasons why we feel tired and sluggish after a particularly large meal.

Without enough GABA— or if the GABA we have isn’t working properly— we can start to develop issues with our ability to relax.

This leads to irritability.

How to Support Neurotransmitters on Modafinil

Supporting neurotransmitters on modafinil starts with nutritional support, as outlined in more detail in point number two above.

There are other supplements and techniques we can use that are more specific to neurotransmitter levels, including:

1. Supplement GABA in the evenings
2. Supplement 5-HTP in the morning/early afternoon
3. Ensure adequate carbohydrate intake throughout the day
4. Practice meditation to boost GABA level
5. Take occasional breaks from modafinil use
6. Drink at least 84 oz (2 liters) of water per day
7. Drink herbal teas that boost GABA (such as Chamomile, Ginkgo, or Kava)
8. Supplement with L-Theanine throughout the day

Where to Find Modafinil

Modafinil is a prescription-only medication. Doctors will only prescribe it for a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD, narcolepsy, or sleeping issues associated with shift work. Outside of this scope, it’s nearly impossible in most countries to get modafinil at your local pharmacy.

Online vendors, however, operate very differently.

Modafinil falls into a legal grey area, allowing users to buy it online without a prescription.

Learn more about buying modafinil in Australia, Canada, Singapore, The UK, and Ireland.

There are many different online vendors in the modafinil space, each with their own set of positives and negatives.

Summary: Avoiding Irritability on Modafinil

There are many different ways modafinil can contribute to irritability. This includes direct and indirect effects including nutrient depletion, neurotransmitterimbalances, and sleep deprivation.

The best ways to avoid irritability starts with the responsible use of modafinil.

You should always aim to eat a well-balanced nutritional diet with enough carbohydrates throughout the day. Eating the right fuel will provide your body with the micronutrients like B vitamins and magnesium needed to support neurotransmitter function.

It may be helpful to supplement some of these more specific micronutrients to make sure you don’t burn through them too quickly. The primary examples include vitamin B6, B12, zinc, and magnesium.

Other supplements like L-Theanine, L-Tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, 5-HTP, and GABA can be beneficial in keeping your neurotransmitters in check.

Meditation can significantly help to boost both serotonin and GABA levels and may lower the chances of sleep deprivation.

It’s also useful to take your modafinil early in the morning or perhaps reduce the dose if insomnia is also a problem for you.

Overall, the effects of modafinil can significantly enhance your workflow and productivity, but won’t protect you from other health issues.

For this reason, it’s important to maintain a focus on overall health and nutritional status, with a particular focus on neurotransmitter balance when taking modafinil regularly.

This is going to allow you to get as much out of your modafinil as possible.

References

1. Durmer, J. S., & Dinges, D. F. (2005, March). Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. In Seminars in neurology (Vol. 25, No. 01, pp. 117-129). Copyright© 2005 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA..
2. Murray, E. J. (1965). Sleep, dreams, and arousal.
3. Balint, J. P. (1998). Physical findings in nutritional deficiencies. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 45(1), 245-260.
4. Fernstrom, J. D., & Wurtman, R. J. (1971). Brain serotonin content: increase following ingestion of carbohydrate diet. Science, 174(4013), 1023-1025.

Modafinil High: How, and What Does it Feel Like?

For the most part, modafinil is used for its ability to keep users awake longer.

Whether this is for treating sleep disorders like narcolepsy or getting a few more working hours out of a long day is up to the individual taking it.

Some users are taking modafinil for the high it produces.

Although no scientific studies have confirmed this is possible, there are a lot of people on forums like Reddit and Bluelight talking about a mild euphoria when taking higher doses of modafinil.

Does modafinil actually make us high? What does it feel like? Is it safe?

Who Uses Modafinil?

Modafinil is a eugeroic medication.

This means it’s able to keep us awake longer than usual. It stimulates areas of the brain associated with the waking portion of our sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm).

By stimulating these areas of the brain, we can remain alert and highly vigilant for several hours on end.

People who take modafinil, are trying to stay awake longer.

This often includes students, entrepreneurs, pilots, truck drivers, business executives, shift workers, and people with sleep disorders like narcolepsy or sleep apnea.

Being able to stay wide awake for long periods of time means that we can increase our overall productivity. Anybody with a heavy workload, or who has a tight deadline to meet can stand to benefit from modafinil.

Where to Buy Modafinil

Modafinil is prescription only, which means that in order to buy it from a pharmacy you need a doctors prescription.

It can, however, be bought online through the workings of a legal grey area. Most vendors will distribute modafinil out of India where modafinil isn’t restricted to prescription-only use.

Whenever buying modafinil from a company based overseas, it’s important to use a provider with a good track record and company ethics.

Most online vendors offer a selection of generic versions of the drug, including; Modalert, Modvigil, Waklert, and Artvigil.

There are no case studies in the scientific literature of people experiencing a high from modafinil.

That said, there are many reports online of people feeling high from modafinil— so many in fact, that it’s hard to deny that this can happen.

If you consider how modafinil works, it gives us some clues as to how modafinil might achieve this, especially in higher than normal doses.

How Modafinil Works

Modafinil binds to the same receptors in the brain as cocaine [1], only to a much milder extent.

In one study, a group of monkeys trained to self-administer cocaine also self-administered modafinil when available to them [2].

Since modafinil and cocaine target some of the same receptors to produce their effects (dopamine transporters), it’s likely that the two drugs have similar effects— at least on euphoria.

Cocaine & Modafinil: The Reward Center

Cocaine produces euphoria by triggering the reward center of the brain.

This special region is regulated by dopamine, which is the target of both modafinil and cocaine.

When the reward-center fires, it releases a hit of oxytocin in the brain, which is what gives us that feeling of pleasure and euphoria.

Throughout a typical day, this system remains active, dosing us with small hits of oxytocin when we do something that benefits us. The reason why we need this system is to help us form habits and patterns.

If we did something that made us feel good, it makes sense to want to do it again right?

We know that cocaine does this by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine.

Since dopamine is necessary to activate the reward center, higher dopamine concentrations allow the reward system to fire more often and for longer.

This gives us a feeling of euphoria.

