Does Modafinil Show Up On Drug Tests?

Outside of its prescribed use, most people taking modafinil are taking it to boost their productivity at work or school.

eSports is another up and coming application of modafinil for its ability to boost perception and reaction times, and athletes use it to get more out of their workout regimens.

Many companies, sports authorities, and universities are now using drug testing to identify performance-enhancing drug use.

This has some modafinil users worried.

They take modafinil to boost their performance and would hate to lose everything they’ve worked for due to something as preventable as a failed drug test.

Is this even possible? Will modafinil show up on drug tests?

Why use Modafinil in the First Place?

Modafinil is prescribed by doctors to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. It’s sometimes prescribed for sleep disturbances resulting from shift work and is occasionally prescribed for other conditions like depression.

Off-label use of this powerful prescription drug is much more variable.

Modafinil is classified as a eugeroic drug. This is defined as a compound that promotes the neurological activity associated with wakefulness.

It’s similar to caffeine in that it works on specific receptors on the brain that make us feel awake when we would otherwise feel sleepy.

Caffeine is significantly less potent than modafinil and doesn’t exactly stimulate the brain. It works by inhibiting a compound called adenosine, which builds up throughout the day to make us feel tired. In this respect — caffeine doesn’t promote wakefulness, it technically only inhibits sleepiness.

Modafinil is very different. It inhibits sleepiness and actively stimulates regions in the brain that control our waking state.

This is what makes modafinil so useful for people struggling to stay awake, such as those suffering from narcolepsy or other sleep dysfunctions.

These wakefulness promoting benefits of modafinil give it many applications. The most obvious of which is among students to help them cram for exams and finish tough projects on time.

This has since spread into other industries including the military, corporate workforce, E-sports, and both amateur and professional athletics.

People That Use Modafinil May Include:

• People who need that extra boost to become productive during the day
• People who need to stay up late into the night to prepare for an exam or finish tough work projects
• Overnight or physically exhausting military operations
• Athletes training at various times around the clock
• Frequent flyers experiencing recurring jet lag symptoms
• People working alternating day and night shifts

Where to Find High-Quality Modafinil

Most pharmacies sell modafinil — usually in the brand name versions Provigil® and Alertec®.

The problem is that to buy from a pharmacy, you need a prescription. Online sources are a great alternative because they often provide cheaper generic versions of modafinil and don’t ask for a prescription to purchase.

There are a lot of scams in the online modafinil space due to the nature of how this business structure works. Avoiding these scams can take some trial and error, and many people have lost both time and money ordering from bad vendors.

We get our modafinil from Afinil Express. If you use our coupon code MODAFINILOTC during checkout you can save 10% off your order.

Why Does Drug Testing Exist?

The first official drug test was invented in 1966 by a man named Manfred Donike. He developed a technique using gas chromatography to identify anabolic steroids in the urine of athletes.

Before this, there were other, more crude methods of detecting illicit compounds in the urine of workers.

Henry Ford was famous for his “sober and moral” philosophy on his workforce. He employed staff members to track the habits of his employees at home to identify if substance abuse may hinder their work performance.

Although it’s become frowned upon to follow your employees home to see if they take any drugs or drink too much alcohol — we no longer need to. We now rely on chemical testing to examine the contents of employees’ urine.

As Henry Ford would agree, there are some good reasons why someone would want to test people for drug use.

Let’s go over the top 3 organizations that have an interest in drug-testing.

1. Athletic Organisations

Drug testing is now a standard procedure in professional athletic industries to ensure participants aren’t getting an unfair advantage over their competition.

Methods like gas chromatography, reagent testing, immunoassays, and mass spectronomy are employed to identify the most commonly used illicit or problematic drugs. The compounds drug testers look for depends a lot on the agency doing the testing and what they deem is important.

Virtually every country in the world has a specific organization that regulates the drug testing done on their athletes. They set the standards for their countries testing — which can vary a lot from one country to the next.

Here’s a list of national anti-doping organizations.

2. Corporations

Corporate drug testing has changed a lot over the years. President Reagan of the United States passed the “Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988”, creating a framework for introducing drug testing to American corporations in an attempt to lower drug use in the workplace.

Drug use was seen as a negative impact on productivity and worker performance.

For several years afterward, drug testing became a standard in corporate America — with many other countries following suit.

3. The Government

Various levels of the government also test for drugs. The police may order a test if they feel you were under the influence of illicit substances and were involved in a crime or car accident.

This can be taken forcefully via the blood or saliva, or given voluntarily in a urine sample. The most common form of testing used, however, is through breath testing — which can be used to test for traces of alcohol or marijuana. Hand swabs using reagent testing (more on this below) may also be used to identify the presence of drugs on the hands.

Hospitals also test for drugs if they believe their patients are under the influence of drugs or are in a medical emergency as a result of drug overdose.

Certain government agencies also include testing of their employees as a mandatory part of their employment. This is especially true in the military and transportation services like public train and bus drivers.

How do Drug Tests Work?

There are a few different types of drug tests that can be employed. They’re designed to identify the most common problematic substances in the urine or blood and come in varying levels of accuracy, scope, and cost.

Let’s go over them one by one.

1. Reagent Drug Testing

Reagent Drug testing involves combining urine or blood with a compound that changes color when it comes into contact with certain chemicals. They usually come in the form of special drops or a test-strip paper.

It’s one of the most cost-effective methods of drug testing available and can be done right on the spot. Other examples of reagent testing include chlorine tests in swimming pools and pH testing.

This is the most common form of drug testing used in hospitals looking for illicit drug overdose and with corporate drug testing.

Reagent drug testing doesn’t provide a complete breakdown of what’s in blood or urine. You will only be able to find something if you look for it specifically.  

2. Immuno-Assay Drug Testing

Immuno-assays are another common drug testing method. They look for specific antigens produced by the body for a particular drug, rather than looking for the drug itself.

Virtually everything that enters our body is inspected by the immune system, including drugs. The immune system then decides if it needs to mount an attack or not.

Many drugs will cause a mild immune response (attack), causing the body to produce antibodies.

Antibodies are used to mark substances that aren’t made by us. It’s like wearing a visitor pass when you tour a factory or office.

This way the immune system (like building security) knows exactly what has entered the body, why they’re there, and they keep tabs on them wherever they go.

The benefits of this type of testing are that it can be used to identify drug use even when there is no longer any of these drugs in the system.

Antibodies can hang around for a very long time, making it easy to look for past drug use even if gas chromatography, mass spectronomy, or reagent testing comes up negative.

Immuno-assays are much faster than gas chromatography or mass spectronomy drug testing, but often come up with false positives. Any positive results are only considered presumptive with this type of test and will need to be confirmed with further blood testing.

A common example of an immunoassay test is a pregnancy test. It reacts in the presence of special proteins only found in the urine of pregnant females (anti-hCG antibodies).

Just like a reagent drug test, immuno-assays will only find compounds that are looked for specifically, and will not show the full contents of the urine.

3. Gas Chromatography Drug Testing

Gas chromatography is the original method Manfred Donike used in the first drug test.

It involves vaporizing urine or blood samples and sending it through a long tube.

The compounds separate in the tube depending on their molecular weight and come out the other side at individually. A UV light is then used to view the presence of chemicals coming out the other side.

The results are then compared to standard example tests of various drugs to see if any of the data points match up, thus confirming the presence of that particular drug in the urine or blood sample.

Gas chromatography drug testing is often combined with Mass spectronomy to confirm any positive results.

4. Mass Spectronomy Drug Testing

In mass spectronomy, urine or blood samples are blown apart by electron lasers and sent through a magnetic tube detector. Substances measured this way will each have a unique fingerprint, helping scientists make a positive identification of various drugs in the samples.

Mass spectronomy is often used in research for mapping the chemical composition of various plants, insect, and animal testing. It’s useful for this because you don’t need to look for specific compounds to find them. It works as an exploratory tool for finding out the ingredients of various compounds, including the urine and blood.