We also know that modafinil binds to these same receptors, causing an increase of dopamine and therefore a theoretical mechanism for giving us a feeling of being “high.”

Modafinil vs. Cocaine

Although these two drugs bind to the same receptor, there are some important differences to keep in mind before going around telling people that modafinil and cocaine are the same things.

On paper, it’s easy to make an argument that cocaine and modafinil are the same because they both activate the same receptor. They also both increase dopamine concentrations (especially in the nucleus accumbens).

There is an obvious difference in how these drugs feel.

Cocaine produces obvious states of euphoria and stimulation, and the effects only last about 2 hours.

Modafinil also produces stimulation but has not been officially recognized to produce any euphoria within the normal dose. It also lasts 16–22 hours.

This suggests that there are some key differences in the effects of modafinil and cocaine.

It’s also important to note that modafinil does other things as well, not just increasing dopamine concentrations.

Modafinil also targets orexin, norepinephrine, and histamine, none of which produce any euphoria once activated.

That said, the reports that do include feelings of euphoria usually involve doses way out of the normal range of modafinil, which of course isn’t something researchers would test on anybody but mice due to the obvious safety concerns.

It’s possible that modafinil has a cocaine-like effect in higher doses.

Let’s take a closer look by analyzing some of the case studies involving modafinil’s euphoric effects.

Case Studies of The Modafinil “High”

User Report 1: 2000 mg in 6 hours

A thread on Reddit highlights the experience of a user who took about 2000 mg of modafinil in a 6-hour window as he sought out a euphoric experience. He wanted to get high off modafinil after seeing other threads talking about these effects from 800+ mg of modafinil.

He started with 800 mg one morning. He then topped this up with another 200 mg every hour until the rest of the package was gone (10 total).

He reports that the effects came on strong after about 2 hours from the first dose but just kept going up since he was dosing every hour.

He says he felt “amazing,” “hyper-focused,” and “super fast.”

He felt like he had taken a “good amount of Adderall.”

Around the 6 hour mark, he started to feel fatigued mentally. Every hour following this got worse and worse.

As other modafinil users taking high doses have mentioned, despite reaching a point of total mental exhaustion several hours later, he was unable to sleep it off. He remained awake for the rest of the day and the following night.

User Report 2: 4000 mg of Modafinil!

Warning! This one is extreme; we don’t recommend ever replicating this.

A user on Reddit posted about his experience with high doses of modafinil as he tried to chase a high.

His normal dose was the usual 200 mg. However, one day he woke up late and decided to take two doses instead to catch up on the time he missed.

About 30 minutes later he started to feel a nice buzz coming on. He became more talkative, and energetic.

He followed this up shortly after with 3 cups of coffee and 1600 mg of oxiracetam. This was enough to get him into a steady euphoric state.

He maintained this with 200 mg of modafinil every hour.

By the end of the day, he had consumed 4000 mg (4 g) of modafinil (20 times the normal dose), 1600 mg of oxiracetam, and about 300 mg of caffeine.

He described the feeling he got as a “slight euphoric state.”

The report then goes on to detail the recovery over the next three days. He was unable to sleep for a few days, couldn’t hold down any food, and suffered from periodic migraines.

He almost checked himself into the hospital for dehydration.

User Report 3: Feeling the Modafinil High with 800 mg

A user reporting his experiences on Bluelight forums talks about his experience seeking out the modafinil high.

He’s a regular modafinil user and generally takes either 100mg or 200 mg modafinil to help him at work.

As a web developer, he tends to work long hours stretching into the early hours of the night as he tries to stay on top of his projects.

He usually takes modafinil 3 or 4 times per week when he needs to pull an all-nighter to finish his work projects.

He reports that on a few occasions, he felt slight euphoric effects during the peak hours of the drug and became curious about how he could get this feeling more often.

After doing some research, he discovered that people often report feelings of euphoria around the 800 mg dose. So one afternoon he decided he was going to try it.

At about 3 pm, when he started to feel the onset of fatigue from the day as he normally does, he took four tablets of 200 mg Modalert.

At roughly 5 pm, he started to really feel the effects, which continued to build over the next 2 hours.

By 7 pm he was absolutely wired.

He felt a mild euphoria, and describes himself as becoming a “coding machine”.

He not only finished an entire project in one night but had achieved the euphoric feeling he was searching for.

As all of these case studies go, however, he then reports that the comedown was less than ideal.

Starting at about 12 pm, he started to feel very fatigued, and the euphoria had gone.

Over the next 3 hours, he kept working but became less and less productive as time went on. He started to develop a headache and some mild nausea.

He went home and tried to sleep, but wasn’t able to fall asleep until about 10 am the next day.

He slept through the entire next day and was back at work as normal the day after.

Analyzing These User Reports: What is the Modafinil High Like?

Taking a look at these user reports, you can find a pattern of their experiences.

It appears as though you can produce a feeling of euphoria with modafinil. The high is usually described as being mild and can last anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.

Trying to push the effects past this doesn’t seem to be effective, even with very high doses (up to 4000 mg!).

All of these case studies report varying degrees of discomfort during the comedown from the drug, usually involving insomnia, exhaustion, nausea, headaches, and dehydration.

These are the most common side effects of the drug even in the normal dosage range, though not as severe judging by the way they’re described in the user reports.

Based on these user experiences, it appears that the 800 mg to 2000 mg dosage range is best for producing these effects, as long as you remember that the comedown isn’t going to be very enjoyable.

Both of these users got the euphoric state they were looking for, and were extremely vigilant and focused just like the drug is promised to do.

The second user report (the 4000 mg dose) was likely too much modafinil. The euphoric effects he describes were not any stronger than the smaller doses, and the comedown he experienced was extremely dangerous.

It took him a few days just to recover, and he almost had to go to the hospital for dehydration. His experience sounds absolutely terrible and not something most people would want to put themselves through.

Stick to the sub-2000 mg dosage range if this is something you’re thinking about trying and be aware of the side effects.

Optimizing the Modafinil High

Based on what we know about modafinil’s effects on dopamine levels, and the anecdotal reports of feeling euphoric highs on the drug, it’s reasonable to assume that there is, in fact, a ‘high’ that can be produced from modafinil.