5. Four, Five, Ten, and Twelve Panel Drug Tests

Drug testing is far from universal. It depends on the company ordering the testing to decide what drugs to look for.

Most companies use either a 4 or 5-panel drug test to search for illicit substances. They rarely test for prescription medications due to the added cost and low risk they tend to bring with their use. Some, however, will check for commonly abused prescriptions like opioids and benzodiazepines.

This type of testing uses a combination of immuno-assay & reagent tests.

More in-depth testing is available, and it’s most often used by athletic commissions, various branches of government, and bigger corporations. They usually look for the most commonly abused prescription medications and illicit compounds.

These tests can vary a lot depending on who ordered the drug test and what they deem is most important.

The Following Compounds are Often Included in Drug Test Screening:

• Opioids
• Amphetamines
• Anabolic steroids
• Benzodiazepines
• Barbiturates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Methamphetamines
• Alcohol (sometimes)

Does Anybody Look for Modafinil in Drug Tests?

The simple answer to this question is no — but there are some exceptions.

Corporations ordering drug testing for their employees usually include anywhere from 4 to 12 different substances on their testing panels.

It’s extremely unlikely that modafinil will ever make it onto this list.

This is because modafinil is not generally considered a problem in the workforce. In fact, it’s very nature makes it helpful to the workforce. The whole point of taking it is to boost productivity and work performance.

Athletic commissions, however, might test for modafinil.

Most high-level athletic commissions will employ more high-tech drug testing like gas chromatography, mass spectronomy, and immunoassays. These types of drug tests are likely to identify compounds they aren’t specifically looking for — including modafinil.

Is Modafinil Illegal?

Modafinil itself is not illegal, however, depending on who orders the test, they can decide whether they allow their employees or contestants to use modafinil or not.

Modafinil Testing in Athletics

In the United States, The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) offers a list of banned substances on their website.

Although modafinil isn’t technically on this list, they explicitly state that the list is far from official. They also list the entire class of “stimulants” as banned in general.

Drug screening is highly subjective, meaning that if something is found, it will be up to the board members to decide what actions are to follow.

If caught using a drug in one of these tests, the commission can decide whether it wants to take action or not. This is done on a case by case basis if the substance isn’t specifically listed on the list of banned substances.

This is the same with most athletic commissions around the world.

It’s highly recommended that you avoid modafinil if competing in professionally regulated sports.

Modafinil Testing in Professional Gaming and E-Sports

In recent years, interest in professional video gaming (called E-Sports) has skyrocketed.  E-Sports now has an estimated 427 million viewers worldwide — spanning several categories of game genres.

Over the past several years, as the industry has grown exponentially in size, people have become vocal about their use of cognition-enhancing drugs like Adderall and modafinil to boost their performance in professional competitions.

Earlier this year, the Electronic Sports League (ESL) have announced plans to start drug testing their players.

It’s likely that they’ll be using a range of drug testing techniques depending on the scale and budget of the competition. It’s also expected that they will test specifically for modafinil and other cognitive enhancing drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine.

Modafinil Testing in the Corporate & Government Workforce

Drug testing among corporate and government workforces are unlikely to ever test for modafinil. It just isn’t an issue in these industries, and it isn’t a common addition to any of the reagent or immunoassay drug tests available.

Although the drug might come up on other tests like gas chromatography or mass spectronomy, this testing is far more expensive to be running on all employees.

Whether or not this changes in the future, we can’t be sure, but at the moment it’s not likely modafinil will cause anybody to fail a drug test at work.

Summing it all up

Depending on the type of drug test used, which itself depends on the purpose of the drug test, modafinil may or may not be identified. Corporate drug testing mainly uses reagent and immunoassay urine test strips, which can only identify chemicals that are searched for specifically.

Modafinil isn’t common on the list of chemicals looked for on these tests and therefore will not show up on these tests.

Professional sports and  E-Sport commissions often use more high-tech testing equipment for their participants, which can identify chemicals without looking for them individually.

These tests are much more likely to find modafinil.

References

1. Lehrer, M. (1998). The role of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Instrumental techniques in forensic urine drug testing. Clinics in laboratory medicine, 18(4), 631-649.
2. Moeller, K. E., Lee, K. C., & Kissack, J. C. (2008, January). Urine drug screening: practical guide for clinicians. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 66-76). Elsevier.

Modafinil Dosage Guide: 50-400+ mg Doses

Modafinil is a cognitive performance-enhancing medication.

It’s popular among students and corporate employees for boosting workflow efficiency to power through tough projects.

When a doctor prescribes modafinil, they provide detailed instructions on dosages for their specific use.

People ordering their modafinil online, however, are often left guessing about what the best dose might be for their medication.

Today we’re going to have a look at the common dosages among the most popular modafinil products available from online vendors like Afinil Express. 

We go through how much you should take depending on what your motivation for taking it is and highlight a basic dosage schedule to get the best results possible from your medications.

There are 2 Types of Modafinil

In order to talk about doses, we need to differentiate the two different types of modafinil available; modafinil and armodafinil.

Both contain the modafinil compound as the active ingredient but have some subtle differences.

Modafinil is considered a “racemic” compound by chemists.

This means that it contains two isomers of the same compound. Isomers are different variations of the same chemical. Just like your right and left hand are different variations of the same thing (a hand), the two are virtually identical in every way— except that they are mirror images of each other.

Armodafinil is considered an “enantiopure” compound— which means that it only contains one type of isomer— the R- isomer.

This isomer is considered to be slightly stronger than the S- isomer, making the overall effects of armodafinil slightly stronger than modafinil.

Differences in Dosages Between Modafinil & Armodafinil

The first differentiation to discuss is the difference in dose between modafinil and armodafinil.

The standard dose for modafinil is 200 mg, while the equivalent dose of armodafinil is slightly lower at 150 mg.

Even at this dose, armodafinil is considered to be slightly more intense than modafinil.

Let’s break these doses down further.

Dosage Range Comparison of Modafinil & Armodafinil

	Lowest Dosage	Most Common Dosage	Highest Dosage
Modafinil	50 mg	200 mg	400 mg
Armodafinil	50 mg	150 mg	250 mg

Where to Buy Modafinil Online

There are many online sources for modafinil; however, due to the poor regulations in this industry, the market is saturated with low-quality vendors.

There are some exceptions that are offering high-quality modafinil and armodafinil at competitive rates.

Here’s why we prefer buying modafinil online.

1. Free Shipping

Who likes paying for shipping?

Some online vendors offer free shipping on your order, which goes a long way when you consider the fact that they’re usually shipping all the way from India.

2. No Prescription Needed

Buying online offers several distinct advantages, however, the prescription-status is by far the most significant.

When purchasing modafinil from a local pharmacy, you’ll need to present your prescription before purchase. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to go and get one. If you can’t get one, you’re out of luck — simple as that.

Online ordering is different. Due to legal grey areas around modafinil, online vendors are able to sell modafinil without asking for a prescription. It works because modafinil isn’t illegal — only selling modafinil is illegal.

In some parts of the world, however, modafinil is 100% legal to sell over the counter to anybody who pays for it. Online vendors often operate in these countries so they can offer prescription medications to the general public without the need for proof of prescription.

3. Discounted Modafinil

Online vendors often carry generic modafinil at significantly lower prices than the brand name versions sold in pharmacies. These generic versions are virtually identical to the brand name versions and are subject to the same quality control testing as their brand name counterparts.

We recommend using Afinil Express.

If using Afinil Express, use the code MODAFINILOTC during checkout to save an additional 10% off your order.

Depending on what you’re using modafinil or armodafinil for, the dose may be slightly different.

Here, we break down the dosing philosophy for a few of the most common reasons people are using these medications.