There are a lot of ways to do it wrong, however, some of which can be very dangerous.

We don’t recommend ever taking doses over 2000 mg, and in fact, should remain at a max of about 800 mg.

Based on our forum research, 800 mg is the magic number when it comes to the modafinil high.

It provides the euphoric state many people are looking for, with only a mildly uncomfortable comedown. Higher doses often bring more risk of developing side effects and often brings a very uncomfortable comedown that can last as long as an entire day, sometimes even more.

Enhancing The High With L-Theanine

L-Theanine is a naturally occurring compound found in the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

It offers some key benefits when used in combination with modafinil which can be used to enhance the modafinil high.

L-Theanine relaxes the mind without causing us to become sleepy… which would counteract the effects of modafinil.

Instead, L-theanine allows us to remain calm and focused, reducing the chances of developing anxiety or insomnia while on higher doses of the medication.

It doesn’t negate the benefits of the modafinil, only makes side effects less likely to happen, and more manageable when they do.

With these side effects less pronounced, it’s likely that the high will be much clearer, and may even last longer.

L-Theanine also has a mild ability to increase dopamine, but through a different pathway in the brain. This may further enhance the effects of the modafinil on dopamine.

Conclusion

There are a lot of reports online about people using modafinil for the high it produces. Although these reports have not been backed by clinical research, and it’s unclear about the safety of high dose modafinil, it’s hard to deny the copious amount of user reports discussing their experiences with the modafinil high.

These reports range from taking 800 mg of modafinil to 2000 mg, all the way up to 4000 mg in a single day. To be clear, that’s 20 regular doses in a single day!

Most of these user experiences start talking about the feeling of being ‘high’ around the 800 mg and up mark.

As we get into ranges involving 2000 mg or more, the euphoric effects appear to be about the same intensity, but the comedown is much worse.

Therefore, if seeking out the modafinil high, we urge you to stay informed, and never exceed 2000 mg. For optimal results, stick to the 800 mg range and take something like L-Theanine to optimize the experience.

References

1. Volkow, N. D., Fowler, J. S., Logan, J., Alexoff, D., Zhu, W., Telang, F., … & Hubbard, B. (2009). Effects of modafinil on dopamine and dopamine transporters in the male human brain: clinical implications. Jama, 301(11), 1148-1154.
2. Gold, L. H., & Balster, R. L. (1996). Evaluation of the cocaine-like discriminative stimulus effects and reinforcing effects of modafinil. Psychopharmacology, 126(4), 286-292.

How to Avoid and Cure Modafinil Headaches

You’ve taken modafinil and have been powering through your work for the past four hours very efficiently.

All was going great until you started to feel an ache at the base of your neck and behind your eyes.

For the next three hours, the headache grew in intensity until it started to affect your ability to work.

You get up and go for a walk, drink a bottle of water, and spend a few minutes massaging your temples, but nothing seems to work.

This is a problem experienced all too often by people taking modafinil. It’s one of the most common side effects of the drug… but it doesn’t need to be.

There are a few tips and tricks you can employ to avoid and cure the headaches induced by modafinil.

Here’s how it works.

Modafinil Before the Headache

Modafinil doesn’t usually produce a headache for the first few hours of use.

It’s during the peak hours— about two hours after ingestion— that modafinil has the most robust benefits.

People take it to increase their work capacity. It delays the onset of fatigue for about 15 hours.

Without any fatigue, we’re left to work as hard and as long as we want on our projects. It also boosts our creativity and ability to focus on the task at hand, further benefiting our work ethic and productivity.

This makes it highly desirable among students, business professionals, entrepreneurs, pilots, truck drivers, and factory workers performing tedious and long-duration tasks at work.

It’s these benefits that make it worth a headache later for many people taking the drug.

We’re here to tell you that a headache doesn’t need to happen, you can get the benefits of modafinil without a headache later!

Where to Buy Quality Modafinil

There are a lot of places selling modafinil. The most common source is through the internet.

This is because modafinil falls into a legal grey area regarding legislation.

The cost of modafinil from online vendors like Afinil Express also tend to be significantly cheaper than your local pharmacy sells it for.

For additional savings through Afinil Express, enter the coupon code MODAFINILOTC and save an additional 10% off your order.

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Why Modafinil Causes Headaches & How to Fix it

In order to talk about how to prevent or cure modafinil-induced headaches, we need to first talk about why this popular smart drug causes headaches in the first place.

1. Dehydration

Perhaps the most common cause of headaches is dehydration.

This is true whether you’re taking modafinil or not. In fact, most headaches are due to some degree of dehydration.

Modafinil can cause us to become dehydrated by allowing us to focus so intently on our work that we forget to drink enough water throughout the day.

This may sound silly, but it’s very common among modafinil users.

Another way modafinil causes dehydration is through the kidneys as they try to eliminate the drug from our bloodstream.

Whenever we take medications, our body gets to work eliminating it. It does this through the help of the liver and the kidneys.

The liver converts the modafinil into an inactive metabolite, where it then travels to the kidneys to get filtered out of the body.

Whenever we take a medication, the kidney ramps up its filtration rate, pushing more water out of the body in the hopes of dragging the modafinil metabolites along with it.

This causes us to urinate more often as the effects of modafinil start to wind down (signifying that there are now more inactive metabolites of modafinil in the bloodstream). This also causes us to lose water, which can make us dehydrated if it’s not replaced.

How To Prevent Dehydration Headaches On Modafinil

A) Drink More Water

The most obvious way of preventing dehydration headaches of any kind is to drink more water.

This may sound simple, but there are some additional challenges to overcome.

The main problem is that when we’re under the effects of modafinil, anything outside of the immediate task we’re working on seems unimportant, including drinking water. Most users need to make a conscious effort to drink enough water throughout the day to avoid getting a headache.

Some people set a timer on their watch or smartphone that reminds them to stop what they are doing for 10 seconds and take a drink of water. You can set this to go off every hour, or every 30 minutes depending on your own personal preference.

The average person needs about 2 L of water every day.

This number goes up when exercising or taking medications of caffeine.