1. Modafinil For ADHD & Narcolepsy

The average prescribed dose for modafinil for both narcolepsy and ADHD is 200 mg modafinil or 150 mg armodafinil. In some cases, this can be as high as 500 mg for modafinil and 250 mg armodafinil. [1, 2].

For ADHD, people will generally take the medication on a daily basis, taking 1 or 2 days off every week to prevent long-term side-effects.

For narcolepsy, patients often don’t take any days off because it means that on those days they experience a significant flare-up in symptoms. This is up to the individual to decide depending on how severe their symptoms are.

2. Modafinil for Cognitive Enhancement

The dosage range for modafinil cognitive enhancement benefits can range from 50 mg to 400 mg depending on what the user’s motivations for taking it are.

Other factors that come in include patient size, how reactive they are to the drug, and how often they’re taking it.

A) Using Smaller Doses for Cognitive Enhancement (50 mg)

Some people prefer to take their modafinil in smaller doses. This produces the weakest effects initially, but it’s the safest option for long-term use.

Any dose that is 50 mg or less is considered a microdose— meaning that the dose is below the therapeutic threshold.

Microdosing offers less noticeable effects than the normal 100, 200, or 400 mg doses— but can provide benefits over longer periods of time.

Many people use this dose for long periods as a caffeine replacement to help them wake up in the morning. It promotes a gentle, low-grade feeling of wakefulness about 30-45 minutes after consumption.

Modafinil doesn’t usually come in 50 mg tablets.

In order to get this dose, 100 mg tablets will need to be broken in half, or 200 mg doses will need to be broken in quarters.

It’s much easier to break a 100 mg tablet in half than it is to break a 200 mg in fourths. The manufacturer usually makes a crease down the middle to help users split the tablets in half evenly.

Some users mash their capsules up into a powder and split this into four equal portions. The powder can then be encapsulated or blended into a strong smoothie in the morning. This method will dramatically lower the time it takes for the modafinil to enter the bloodstream— and allows effective control of smaller doses.

The equivalent armodafinil dosage in this range is also 50 mg but can be slightly stronger in its effects.

When to use 50 mg modafinil doses:

• If you’re sensitive to modafinil
• If you’re just starting out with modafinil and need to test its effects
• If you plan on using daily modafinil long-term (years)
• If you want the lowest chance of developing side-effects

B) Average Doses for Cognitive Enhancement (200 mg)

This is the most popular dosage used for cognitive enhancement. It comes to no surprise that this is also the most common dosage form found online.

The usual dose of both Waklert and Modalert is 200 mg per tablet.

This is also the dosage with the most research behind it.

The equivalent armodafinil dose to this is 150 mg, which is the dosage supplied in the generic versions Artvigil and Modvigil.

Benefits of 200 mg dose of modafinil:

• Provides well-known effects on cognition
• Has a great deal of research behind this dosage
• Easiest dosage to take (no splitting or powdering of pills needed)
• Most common dosage available online

C) Larger Doses for Cognitive Enhancement (400 mg)

In some cases, larger doses of modafinil are desired. 400 mg is considered the highest safe dose.

Anything over 400 mg dramatically increases the risk of side effects.

A 400 mg dose of modafinil is useful for larger individuals or people who have developed a tolerance to modafinil with long-term use.

This dosage is not recommended for people just starting out with modafinil. It can cause anxiety, insomnia, and other side effects. If you wish to try this dose, even if you have a larger than average build, you should always build the dose up slowly from either 50 mg or 100 mg.

This is done to make sure you aren’t allergic or sensitive to the drug.

The equivalent armodafinil dose to this is 250 mg. Most tablets are supplied in 150 mg doses, making it easier to double up and take a 300 mg dose. Users should be aware that this will be stronger in its effects compared to the equivalent 400 mg modafinil.

Benefits of a 400 mg dose of modafinil:

• Offers the strongest effect within the safe dosage range
• Best for people with large builds
• Better for people with fast drug metabolism
• Good for short-term use of modafinil

The Side Effects of Modafinil

There are some side effects associated with modafinil. Most of them are only subtle, such as insomnia, digestive system discomfort, headaches, low appetite, and dry mouth.

These side effects are more likely to occur with higher doses.

The 50 mg dose rarely produces any side effects, while the 400 mg dose often produces side effects— most commonly insomnia and headaches.

Side effects can be prevented or reduced by taking the medication earlier in the day and away from other stimulants like coffee or tea.

Drinking plenty of water (2-3 L per day), as well as sufficient nutrition, will go a long way in eliminating or preventing side effects.

When to Visit a Doctor

More severe side effects have been reported, but they are much rarer.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of hysteria, difficulty breathing, dizziness, hallucinations, or severe skin reactions, you should visit a doctor immediately.

Recommended Dosage Schedule for New Users

Whenever trying a supplement or medication out for the first time, it’s recommended that you start with a smaller dose and build up gradually to a higher dose. This is done to make sure that you’re not allergic to the drug and that you can metabolize and eliminate it from your body effectively.

Almost all drugs that enter the body are metabolized by the liver. The liver uses a set of enzymes to break down chemicals. Each one is coded by a specific gene, which we refer to as the CYP450 isoenzymes.

Everyone’s CYP450 genes are unique (polymorphisms), and some people have a stronger ability to break down certain chemicals than others.

This is why many people can drink coffee all day long, while others seem to remain wired for hours after just one cup. They’re essentially unable to break the caffeine down as efficiently due to the CYP450 polymorphisms they were born with.

The same can happen with modafinil— which is why it’s best to make sure there are no problems before jumping straight into a large 400 mg dosage.

If you have difficulty metabolizing modafinil, its effects will last much longer.

Additionally, if taking modafinil every day, the concentrations in your bloodstream can begin to build up over time.

Recommended Dosage Schedule for New Modafinil Users

Week	Dose	Any Side Effects?
1	50 mg	If yes, modafinil may not be for you
2	100 mg	If yes, go back to 50mg per day
3	200 mg	If yes, try 150 mg per day
4	300 mg	If yes, try 250 mg per day
5	350 mg	If yes, go back to 300 mg per day
6	400 mg	If yes, go back to 350 mg per day

Conclusion

Modafinil can be an extremely useful medication to boost your workflow and productivity. People often use it to get a step ahead of their colleagues or competition and to boost their overall performance at work or school.

Due to the potential for side effects, proper dosage is very important with this drug.

We recommend starting at a small 50 mg or 100 mg dose the first few days before increasing this dose. The normal dosage range for modafinil (Modalert & Modvigil) is 100-400 mg per day). The equivalent doses of armodafinil (Waklert & Artvigil) are 50-250 mg per day.

It’s also recommended that you always ensure you’re consuming enough food and water throughout the day to avoid any potential side effects.

References

1. Bastoji, H., & Jouvet, M. (1988). Successful treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia and narcolepsy with modafinil. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, 12(5), 695-700.
2. Harsh, J. R., Hayduk, R., Rosenberg, R., Wesnes, K. A., Walsh, J. K., Arora, S., … & Roth, T. (2006). The efficacy and safety of armodafinil as treatment for adults with excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy. Current medical research and opinion, 22(4), 761-774.
3. 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.

Beginners Guide to Modafinil for Depression

Modafinil has many uses outside of its prescribed range. It’s used to boost focus and productivity, treat ADHD & narcolepsy, and to overcome the negative effects of jet lag or shift work.

One of the newer uses for modafinil is to treat symptoms of depression, which is starting to show some very positive results.

Can modafinil be used for depression? How does it work? Is there any research to prove it works?

In this article, we go into the details about what depression is, what causes it, and how modafinil may be used to help.

What is Modafinil Used For?

Modafinil is a prescription-only medication given by doctors to treat attention deficit disorders (ADD and ADHD), and narcolepsy — a sleeping disorder characterized by “excessive sleepiness”.

Modafinil’s uses revolve around its ability to interact with neurochemicals in our brains.

THE BIOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF MODAFINIL INCLUDE:

1. Increases dopamine concentrations in the brain
2. Increases the release of histamine in the brain
3. Boosts norepinephrine levels
4. Stimulates the release of orexin

These effects are especially useful for boosting the feeling of wakefulness in the brain as all of the neurotransmitters affected have a stimulating effect. They also affect other areas of cognition including memory, mood, appetite, and concentration.

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON APPLICATIONS OF MODAFINIL INCLUDES:

• Corporate employees looking to boost productivity at work
• Artists experiencing creative blocks
• Students who need to stay awake to finish a project or cram for a test
• Fighter pilots and military special forces enduring long overnight missions
• eSport professionals looking to gain an edge over the competition
• Athletes aiming to boost their performance in the gym or on the field

There are indeed many different ways modafinil can be used to give someone a temporary performance upgrade.

Modafinil’s ability to stimulate the brain offers other benefits as well. One of the most important ones is in the treatment of depression.

Modafinil & Depression: An Overview

There are many different causes of depression. The most conventional understanding of depression views it as a deficiency in either dopamine or serotonin. The most common class of antidepressants used today works on serotonin levels (SSRIs and SNRIs). This is considered the first line of treatment for major depressive patients.

These antidepressant medications don’t work on everybody, however. In fact, a recent study found that as many as 33% of patients suffering from depression are unresponsive to conventional antidepressants [8].

An estimated 15% of the world’s population are thought to be suffering from depression. This means that as many as 366 million people around the globe are unresponsive to their antidepressant medications — making it important to investigate new antidepressant candidates.

If the conventional antidepressants focusing on increasing serotonin levels aren’t working, this leaves dopamine as the next suspect in line.

Modafinil offers an interesting solution to the problem due to its dopamine reuptake inhibiting benefits.

One of the main uses of modafinil is to increase dopamine concentrations in ADHD sufferers (this condition is highly associated with insufficient dopamine concentrations).

Where to Find Modafinil

Most people get their modafinil online.

Buying from online vendors make it easy to source modafinil with or without a prescription.

Even those who have prescriptions can benefit from ordering your modafinil online. This is because most pharmacies stock brand-name modafinil like Provigil® or Alertec®. These capsules can cost anywhere from 5 to 100 times as much as the generic versions of the same drug offered on websites like AfinilExpress.com.

We recommend trying Waklert, or Modvigil instead. The effects are the same, but the cost is significantly cheaper.

Depression is a common condition with a wide range of different presenting symptoms.

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION MAY INCLUDE:

• Increased or decreased appetite
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Low libido
• Fatigue
• Poor concentration
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Social isolation
• Low productivity
• Poor motivation

Modafinil & Depression

Modafinil offers several unique improvements in the treatment of depression. It’s useful as an adjunctive treatment alongside other antidepressant medications (with doctor supervision), as well as on its own for treating both the cause and the symptoms.

If you’re looking to use modafinil for depression, it’s important that you first consult a doctor — especially with severe depression or if taking other medications.

Modafinil & Dopamine

Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain.

It’s used to regulate different brain regions involving processes like homeostasis (balance), memory, the formation of habits, libido, the reward center, autonomic nervous function (like heartbeat and breathing), and even the regulation of mood.

Traditional antidepressants generally focus on serotonin.

Although serotonin is a key player in the regulation of mood and can become dysfunctional in some individuals, it’s not the only neurotransmitter involved. This explains why Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) don’t always work in the treatment of depression.

OTHER SYMPTOMS THAT SUGGEST LOW DOPAMINE LEVELS INCLUDE:

• Poor concentration
• Excessive fidgeting
• Inability to manage stress effectively
• Forgetfulness
• Low sex drive
• Gastrointestinal discomfort

How Modafinil Increases Dopamine

Modafinil works by blocking a special set of transporters tasked with reabsorbing dopamine after it’s been released from the synapse (DAT) [5].

This causes a gradual increase in dopamine concentrations around the nerve synapses.

This helps normalize dopamine levels in people with dysfunctional dopamine levels. It’s also the mechanism that makes modafinil so useful for conditions like ADHD and depression.

Modafinil & Weight Loss

Our instincts as humans are to take in as much food as we can to prepare for times of famine. In the past, this was a useful survival instinct, but it’s now becoming an issue as we live in a world of abundance. These instincts are one of the main drivers for the increased incidence of obesity in the modern world.

The Body Mass Index is a tool medical practitioners use to categorize healthy vs. unhealthy weights. Anything over 25 (calculated as around 20% higher than the healthy amount) is considered overweight. Obesity is then considered anything over a BMI of 30.

Obesity is one of the main drivers for depression. A recent study took a closer look at this connection and found a significant correlation between obesity and depression. They found that people of all age groups and genders involved in the study who were obese were more likely than those of a healthy weight to suffer from depression. [6].

Other studies have shown that this is a cyclical issue. Depression leads to higher incidences of obesity, and obesity leads to a higher prevalence of depression. [7].

Therefore, one of the best ways we can fight depression is to target obesity.

How to Use Modafinil for Weight Loss

Modafinil is a stimulant, which by its very nature works to boost metabolism.Most of the common weight loss supplements are in fact stimulants. They work by driving up metabolism. This speeds the conversion of fats into ketone bodies, which are then used to produce energy at a cellular level.

For this to work, you also need to be doing exercise to burn the ketones that are produced from fat. Restricting calories is also necessary.

Modafinil also offers benefits towards caloric restriction by lowering appetite.

With a loss of appetite, we’re less likely to binge-eat or stress eat whenever we feel down and depressed. These habits are one of the primary maintaining factors with depression-related obesity.

By gradually reducing weight in obese or overweight, depressed individuals, you can minimize the impact this added fat has on the process of depression.

For more information check out our beginner’s guide to modafinil for weight loss.

Modafinil & Fatigue

A common side effect of depression is fatigue and malaise. This can happen for a number of reasons.

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF DEPRESSION-RELATED FATIGUE INCLUDE:

• Adrenal fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Side effects of insomnia
• Low dopamine levels
• Low physical activity levels
• Poor nervous system activation
• Parasympathetic nervous system dominance

How Modafinil Helps with Fatigue

Modafinil is classified therapeutically as a eugeroic. This is by definition a class of drugs that promote wakefulness.

People suffering from fatigue can have their symptoms dramatically improved with the use of wakefulness-promoting medications like modafinil. It works to boost norepinephrine levels — which is responsible for regulating the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

The SNS controls our fight or flight system, making us feel alert and active when we’re stressed, and is responsible for waking us up every morning.

Many people who are depressed find it especially challenging to wake up in the morning.

In depressed people, the SNS often becomes dysfunctional, allowing the opposing side of the nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to take over.

This causes drowsiness, fatigue, and symptoms of oversleeping. Other side effects can include diarrhea, swelling, and weight gain.

Research on Modafinil for Depression

Eighty-five patients with bipolar disorder and depression who were unresponsive to conventional antidepressants were given either modafinil or placebo. After just two weeks, a marked improvement was noted in the modafinil group. At the end of the 6-week study, 40% of the modafinil group went into complete remission of their symptoms. [4].

Another study looked at the records of hospitals in the united states to identify the effectiveness of modafinil as an antidepressant medication. They found that after 90 days of treatment, 67% of people taking modafinil had a 20% or more improvement in their symptoms. [9].

Safety Warnings

If you intend to use modafinil for treating depression and its associated side effects, it’s important that you first consult a medical doctor. This is to make sure there aren’t any good reasons why you shouldn’t use this medication for your depression.

WHEN TO AVOID USING MODAFINIL FOR DEPRESSION:

• If your depression is associated with severe anxiety
• If you suffer from anorexia
• If you’re taking other antidepressant medications
• If you’re suffering from an acute cold or flu
• If you’re taking blood pressure or heart medications
• If you are experiencing severe depression
• If you also suffer from anemia

Summary: Using Modafinil for Depression

Depression is a common and debilitating medical condition.