For every 200 mg tablet you take of modafinil, you should add 1L of water to your daily intake.

Therefore, someone taking 200 mg modafinil per day should also drink at least 3 L of water.

The easiest way to measure this is to buy a water bottle with a specific capacity, either 1 L, 2 L, or 3 L. You can then easily calculate how much water you’ve consumed during the day by adding it up.

B) Add Salt To Your Water

Another method some people use is to add a pinch of salt to their water bottle.

The salt helps to retain water in the bloodstream, making it slightly more difficult for the kidneys to flush water out of the body. This can help to reduce the amount lost throughout the day.

How To Cure Dehydration Headaches

It’s not too difficult to prevent dehydration headaches when taking modafinil if you can remember to drink enough water, but how do you cure a headache once it’s already started?

A) Drink Water Immediately

As soon as you start to feel a headache coming on, stop what you’re doing and go and drink water. Don’t drown yourself, but have a few big gulps from your water bottle.

This isn’t going to give you immediate relief of a headache but can reverse it over the course of about one hour, especially if you catch it early.

B) Replenish Your Electrolytes

Electrolytes can also help reverse dehydration headaches associated with modafinil. Things like Powerade or Gatorade are excellent electrolyte drinks you can use to reduce the impact of your headache.

This works because dehydration changes the balance of electrolytes in the body, which are necessary for us to function.

When our electrolytes are depleted, it can give us a headache.

2. Overstimulation

The type of stimulation caused by modafinil is specific to a part of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

This is one of 2 halves the nervous system can be split into. The other half is called the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

The SNS controls our fight or flight response. It’s designed to cause changes to our body to help us get away or protect ourselves from danger.

Our body isn’t designed to be in SNS activation for too long. It usually comes in bursts lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, followed by an activation of the opposite side of the nervous system, the PNS, which helps us return to normal and repair any damage to the body.

Modafinil stimulates the SNS for up to 22 hours, which can cause adverse side effects including headaches.

Therefore, the best way to prevent it is to ensure our SNS doesn’t become overactivated while taking modafinil.

How To Prevent & Cure Overstimulation Headaches On Modafinil

The best way to avoid overstimulation and headaches is to do things that help you relax and calm down while on modafinil.

Often, people who are overstimulated on modafinil will develop bouts of anxiety, followed by periods of migraines or headaches. Avoiding symptoms while in the anxiety stage can dramatically reduce the chances of developing overstimulation headaches.

A) Breathing Techniques

The best way to control the nervous system is through slowed, rhythmic breathing.

This allows you to take over the nervous system. You’re essentially turning downthe SNS, and up the PNS, helping to prevent overstimulation.

To do this, all you need to do it spend 2 or 3 minutes breathing in slowly, and out even slower. Try counting to 5 on the in breaths, and ten on the out breaths.

This sounds like it wouldn’t do much, but it’s not a mysterious phenomenon by any means. If you want to know more about the power of breathing and the nervous system, check out Dr. Richard Gevirtz talk about it on Youtube.

B) Take Periodic Breaks To Relax And Walk Around

When under the influence of modafinil, it doesn’t take much for us to get so entrenched in our work that we forget about everything else. We can become so intense about what we’re doing that we actually stress ourselves out.

It’s important to take periodic breaks from time to time so that we can stop what we’re doing and return to reality for a moment.

Get up and walk around, get some water, go out for some fresh air, anything to break up the cycle for just a few minutes.

Then you can go back to what you were doing.

This small modification to your routine on modafinil has helped a lot of people avoid issues with overstimulation anxiety and headaches.

3. Nutrient Depletion (Magnesium)

Modafinil has a tendency of depleting certain nutrients, some of which can cause a headache to develop, especially magnesium.

We use magnesium in our body for over 300 different enzyme reactions. Many of these reactions take place in the brain.

This vital mineral is quickly depleted when we increase our brain activity and therefore increase the demand for magnesium.

This is further compounded by modafinil’s appetite suppressing effects, which makes it more likely that we skip meals and therefore avoid replenishing our magnesium stores while the drug takes effect.

This cause for headaches is more common in people who don’t supplement the mineral.

With repeated modafinil use, we can gradually deplete our magnesium stores, eventually resulting in the formation of headaches.

Magnesium deficiency headaches will generally come on gradually and come with a list of other side effects including fatigue, low immunity, anxiety, heart palpitations, muscle tension, and insomnia.

Many of modafinil side effects can be traced back to magnesium deficiencies.

How To Both Prevent & Cure Magnesium Deficiency Headaches Induced By Modafinil

The prevention and treatment for headaches caused by magnesium deficiencies are both the same— supplement magnesium in the diet.

You can get magnesium from nuts and seeds, as well as dark leafy green vegetables.

These are generally enough to avoid having any issues with depleted magnesium stores. However, supplemental versions also exist.

There are a few main types of magnesium supplement to consider:

Magnesium threonate is generally the preferred product to combine with modafinil because it has the best ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Supplying a source of magnesium easily accessible by the brain is going to produce the fastest benefits towards modafinil-induced magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium glycinate is the most common form of magnesium available in health food shops. This is because it has some of the highest bioavailability and is gentler on the digestive tract than other types (magnesium supplements sometimes causes digestive system discomfort, including diarrhea).

All you need to do is take a daily dose of magnesium preferably in the evening before bed.

The normal dose is usually around 400 mg of magnesium per day, but make sure you follow the label on the products you buy for best results.

4. Muscle Tension

Muscle tension is a major cause for headaches when taking modafinil.

It happens through some of the other points listed above including dehydration, and magnesium deficiency.

It can also do this through other side effects, causing an over-activation of the nerves controlling the muscles. It’s made worse by sitting all day, poor nutritional intake, and bad posture.

How To Prevent Muscle Tension Headaches

A) Exercise/Stretch

The best way to prevent headaches from muscle tension is to make sure you’re getting enough exercise and movement on a weekly basis. This includes stretching.

Having healthy muscles and joints is the simplest way of preventing aches and pains, and the resulting headaches they cause.

Try going to yoga or the gym 3 or 4 times per week. Join a boxing class or try something like CrossFit.