Conventional treatment for the condition has come a long way but still has its limitations. Most treatments focus on boosting serotonin levels in the brain to treat the condition. However, dopamine can also be affected.

Modafinil increases dopamine concentrations in the brain and addresses most of the major symptoms also associated with the condition. This includes side effects like obesity and fatigue.

Taking modafinil for depression will involve long-term use, usually around 100 mg or 200 mg per day. Consult your doctor before trying this medication as a treatment for your depression.

1. Austin, M. P. (2006). To treat or not to treat: maternal depression, SSRI use in pregnancy and adverse neonatal effects. Psychological medicine, 36(12), 1663-1670.
2. Finan, P. H., & Smith, M. T. (2013). The comorbidity of insomnia, chronic pain, and depression: dopamine as a putative mechanism. Sleep medicine reviews, 17(3), 173-183.
3. Meyer, J. H., Krüger, S., Wilson, A. A., Christensen, B. K., Goulding, V. S., Schaffer, A., … & Kennedy, S. H. (2001). Lower dopamine transporter binding potential in striatum during depression. Neuroreport, 12(18), 4121-4125.
4. Frye, M. A., Grunze, H., Suppes, T., McElroy, S. L., Keck Jr, P. E., Walden, J., … & Mintz, J. (2007). A placebo-controlled evaluation of adjunctive modafinil in the treatment of bipolar depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(8), 1242-1249.
5. 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.
6. Pratt, L. A., & Brody, D. J. (2014). Depression and obesity in the US adult household population, 2005–2010. Women, 20, 39.
7. Luppino, F. S., de Wit, L. M., Bouvy, P. F., Stijnen, T., Cuijpers, P., Penninx, B. W., & Zitman, F. G. (2010). Overweight, obesity, and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Archives of general psychiatry, 67(3), 220-229.
8. Shelton, R. C., Tollefson, G. D., Tohen, M., Stahl, S., Gannon, K. S., Jacobs, T. G., … & Feldman, P. D. (2001). A novel augmentation strategy for treating resistant major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(1), 131-134.
9. Price, C. S., & Taylor, F. B. (2005). A retrospective chart review of the effects of modafinil on depression as monotherapy and as adjunctive therapy. Depression and anxiety, 21(4), 149-153.

Beginners Guide to Using Modafinil for Creativity

One of the biggest advantages humans have over other animals is our ability to think creatively.

Many of us rely on creativity to do our jobs.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get the creative juices flowing sometimes, and many of us need all the help we can get.

Modafinil offers a unique set of benefits that can be used to increase creativity as well as boost our workflow and production efficiency.

This is great for writers, artists, musicians, and anybody working on finding a solution to a problem that isn’t immediately obvious.

We talk about how the creative process works in the brain and then combine this with modafinil’s many benefits. The goal is to use modafinil to boost the creative process, making it more efficient, and more reliable.

What Is Creativity?

Before we get into how we can use modafinil for creativity, it’s fitting that we first get a good understanding of what creativity really is.

Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. It turns something that’s only in the imagination into something that exists in the world around us.

In many cases, this is something tangible like a painting or article but can also include less tangible things like music or blockchain technology.

Where Does Creativity Come From?

Creativity is a natural human phenomenon. The hardware contained in our brains is powerful enough to literally turn nothing into something. The actual location in which this thought occurs is up for the philosophers of the world to debate.

We aren’t here to discuss the origins of the mind, and where thoughts originate, however, we can discuss the different types of thinking necessary for creativity to exist…

Convergent & Divergent Thinking

Creativity is an incredibly complex process. It’s a balance between a number of different regions of the brain. It’s driven by two main types of thinking, divergentand convergent thinking.

What does this mean?

According to the famous American Psychologist who coined the words, J. P. Guilford, convergent thinking is one of the two main ingredients needed for creative thinking. It’s the process used to solve problems that have a single answer.

Divergent thinking is the opposite of convergent thinking. It’s used to solve problems with many possible answers.

Searching for the Source of Creativity

Dr. George Land had a particular interest in the source of creativity and set out to find it.

He founded a research and consulting institute to study the enhancement of creative performance back in 1965.

Children are Inherently Creative

Much of Dr. Land’s research involved children because he noticed early on that children were programmed to have more creativity than adults.

He noticed that as people age, they learned to become less creative, finding shortcuts in things, and turning their heads away from creative instincts more often.

In one of his studies, he grouped 1600 children into their respective ages and gave them all a creativity test he had previously devised for NASA.

His results included the following:

• 5-year-olds scored an average of 98%
• 10-year-olds scored an average of 30%
• 15-year-olds scored an average of 12%
• Adults (tested after the study had completed) score an average of 2%

He concluded that it’s not creativity that’s learned, its non-creative behavior that’s learned.

You can view one of his Ted talks here.

What to Do with This Information

Knowing that the human brain is inherently creative and that we develop non-creative behaviors as we age, the solution involves uncovering these creative thought processes.

This means that instead of learning how to be creative, we need to unlearn how NOT to be creative. This, of course, takes a bit of effort to do.

A professional bodybuilder didn’t get their body overnight. It was achieved through years of hard work and dedication that went into training. The same can be said for creativity.

The Creative Thought Process

The first step to retraining your brain to be creative is to understand the creative thought process.

There are four stages to this process:

Stage I: Preparation

The preparation stage involves identifying the problem that needs a creative solution and collecting the raw facts and materials needed for finding these new solutions.

This is the stage that modafinil is most helpful in terms of boosting the creative process.

Stage II: Incubation

This stage involves the unconscious thought process of finding a solution to a problem. This involves some time spent NOT thinking about the problem. It needs to sit in the subconscious and stew for a while.

Modafinil is not recommended for this stage.

Stage III: Illumination

The illumination stage is the ‘EUREKA’ moment when the creative solution presents itself. This is the stage we are trying to promote by setting up the preparation and incubation stage.

Modafinil isn’t recommended for this stage.

Stage IV: Verification

This is the final stage, where the eureka moment is investigated more closely to explore its validity.

This is another stage where modafinil can come in useful as a way to really explore the idea in more detail to identify where it needs improvement.

How Can Modafinil Help with Creativity?

Modafinil can be a very useful tool for promoting the creative process. Its main benefits are in the preparation stage (stage I) and the verification stage (stage IV). These are the stages that require the most grunt work and effort, while the other stages rely on natural cognitive processes.

Modafinil is useful because it can dramatically increase our ability to work productively, thus getting a lot more done than usual.

It delays the onset of fatigue, allowing us to work longer and harder.

Modafinil also increases dopamine concentrations in the brain, which are heavily involved in the process of learning and data collection.

However, it’s not always that simple. Knowing how Modafinil affects dopamine, and how changes in dopamine affect the creative process can dramatically improve the effectiveness of using Modafinil for supporting the creative thought process.

Modafinil & Dopamine

Patients suffering from conditions like ADD and ADHD (which have a characteristically poor ability to concentrate) have been shown to have LOW dopamine levels on average [1].

The conventional treatment for this condition is modafinil, Adderall, or Ritalin, all of which work to boost this dopamine to normal levels.

This allows them to focus much more easily, thus improving their ability to learn.

In healthy individuals, dopamine levels are generally not a problem.

When they take medications like modafinil that boost dopamine, levels go above normal. This places people in a state of intense focus and concentration temporarily. It can dramatically improve our ability to focus on a single task for several hours at a time.

High Dopamine

Modafinil increases dopamine while it’s active in the body.

It does this by decreasing the activity of a special protein complex found on the synapses that reabsorb used dopamine.

When this protein complex (known as DAT) is inhibited, dopamine concentrations begin to rise outside the synapses, causing increased effects.

High dopamine levels are not directly beneficial for the process of creativity, however, it’s highly beneficial during the data collection phase.

Modafinil for Stage I: Preparation

Due to an increase in dopamine levels, along with modafinil’s ability to delay fatigue, it’s best used during the preparation stage.

The preparation stage involves most of the hard work. This is where you need to identify the problem that requires a creative solution and do the research needed to figure out an answer or produce creative ideas.

If you’re writing a paper this means figuring out the goal of the paper and sifting through various forms of research to get all of your information together and organized.

If you’re looking to paint a picture or write some music, this may involve analyzing other similar works to get an idea of what you want to produce.

Modafinil is an EXCELLENT tool for this part of the process.

People that use modafinil often report spending 15 or 20 hours straight collecting and interpreting data.

Avoid Modafinil for The Next Two Stages of The Creative Process

There is a good reason for this, mostly involving modafinil’s effect on dopamine.

Low Dopamine & Creativity

Interestingly, LOW dopamine levels have actually been associated with improved creativity [2].

Yes, you heard me… low dopamine levels can improve creativity.

A recent study [2] investigated the findings of some older research that found that patients with Schizophrenic behaviors were generally more creative than healthy people [3].

It was then reasoned that low dopamine activity in a special region of the brain known as the thalamus was the best explanation for these findings.

Researchers noted that increased dopamine concentrations in the thalamus are beneficial for learning, and information gathering and retrieval, but hinder the process of “convergent thinking”, a key element of the creative process.

This is why stages 2 and 3 of the creative process, (incubation and illumination) are best achieved WITHOUT modafinil.

This is further enhanced if modafinil is taken during the preparation stage. It causes a rebound drop in dopamine directly following the dose, which helps the incubation and illumination stages.

Modafinil For Stage IV: Validation

Once you’ve had some insight and hopefully produced a “eureka moment” during stage III, it’s now time to validate the idea.

Modafinil comes in useful during this stage again because it involves more grunt work to test the idea and try to apply it.

This stage involves a lot of trial and error and can be very time-consuming depending on what the creativity is applied to.

Modafinil can be a great tool during this stage to spend a lot of time taking the idea to completion.

Some More Tips on Supporting the Creative Process

1. If You Want to be Creative, You Need to Hang Around With Creative People

You are essentially the sum of the 5 closest people in your life. Of course, this is a simplified statement, but it’s not far off.

As humans, we tend to imitate each other.

This is why people living in any given area of the world will all speak relatively similar compared to other areas of the world, or even the same country. You can always tell where someone spends most of their time if you’re familiar with the accent.

This goes for things like creativity as well.

If most of your friends and family aren’t creative people, it’s unlikely that you will be either.

One of the best ways to gain the desired attribute is to find people that have that attribute and hang around them as much as possible. This is also how mentorship works.

Seek out creative people through Meetup groups, attend conferences and talks, and go to places like art galleries or music festivals.

2. Search for Different Ways to do the Same Thing, Even if you Already Know a Shortcut

As mentioned earlier, we naturally have creative abilities when we’re born, but learn to not be creative by developing shortcuts.

Try tackling common day to day problems with new solutions to exercise your creative thinking.

Maybe you can look for an alternate way to work or build yourself that new desk instead of buying it.

3. Allow Yourself to be Wrong

This is a fundamental part of the creative process that often goes overlooked.

Part of the reason our brains learn to become less creative is an attempt to avoid being wrong. We find it embarrassing when really we should view it as something constructive.

There is no such thing as a bad idea, just building blocks for better ideas.

4. Seek Out Further Training

The more information and training you have, the higher your potential for creative output is. This is especially true when the nature of your training is diverse.

A great way to make creativity come more easily is to never stop learning. Take weekend courses, go for that Master’s degree, or take up a new hobby.

All forms of learning and any topic of learning is beneficial, as it allows you to pull ideas for a larger pool of knowledge.

Final Thoughts On Using Modafinil for Creativity

To summarize, modafinil can be an excellent tool for creativity if used the right way.

There are four stages to the creative process, modafinil is useful for stage I— the preparation stage.

This is where you sit down and look at the problem (or canvas) and figure out what information you need to find the answer. Modafinil will help you gather information for many hours.

Stages II and III are best done without modafinil. This is where you try not to think about the problem directly, and let your subconscious run its calculations. The idea will later come to you when you least expect it.

Stage IV is again a good time to use modafinil. This is where you validate the idea, and see how far you can take it.

Overall, modafinil can be a great tool to use during the creative process. Whether you’re painting, writing, or searching for an answer to a difficult question, embracing the way our mind works and leveraging tools like modafinil can make the creative process much more achievable.

References

1. Li, D., Sham, P. C., Owen, M. J., & He, L. (2006). Meta-analysis shows significantassociation between dopamine system genes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Human molecular genetics, 15(14), 2276-2284.
2. Chermahini, S. A., & Hommel, B. (2010). The (b) link between creativity and dopamine: spontaneous eye blink rates predict and dissociate divergent and convergent thinking. Cognition, 115(3), 458-465.
3. Eysenck, H. J. (1993). Creativity and personality: Suggestions for a theory. Psychological inquiry, 4(3), 147-178.

Beginners Guide to Mixing Modafinil and Caffeine

Caffeine fuels the world’s productivity.

Over a billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world each day, making coffee the second most traded commodity in the world.

It’s only second to oil.

As oil is the fuel for industry, coffee is the fuel or human productivity.

Modafinil is a much newer compound compared to caffeine but is very similar in its effects.

If coffee is 91 octane gasoline, modafinil is jet fuel.

Can caffeine and modafinil be mixed? How can I ensure I’m doing it safely? Keep reading to find out.

What is Modafinil?

Modafinil has a similar effect to caffeine — only much stronger.

It’s considered a stimulant and a eugeroic (something that promotes wakefulness).

People take modafinil to fight fatigue and boost overall productivity at work or school. It’s used to improve focus and concentration by increasing dopamine levels in the brain.

Students, business executives, and creatives use it to get through tough or tedious projects and lengthen available working hours by delaying sleepiness.

Modafinil vs. Caffeine

Although there are a lot of similarities between caffeine and modafinil, there are also a lot of differences.

The brain functions through a complex series of chemical reactions and electrical impulses. They interact with each other to drive everything from homeostasis (internal climate control) to imagination & memory.

Adding to the complexity, there are many different neurotransmitters, enzyme reactions, and other factors that can be used to change the brain’s functionality.

The brain and the rest of the nervous system essentially have two different halves; the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

Two Competing Sides to the Nervous System

A) The SNS: Stimulation

The SNS is responsible for stimulating the body and the mind.

It’s used to make us feel awake during the day and heightens our physical ability when we need it to get through challenging or stressful situations.

B) The PNS: Relaxation

The PNS is used to stop the effects of the SNS.

It’s used to put the body in a state of relaxation and makes us feel tired at night. It also helps us return to normal after experiencing stress.

The PNS also works to increase recovery body functions like digestion and immune function.

Modafinil & Caffeine Both Work Through The SNS

Modafinil & caffeine are both considered stimulants because they produce most of their effects on the neurotransmitters that are involved with the SNS.

By increasing the SNS, we’re activating parts of the brain that make us feel awake. It can also cause changes to nerve transmission rates. With faster nerve signals, we can make more calculations per second, leading to faster reaction times, and improved decision-making capacity.

Modafinil & caffeine are different from each other in how they stimulate the SNS.

Caffeine “Inhibits” Sleepiness

The caffeine molecule works by blocking the effects of a compound called adenosine.

Adenosine builds up naturally throughout the day. It’s a byproduct of healthy nerve function.

As adenosine levels rise, they start to slow down the nerve cells. It adds a delay to make them fire slower. This is designed to make us feel sleepy at the end of a long day.