It doesn’t matter too much how you exercise, as long as you’re moving your muscles and joints often and follow up with a good stretch to help the muscles become more elastic and relaxed.

B) Work On Your Posture

One of the problems with being extra productive if you work in an office is the fact that you’re sitting down all day long.

If your posture isn’t perfect, it can cause stress on different areas of your body, causing pain and inflammation. Eventually, this will result in muscle tension and headaches.

Learn about how to maintain good posture. Keep your head straight, feet on the floor, and back aligned.

You may need to purchase a computer screen, laptop stand, or ergonomic desk chair to accomplish this, but it’s well worth the price if headaches are causing you problems.

How to Treat Muscle Tension Headaches

The easiest way to correct muscle tension headaches is to use a muscle relaxant.

These come in the form of a rub or gel, such as Tiger Balm or Ginger Rubs.

There are many different kinds, but we refer the warming ones when it comes to muscle tension.

The heat from the rub brings blood flow to the area, which helps flush out lactic acid and other metabolic byproducts.

It also brings oxygen and nutrients deep into the tissue to help it repair and relax.

Other muscle relaxants can be taken internally to help with symptoms as well.

Conclusion

Modafinil headaches can be a real pain. It’s one of the most common side effects of the drug.

Most people experience headaches on modafinil that are entirely preventable.

They either don’t drink enough water, aren’t getting enough nutrients, are overstimulated, or develop muscle tension headaches from poor posture while sitting all day.

The first step to preventing, and curing your headaches on modafinil is to identify what the most likely cause may be. From there, a few simple modifications are usually all it takes to prevent the issue altogether.

If in doubt, follow some of the tips outlined above, they cover 99% of the causes for headaches on modafinil that you’re likely to encounter.

Modafinil Effects: Here’s What to Expect When Taking It

It’s been 7 hours since first taking that little white tablet.

It’s now 10 pm.

You look around you and find that big stack of paper you had to work through is now gone— you’ve had one of the most productive evenings of your life and the modafinil is still going strong.

You’re feeling motivated and ready for more, so you start working on that side project you’ve been putting off for the last six months because “you were too busy.”

This is modafinil.

Here we discuss the effects of modafinil in more detail, how it works, and what you can expect when taking the drug for the first time.

What is Modafinil Used For?

Modafinil is classified as a stimulant and eugeroic medication. This means it produces a feeling of being wide awake and makes it easier to focus on tasks.

It can be compared to caffeine— only much stronger and longer lasting. Modafinil can change your mental state from being groggy and tired, to clear-headed and alert.

It’s used to induce a waking state within the brain. For this reason, one of the primary uses of modafinil is in the treatment of sleeping disorders like narcolepsy.

Modafinil also increases the concentrations of dopamine in the brain by preventing its reuptake into the synapses. These effects make it useful for conditions involved with lower dopamine levels such as ADHD.

In healthy individuals, both of these effects are used to improve productivity, and to help people endure long overnight sessions spent studying or working.

How Does Modafinil Feel?

Describing exactly how modafinil feels isn’t easy. This is because modafinil doesn’t cause any stark differences in perception the same way marijuana, alcohol, or illicit drugs do.

Let’s break the way modafinil makes us feel into it’s two main effects— motivated and awake.

1. Modafinil Makes us Feel Motivated

Modafinil is great for boosting motivation. This is hard to quantify— but impossible to deny.

People unanimously report finding extreme bursts of motivation to accomplish tasks after taking modafinil.

This may be the main reason behind why modafinil works so well for ADHD sufferers. This group of people find it notoriously difficult to motivate themselves to finish a project, especially if they find it boring or tedious. Modafinil eliminates these problems with motivation.

After taking it, these otherwise boring tasks become easy to focus on and power through. We begin to work diligently— even on boring or tedious tasks.

Of course, this also works on tasks that you find interesting!

2. Modafinil Makes us Feel Awake & Alert

Perhaps the easiest effect of modafinil to quantify and talk about is its ability to make us feel awake… Very awake.

Modafinil stimulates areas of the brain associated with wakefulness— and it’s powerful. So powerful it’s able to eliminate the debilitating side effects narcoleptics experience— which is excessive daytime sleepiness, and sudden drop-offs into a deep sleep.

Modafinil takes about one hour to kick in and tends to build gradually over the course of two hours before reaching full effect. In this time, you can clearly feel your energy levels increasing. You become more perceptive to your environment, the room brightens, and you find a compelling drive to jump out of your chair and start getting stuff done.

Ordering Modafinil Online

Modafinil is a prescription-only medication.

This means that in order to buy it at the pharmacy, you need to have a doctors prescription.

You can, however, buy your modafinil online without a prescription. The reason why this works is that modafinil falls in a legal grey area in most countries.

By purchasing modafinil online, you can buy generic versions of the drug from vendors located in parts of the world that have fewer laws around the sale of the medication. A common place for this is India.

How Modafinil Feels vs. Other Stimulants

Although modafinil is a unique compound, it’s not the first of its kind in terms of its effects. In fact, humans have been using stimulants for thousands of years to make us more productive.

Early humans used herbs like coffee, guarana, and kola nut to give us a boost on long hunting trips or overnight ceremonies.

In the modern era, we now have a few dozen compounds with stimulating effects— including caffeine, Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, theobromine, and many more.

How does modafinil compare to other common stimulants regarding its effect profile?

1. Modafinil vs. Caffeine

Modafinil and caffeine have a lot of similarities in their effects— both boost wakefulness and are popular among people who need to stay up late into the evening to finish a project or cram for an exam.

Caffeine is classified chemically as a methylxanthine derivative.

It’s been used as a psychoactive drug for a long period of time. The way it was obtained was by consuming the plants that produce it.

Some examples include coffee from the Middle East, tea from Asia, and yerba maté from South America.

For healthy adults, the half-life of caffeine is 5 hours [26]. This is nothing compared to the 15-hour half-life of modafinil. This means that the stimulating effects of modafinil last more than three times that of caffeine.