Caffeine works by occupying the receptor that accepts the adenosine molecules, therefore stopping effects of adenosine.

Caffeine Increases The Stress Response

Caffeine also binds and activates to our adrenaline receptors. This causes the stress response process, thus activating the SNS.

The strength of caffeine on these receptors is fairly low compared to our built-in stress modulating hormone, cortisol, but is enough to produce noticeable results.

This is partly why we can feel jittery and anxious when we drink too much coffee. What we’re essentially experiencing is a “stressful situation”— physiologically speaking.

Modafinil Modulates The Sleep-Wake Cycle

We have a biological clock in the body, calibrated by routine and daylight exposure.

It involves a careful balance of hormones and neurotransmitters (mainly cortisol and melatonin) that make us feel awake in the morning and tired at night.

Modafinil overrides this system to make us feel awake.

It works by stimulating a compound called orexin, which is used to carry out “wakefulness” sensations triggered by the SNS.

Modafinil Increases Dopamine

Dopamine is one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain. It’s used to regulate mood, sexual function, hormone production, the reward center, punishment, and concentration.

Modafinil has the additional benefit over caffeine in its ability to increase dopamine levels. This makes it much better as a wakefulness-promoting medication with the aim of increasing productivity at work or school.

Do Caffeine & Modafinil Mix?

Caffeine and modafinil can be mixed, but with some cautions.

Additive effects

Whenever mixing two of the same class of drugs, you risk increased chances of side effects. This is because the effects may be additive. This means that they build on each other to improve the overall effects.

Same Effects, Different Mechanisms

With that aside, it’s also advantageous to mix the two because although they produce the same effects, they have different mechanisms from one another.

This allows the mix to have a broader benefit on wakefulness than either compound alone.

Some people who are tired because of adenosine, won’t find the same level of improvement with modafinil as they will with caffeine.

On the other hand, people who are tired due to their sleep-wake cycle are not going to find nearly as many improvements using only caffeine as they will with modafinil.

This is why many people choose to mix caffeine and modafinil.

How to Mix Caffeine With Modafinil

There are two ways you can mix caffeine with modafinil;

1. Mixing Coffee or Tea With Modafinil

A) Coffee

Coffee is likely the most popular way caffeine is combined with modafinil.

This is the most common form of the compound and is easy to source.

An average cup of coffee will contain roughly 100 mg of caffeine. Since it takes about 6 hours for caffeine to pass through the system, it’s recommended that you consume a maximum of 200 mg of caffeine every 6 hours, or 100 mg every 3 hours.

This would mean having about one coffee every 3 hours.

B) Green, Oolong, or Black Tea

Tea is another way of getting caffeine but comes with some downfalls.

There’s plenty of caffeine in tea. However, caffeine has poor solubility in water. This means that you will need to steep the leaves for a long period of time and use boiling water to get the right amount of caffeine into your cup.

Unlike coffee, hot temperatures can dramatically change the flavor of tea. In higher temperatures and longer extraction times, more of the undesired, bitter principles in the tea plant are extracted into the brew.

This means that in order to get enough caffeine into your tea, you need to over brew it, which doesn’t taste very good.

If using tea as a source of caffeine, make sure the brew is steeped for a long time (over 5 minutes). A 250mL cup of tea will contain about 27 mg of caffeine. If you aim for the 200mg dose every 6 hours, you can have a maximum of about 1 cup of tea every hour.

C) Yerba Maté

Another excellent option for caffeine is to drink a South American herbal teaknown as Yerba Maté.

Yerba Maté is a large tree with leaves high in caffeine and other related alkaloids.

One of the best things about yerba maté is that it tends to have fewer side effects than other caffeine-containing herbs. This is mainly due to the presence of a similar alkaloid known as theobromine. This is the same compound that makes chocolate stimulating.

Theobromine has similar effects to caffeine regarding its stimulating benefits but offers some additional effects that negate most of the undesired side effects of caffeine. It prevents spikes in blood pressure and lowers anxiety and jitteriness.

A cup (250 mL) of yerba maté tea contains about 30 mg of caffeine.

2. Taking Caffeine Pills or Powder With Modafinil

Caffeine pills are another great way of mixing caffeine with modafinil.

Pills or powders allow you to make precise doses of your caffeine. This allows you to minimize the chances of developing side effects and make it easy to really “dial in” the combination.

Caffeine pills often come in a variety of different doses, including 15, 50, 100, and 200 mg.

We recommend aiming for about 100 mg every 3-6 hours when mixing caffeine pills with Modafinil.

Remember These 3 Things Whenever Mixing Modafinil With Caffeine

Whether you’re mixing modafinil with coffee, tea, or caffeine pills, there are some important things to remember when mixing.

1. Get The Timing Right

Although caffeine can be taken at any point in the day when mixing with modafinil if you time it properly you can get a lot more from the combination.

As mentioned, caffeine works best when adenosine has started to build up in the brain. This happens as a byproduct of normal nerve function.

Therefore, caffeine will have the most to offer later in the day after adenosine has started to build up in the brain.

Most people who mix caffeine and modafinil will take their modafinil early in the morning as usual— along with a small coffee or low dose caffeine pill (up to 100 mg). Then another dose later in the afternoon when adenosine starts to build up.

2. Dial It In

Everyone is different, and therefore the effects of any given drug, and any particular combination will be different from one person to the next.

We can offer guidelines to get you started with dosing and mixing. This should always be tweaked depending on how this affects your body in particular.

If you start with the 100 mg caffeine and 200 mg modafinil combination and find it to be too stimulating, take a smaller dose next time, or space them out even further.

Perhaps try 50mg of caffeine with your 200 mg modafinil instead.

Remember, the goal isn’t to be as awake as possible; it’s to make you more productive and ward off fatigue so you can get more done.

3. Know How To Manage Anxiety

The most common side effect of this combination is anxiety. This is because it’s one of the main side effects of both of these drugs.

Although the chances of developing anxiety can be reduced, it may still arise from time to time when taking modafinil, and especially when mixing other stimulants with modafinil.

It’s useful to know how to manage and/or prevent it from happening in the first place.

Anxiety is a direct representation of an overactive nervous system (SNS specifically). Therefore, the best way to address the issue is to increase the opposing side of the nervous system, the PNS.

The PNS is involved with most of our involuntary body systems (meaning that we don’t have conscious control over them). This includes our heart rate, immune function, digestive function, and respiratory rate.

Out of all of these systems, the only one we have control over is the respiration rate. It’s both voluntary AND involuntary.

Think about it, if you don’t concentrate on your breathing, you do it automatically, but if you think about it, you can also control your exact respiration rate.

Controlling our breath rate is the best way to take manual control of the PNS.

To do this, you merely need to take slowed, rhythmic breaths. One breath every 6 or 7 seconds.

This simple process has been shown to be the key factor in practices like meditation that put us into a state of calm and clear focus.

There is a whole field of study on this called “heart rate variability.” It involves measuring the changes in heart rate to measure the activity of the PNS.

This is by FAR the simplest and most effective way of managing anxiety on modafinil and caffeine.

Learn more about managing the side effects of modafinil.

Is Mixing Caffeine & Modafinil Safe?

Combining caffeine and modafinil is common practice. The biggest issue with the combination comes from the side effects that are common to both compounds.

There may also be some interactions in the liver, slowing down its ability to detox effectively.

There’s an Increased Risk of Side Effects

Since both compounds offer stimulating effect directly on the central nervous system, it is easy to cause hyperstimulation. The side effects of this are anxiety, insomnia, jitteriness, heart palpitations, and muscle tremors.

If you already suffer from any of these side effects on a regular basis, the combination may not be for you.

It Can Cause Metabolism/Detoxification Problems

All drugs must be metabolized (detoxed) by the liver before it can be excreted from the body in the urine or through the intestinal tract.