Caffeine works by inhibiting a compound in the brain called adenosine that builds up throughout the day to make us feel tired [6, 7]. This makes caffeine useful for “inhibiting sleepiness,” but doesn’t actually “stimulate” the brain— not like modafinil anyway.

Modafinil is considered to be much more potent than caffeine and lasts much longer.

Caffeine also has limits that modafinil doesn’t. If we’re very tired— such as after a long day at work— even pure caffeine might not be enough to get rid of our fatigue. However, modafinil will remove almost any level of fatigue no matter what. It uses brute force to make sure all the on switches in the brain are activated.

Modafinil is, therefore, a more reliable, and longer lasting stimulant than caffeine. 

2. Modafinil vs. Adderall

Adderall is the closest alternative to modafinil in terms of its effect profile. To no surprise, it’s used to treat virtually the same conditions as Adderall and is popular off-label for the same applications.

As a medication, Adderall (amphetamine) is used to treat traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and hypnolepsy [2-3].

Adderall works differently than modafinil— but has some overlapping effects on neurotransmitters such as dopamine.

The difference is that Adderall is less specific on what receptors it triggers in the brain— creating a greater tendency for producing side effects.

Amphetamines increase the feeling of being awake, and can dramatically boost motivation and energy levels in a similar context to modafinil. Unfortunately, Adderall can be too stimulating for some people— causing muscle tension, jaw clenching, headaches, and anxiety. Amphetamines (Adderall) are also highly addictive [4].

Modafinil and Adderall have similar effects. However, modafinil causes fewer side-effects along the way.

For more information, visit our comparison of modafinil & Adderall.

3. Modafinil vs. Ritalin

Ritalin has become a common treatment for ADHD in recent years. This is due to the cheap cost, and proven efficacy for the condition. Ritalin also comes in a wide variety of different versions, including delayed, or quick release tablets, and liquids. It’s also been around for a much longer time than modafinil and is, therefore, more established as a medicine.

Ritalin is also a stimulant and has effects that are very similar to Adderall, though not as strong in its effects.

Many users consider Ritalin to have a good effect on motivation and energy but come with too many side effects to be enjoyable. Modafinil is similar— but is much more specific in its receptor activity in the brain, and therefore has far fewer side effects.

Many regular Ritalin users have since switched over to modafinil because of their similarities in effects— but lower chances of experiencing side-effects. 

For more information, visit our comparison of modafinil and Ritalin.

User Reports of Modafinil

The thing about modafinil is that because it works so well for improving concentration and productivity, there are a lot of very detailed reviews on modafinil online (probably written while on modafinil).

Reddit is especially rich in user reports of the drug.

A typical day on modafinil goes something like this:

8 am: I take 200 mg of modafinil with a black tea and some breakfast.

9 am: I arrive at work and start getting set up for the day. I focus on what tasks have the biggest priority for the day. At this point, it’s hard to say if the drug is taking effect or not.

9:30 am: By this time, I am in a solid groove with work. I am getting a lot done already and am starting to finding it easy to dial in.

11 am: The past hour and a half were extremely productive. Most of the quota I set out for the day is already nearly complete. Another hour and a half of this and I’ll be ahead of schedule. However, my bladder feels full, and I am starting to get fidgety.

12 pm: My productivity is still very high, but I am starting to get impatient with my computer. Web pages are taking way too long to load, and Diane keeps asking me stupid questions via email. I am getting frustrated easily.

2 pm: Most of my work for the day is done, and I am now working on some side projects. I was getting very fidgety but took some L-Theanine tablets at 12:30 and have since stopped moving around. I have had to pee about six times already and have no appetite despite not having eaten lunch.

4 pm: The drug’s effects feel as though they are wearing off, and I am finding myself much less productive. I’m still getting a lot done, however, and will hang around at work for another hour or so and then head home.

6 pm: After arriving home, I notice I am starting to develop a headache. I try to remind myself to eat some food and chug about a liter (33 oz.) of water. I make some quick pasta and eat a few bites, but I’m just not that hungry. Instead, I make myself a protein smoothie and chug it back. A headache remained but only as a low-grade ache for the rest of the night. The Modafinil effects have been gradually decreasing over the past few hours, but I still feel wired.

8 pm: I don’t feel any of the drug anymore, and am in fact quite tired. It’s going to be another early night — overall an extremely productive day. I was able to get all of my work done, and spent nearly half the day putting a big dent in my side project to boot.

What are the Side Effects of Modafinil?

Like any medication, there’s a list of side effects one might encounter when taking the drug.

Although the majority of side effects are only mild, they’re important to be aware of.

The Most Common Side Effects of Modafinil Include:

• Headaches
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Increased urination
• Poor appetite
• Low libido
• Anxiety
• Fidgeting behavior
• Heart palpitations
• Racing heart
• Shortness of breath

Tips for Getting the Most From Your Modafinil

Modafinil can be an extremely useful tool. There are, however, some downsides that you need to pay attention to to get the most out of it.

1. Ensure You’re Drinking Water Throughout the Day

It’s easy to forget to drink water on modafinil, yet it’s extremely important if you want to avoid getting a headache later in the day.

Modafinil increases urine output and has a dehydrating effect on the body.

Try keeping a big bottle of water near you at all times.

2. Eat Both Lunch and Dinner

It’s also easy to forget to eat when on modafinil.

Take a prepackaged lunch with you when you go to work if you’re taking modafinil. Choose foods that are smaller, but nutrient dense. The lack of hunger makes it difficult to eat larger meals, so its best to take small protein-rich smoothies, or power bars to eat for lunch or as a snack throughout the day.

3. Use Supplements

There are a lot of supplements that can help reduce the chances of developing side effects on modafinil.

Some of the better options are L-Theanine for jitteriness or anxiety, magnesium for headaches and muscle tension, or berberine for increasing the length of time the drug remains active in the system.

4. Go to Bed at a Reasonable Time.

Modafinil promotes wakefulness, but you still require adequate amounts of sleep each night. It’s easy to become sleep deprived with regular modafinil use. This is something you want to avoid as much as you can. It’s only going to hurt your productivity in the long run, and cause you to become extra irritable and frustrated. Ensure you are sleeping a full 8 hours every single night.

Summing it up

Modafinil feels similar to other stimulants— such as caffeine, Adderall, and Ritalin— but has some distinct differences.

Compared to natural stimulants like caffeine, modafinil is stronger and longer lasting. When comparing to other pharmaceutical stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin— modafinil produces virtually the same effect profile, but with lower chances of developing side-effects.

We always recommend paying attention to the amount of water and food you’re eating whenever taking modafinil to get the most out of it and avoid side effects.

When used correctly modafinil can become an excellent productivity tool to help you power through a tough project— or to become more productive in your day to day activities.

Modafinil Duration: How Long Does it Last?

So you’re interested in trying some modafinil for yourself but aren’t sure how long the medication lasts.

Compared to other medications, modafinil is very long lasting. It can last between 16 and 22 hours, but varies a lot depending on your genetic factors, and what else was taken along with the modafinil.

Understanding how long modafinil lasts will depend on some important considerations. It’s also necessary to remember that everyone is different.

Here we go over how long the effects of modafinil last, what factors can affect this, and what you can do to make it last shorter or longer.

The Benefits of Modafinil

Modafinil has a long list of benefits, primarily involving its ability to promote wakefulness.

Doctors prescribe the medication for conditions involving “excessive sleepiness”. This includes conditions like narcolepsy and sleep disturbances involved with shift work.

Off-label use of the medication stretch into other areas.

One of the most common uses of modafinil is as a tool for boosting productivity at work or university.

Its ability to delay the onset of fatigue for several hours makes it useful for stretching the amount of time you can work on a project before becoming too tired to keep going.

It’s not uncommon to hear of people spending as many as 20 hours straight on a project before finally calling it quits.

Modafinil offers profound improvement in overall productivity, making it especially popular among people with heavy workloads or time-sensitive projects.

Business executives, university students, entrepreneurs, and creatives are among the majority of people using modafinil to enhance their productivity. It helps them earn more money at work, move up the ranks, and get through tough university degrees.

odafinil is also used to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD by boosting dopamine concentrations in the brain. This works to increase one’s ability to concentrate on a single task for long periods of time.

Where to Buy Modafinil

Modafinil is offered for sale by a number of online vendors.

These vendors operate in a legal grey area in terms of modafinil regulation. This is because the laws around the sale of this prescription-only medication only specifically mention the SALE of modafinil, rather than its purchase.

In most countries, modafinil can be bought online without a prescription.

We primarily use a vendor called AfinilExpress.com. If you use the coupon code MODAFINILOTC at checkout you can save an additional 10% on your order.

How Long do the Effects of Modafinil Last?

Measuring how long modafinil lasts means looking at a few different metrics.

We need to know how long it takes for modafinil to start producing effects when it reaches its peak, and how long it takes for enough of the compound to be eliminated from the bloodstream so that it no longer produces any of its effects.

Step 1. Modafinil Absorption

Roughly 40–65% of the modafinil you take is absorbed into the bloodstream [1].

This can vary depending on the health of your gastrointestinal tract.

It’s very common for people to have chronic inflammatory states in the gastrointestinal tract, which can reduce the amount of modafinil that’s absorbed into the bloodstream.

People suffering from even mild inflammation, but especially from more severe inflammatory states like Celiac disease, IBD, or IBS may have a significantly lower absorption rate through the intestinal tract.

In most people, modafinil is absorbed relatively quickly over the course of 45 minutes. If taken with food, or you have a slow digestive function, this can take as long as 2 hours.

2. The Onset of Effects

Once the drug is absorbed through the digestive tract, 45-60 minutes later, it quickly reaches peak concentrations.

Around the 4–6 hour mark, you will feel the strongest effects of the modafinil. This usually lasts another two hours.

3. The Half-Life of Modafinil

The half-life of modafinil is about 12 to 15 hours.

A lot of websites discuss half-life, but don’t actually tell you what this means or why it’s important.

Drug half-life is a measurement of the time it takes for exactly half the drug to be eliminated from the bloodstream.

This means the compound was either destroyed in the bloodstream or eliminated from the body through the kidneys or digestive tract, or both.

Half-life doesn’t work like you probably think it does.

If the half-life says 10 hours, it doesn’t mean the drug is completely gone in 20 hours. Instead, the dose is cut in half every 10 hours.

For example: If you take 500 mg of a drug and the half-life is 10 hours, it means that there will be 250 mg left at the 10-hour mark—makes sense right?— 10 hours later, there will be 125 mg left, 10 more hours and there will be 62.5 mg left…

You get the picture.

Modafinil Has a Long Half-Life

Modafinil has a very long half-life compared to other drugs, such as Tylenol with a half-life of 2–3 hours, and caffeine with a half-life of 5–6 hours.

Some drugs, like Warfarin (a blood thinning medication), has a much longer half-life, which can range from 20–60 hours.

The Importance of Half-Life

We use information about the half-life of drugs to determine the dose of a medication, and how often it should be taken.

Tylenol, for example, needs to be taken every 3 or 4 hours for best results, while modafinil should only be taken once per day because its effects last much longer.

Adding Up Modafinil’s Half-Life to Figure Out How Long it Lasts:

A normal modafinil dose is about 200 mg.

We absorb only 40–65% of the modafinil into our bloodstream.

This means that we have about 80–130 mg in our bloodstream once it’s all absorbed.

Let’s go in the middle of this range and say that we absorb about 100 mg modafinil from the average 200 mg dose.

Since we know the half-life of modafinil is about 14 hours, this means that at the 14-hour mark we’ll have about 50 mg left in our system. We would still be feeling the effects at this dose, but they would be much weaker.

After 28 hours, we would then have 25 mg modafinil in our system, which we would likely no longer be feeling the effects of.

After 42 hours, we would still have about 12 mg of modafinil coursing around our bloodstream.

This would continue until there was nothing left. After 56 hours, 6 mg, 70 hours, 3 mg, 84 hours, 1.5 mg, 98 hours, less than 1 mg.

The takeaway from this is that with a 200 mg dose, based on the 14-hour half-life and 40-65% absorption rate of modafinil, the drug will produce effects for about 16-22 hours.

Piecing It All Together

Onset: 45 minutes to 2 hours

Time Until Peak Effects: 1–2 hours

Peak Effects: 2–4 Hours

Tapering Off Effects: 12–16 hours.

Total Duration Of Effects: 16–22 hours.

How Long Does Modafinil Stay in Your System?

Although the effects of modafinil usually disappear after about 16–22 hours, it can remain in the body for up to 4 days.

As mentioned, the body will still have about 1.5mg in the bloodstream 84 hours after taking it.

That’s 3 days later!

Therefore, it’s likely that the medication can be detected in the blood and urine for about 4 days after being taken

Will modafinil show up on a drug test?

Changing How Long Modafinil Lasts

Some people look at the 16– 22-hour timeframe for modafinil and are either thinking that the 22-hour mark is too long, or the 16-hour mark is too short.

Although we can’t do too much to change the half-life of the drug, what we can do is push the duration to either side of this spectrum with a few tips and tricks.

To understand how this works, we need to first talk about how modafinil is metabolized in the body.

Consider How Modafinil is Metabolized

The liver is responsible for metabolizing modafinil.

Only about 10% of the modafinil can be found intact in the urine. This means that 90% of it is metabolized by the liver into an inactive compound, mainly modafinilic acid.

The liver is the ultimate filter for our bloodstream. It’s tasked with filtering and metabolizing compounds from our blood to make them either more water soluble so the kidneys can remove them, and change their chemical structure to make them less active.

The liver uses a complex system of enzymes in two separate phases to achieve this.

Modafinil is metabolized by a process called amide hydrolysis, and the cytochrome P450 isoenzymes (CYP450).

Modafinil is metabolized specifically by the CYP3A4 & CYP2C19 isoenzyme substrates, which is the main enzymes used for most drug metabolism.

Why is This Important?

Understanding which CYP450 enzymes is used by the liver to metabolize a particular medication is useful for identifying how a drug will respond in your body and gives us clues as to how to either increase or decrease the time a drug remains active in the body.

By taking other supplements that increase (induce) the activity of these CYP450 enzymes we can promote a faster metabolism of modafinil. This will, therefore, encourage a shorter duration of effects.

If we instead take supplements that inhibit these enzymes, we can slow the metabolism and therefore lengthen the duration of effects.

There are a lot of herbal supplements we can use for this.

How to Make Modafinil Last Less Time

Using CYP450 Inducers (Makes Modafinil Clear The System Quicker):

Inducing the CYP450 enzymes responsible for metabolizing modafinil will speed up the metabolism, helping it clear faster from the bloodstream.

This would make the duration of the effects shorter.

If your goal is to make modafinil last as long as possible you should avoid CYP450 inducers, especially pertaining to the 2C19 or 3A4 species.

Examples of CYP450 Inducers (3A4 & 2C19):

• Andrographis [5]
• Damiana [9]
• Dandelion root [10]

Bitter tasting foods also tend to increase the activity of the liver and therefore may increase the metabolic pathways through the CYP450 enzyme system.

How to Make Modafinil Last Longer

CYP450 Inhibitors (Makes Modafinil Last Longer)

Compounds that inhibit CYP450 enzymes will slow the metabolism of the drug, causing its effects to last longer.

Most substances that inhibit these enzymes do so by competitive metabolism.

Modafinil, for example, would be considered a CYP450 inhibitor because it is metabolized by the same enzymes.

If you want to make the effects of modafinil last longer, then you can use CYP450 inhibitors.

If you want the effects to be shorter in duration, be sure to avoid them.

Examples of CYP450 Inhibitors (3A4 & 2C19):

• Grapefruit juice (The real stuff, not grapefruit flavor) [3]
• Bacopa [4]
• Berberine-containing plants (like barberry, mahonia, or goldenseal) [2]
• Astragalus [6]
• California poppy [7]
• Cinnamon [8]

Conclusion

The effects of modafinil usually take about 45 minutes to an hour before they kick in, followed by about two hours of gradually increasing effects. By the 2nd or 3rd hour, the drug will be in full effect.

Over the next 12 to 16 hours the drug will start to wear off gradually. By hour 20, the drug is pretty much no longer active. However, it’s not uncommon for it to last about 22 hours total.

Modafinil can remain traceable in your system for the next 3 or 4 days.

There are ways to shorten or lengthen the effects of modafinil, mainly involving the use of herbs or supplements that either increase the rate of metabolism or slow it down.

References

1. Wong, Y. N., King, S. P., Simcoe, D., Gorman, S., Laughton, W., McCormick, G. C., & Grebow, P. (1999). Open‐label, single‐dose pharmacokinetic study of modafinil tablets: influence of age and gender in normal subjects. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 39(3), 281-288.
2. Guo Y, Chen Y, Tan Z, Klaassen C. & Zhou H. (2012). Repeated Administration of Berberine Inhibits Cytochromes P450 in Humans.European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol.68(2),p.213-217.
3. Tassaneeyakul, W., Guo, L. Q., Fukuda, K., Ohta, T., & Yamazoe, Y. (2000). Inhibition selectivity of grapefruit juice components on human cytochromes P450. Archives of biochemistry and Biophysics, 378(2), 356-363.
4. Ramasamy S, Kiew L. & Chung L. (2014). Inhibition of Human Cytochrome P450 Enzymes by Bacopa monnieri Standardized Extract and Constituents.Molecules, vol.19(2),p.2588-2601.
5. Guo Y, Pope C, Cheng X, Zhou H. & Klaassen C. (2011). Dose-response of berberine on hepatic cytochromes P450 mRNA expression and activities in mice.Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol.138(1),p.111-118.
6. Lau C, Mooiman K, Maas-Bakker R, Beijnen J, Schellens J. & Meijerman I. (2013). Effect of Chinese Herbs on CYP3A4 Activity and Expression in vitro.Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol, 49(2),p.543-549.
7. Manda V, Ibrahim M, Dale O, Kumarihamy M, Cutler S, Khan I, Walker L, Muhammad I. & Khan S. (2016). Modulation of CYPs, P-gp, and PXR by Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy) and Its Alkaloids.Planta Medica, vol.82(6),p.551-558.
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