Modafinil and caffeine share one of the same pathways of metabolism (CYP3A4). In most people, this isn’t an issue since the body will usually adapt and increase the liver’s filtering capacity.

However, sometimes, the body is unable to increase its metabolizing/detoxing power, causing a buildup of chemicals waiting to go through the process.

This would cause caffeine and modafinil to remain in the bloodstream for longer. As long as you aren’t combining these two compounds every day, this wouldn’t be much of a problem.

However, if you’re taking modafinil & caffeine every day, concentrations can begin to rise to unsafe levels over time.

To avoid this, it’s recommended that you take at least one day off each week from both substances. This would allow any of the compounds that are lingering in the bloodstream to be eliminated safely.

When to Avoid Mixing Modafinil & Caffeine

If you suffer from any cardiovascular disease, or other conditions like Addison’s disease, Hashimoto’s, or Graves disease, it’s recommended that you avoid modafinil, AND caffeine completely.

Any failures in drug metabolism (liver problems), excretion (kidney and liver/gallbladder issues), or central nervous system issues (like anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, or Epilepsy) can be problematic when using caffeine and modafinil.

Another nootropic like alpha-GPC, vinpocetine, or L-Theanine may be a better option for these individuals.

Where to Buy Modafinil

Modafinil can be bought at your local pharmacy with a valid doctors prescription. It can also be purchased online quite easily without a prescription.

Buying modafinil online is also the best way to buy generic versions of the drug, which can save you thousands of dollars per year.

Generic pills contain the exact same active ingredients and dosages, but cost far less than the expensive brand-name versions like Provigil® and Nuvigil®.

Modafinil Induced Anxiety 101: Why You’re Anxious and How to Cure It

Imagine this.

You’re sitting at your desk. It’s been about two hours since you took the little white tablet, with the goal of finally clearing that to do list you’ve been too busy to finish for the past two weeks.

Everything should be ready to go, but you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety as you stare at the screen in front of you.

You get up and take a lap around the office, and you even make yourself a soothing cup of peppermint tea… but it just won’t go away.

This is a feeling common experience of those taking modafinil.

The benefits of the drug can’t be denied, but every now and then the anxiety it produces becomes too much to handle.

Why does modafinil make me feel so anxious? How can I prevent it?

We get into the details between this connection and offer some solutions so that you can get back to crossing tasks off your to-do list.

What is Modafinil Used For?

Modafinil is used in medicine as a treatment for sleep disorders like narcolepsy, sleep apnoea, or sleep disturbances associated with shift work.

It’s used outside of this in the treatment of ADHD, to provide a boost in workflow productivity.

Students, business executives, and creative freelancers often use the drug to boost their productivity at work or school. They do this to get more work done in a shorter amount of time by delaying the onset of fatigue for several hours at a time.

Where to Buy Modafinil

Modafinil is listed as a prescription-only medication in most countries. This means that in order to buy it from your local pharmacy you need to obtain a prescription from a doctor first.

Some countries, like India, don’t have these same regulations, placing it in a legal grey area.

It’s restricted for sale by any of the online or in-store pharmacies located in places like The United States, Canada, Singapore, The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia.

These restrictions don’t always apply when purchasing the drug, however, which allows vendors located in places like India to sell the medication online to people around the world.

Due to the “grey area” involved with the sale of modafinil, many of these online vendors are untrustworthy and either won’t ship your modafinil after you’ve purchased it or will ship poor quality modafinil.

This means it’s extra important to buy it from a trustworthy vendor.

We recommend using AfinilExpress.com to buy your modafinil. Use our coupon code MODAFINILOTC at checkout to save an additional 10% off your order.

Modafinil & The Nervous System

Modafinil’s beneficial effects are the result of its ability to interact with our central nervous system.

It’s classified as a eugeroic and stimulant, forcing us into a state of vigilance and wakefulness.

A eugeroic is a substance that promotes wakefulness. This can be done by stimulating the brain directly, such as the case with Modafinil, or by inhibiting the sleep-inducing side of the nervous system instead.

Modafinil achieves this by increasing the activity of 3 main neurotransmitters:

1. Orexin
2. Histamine
3. Norepinephrine

All three of these compounds play an essential role in the brain to make us feel awake.

The stimulating effects of modafinil on these neurotransmitters is also the primary cause for anxiety while taking the medication.

What Causes Anxiety?

Anxiety is a common condition. It’s something virtually everybody on earth has experienced at some point in time.

It’s characterized by a sensation of worry and stress, often presenting with other side effects like jitteriness, shallow breathing, fast heart rate, and dizziness.

Causes of Anxiety May Include:

• Side effects of medications
• Caffeine, alcohol, or cannabis use
• History of child abuse
• Poverty
• Sleep deprivation
• Illicit drug use
• Heart disease
• Inability to cope with stressful environments

Stimulants & Anxiety

All stimulants come with the risk of producing anxiety, including things like caffeine from coffee and theobromine from chocolate.

Other stimulants like THC in cannabis, amphetamines, and lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) all increase the chances of having anxiety attacks.

This is because anxiety in itself involves overstimulation of the central nervous system. Anytime these stimulating compounds cause an over-activation of neuro-stimulating molecules like glutamate, serotonin, and dopamine — we can develop symptoms of anxiety.

This is especially common in people who already suffer from symptoms of anxiety.

The medications can sometimes push them over the edge and into an anxious state.

Measuring Brain Activity During Anxiety Attacks

The study of psychology and neurology have advanced a lot, especially within the last 50 years.

Scientists have developed an array of useful tools that can measure different areas of brain activity to understand the processes behind conditions like anxiety better.

Delta, Theta, Alpha, & Beta Brain Wave Activity

One of the best methods of measuring anxious mental states is using something called an EEG (electroencephalogram). This is a special device that measures the electrical signals propagating in the brain.

Delta waves are measured at a frequency of 0.5–4.0 Hz. This is the frequency our brains measure when we’re in a deep sleep.

Theta waves are measured at a frequency of 4.0–7.0 Hz. They are associated with a meditative or focused state. They’re also present during active REM sleep

Alpha waves are measured at a frequency of 7.5–12.5 Hz. They’re associated with heightened activity in the occipital lobe and arise during states of relaxed, but wakeful mental states. This is the ideal state for work performance, especially creative in nature.

Beta waves are measured at a frequency of 12.5–40.0 Hz. They’re associated with ordinary waking consciousness. High Beta waves (21–40 Hz) are associated with severe anxiety, arousal, paranoia, or stressful states of mind [1].

This is also the frequency often induced by modafinil.

Wavelength	Frequency	State of Mind
Delta	0.5–4.0 Hz	Deep Sleep
Theta	4.0–7.0 Hz	Sleep
Alpha	7.5–12.5 Hz	Focused, relaxed
Beta	12.5–40.0 Hz	Alert, anxious

What All of This Means

Understanding the changes in brain frequencies when taking modafinil, and during anxious states gives researchers a way to quantify anxiety, as well as compounds that cause it.

It also gives us a way to measure medications and supplements that prevent or treat anxiety.

How to Reduce or Prevent the Onset of Modafinil-Induced Anxiety

Now that we know what causes anxiety, we can start to discuss some ways to prevent or cure it when taking modafinil for work or study.

1. L-Theanine

L-theanine is likely to be the best supplement to take with modafinil.

It’s an amino-acid isomer found in high-quality tea.

L-Theanine is produced in the leaves of the plant but is broken down in the presence of ultraviolet light. Farmers growing high-grade green and black tea will cover the tea plants during the last few weeks before harvest to prevent the breakdown of L-theanine.

These farmers aren’t necessarily doing it because of the benefits of L-theanine, they’re doing it to improve the taste of the tea. L-Theanine lends an “umami” flavor to the brew, giving it a more delicious flavor.

More recently, people have started to supplement pure L-Theanine extract for its ability to relax the mind and increase focus.

These two effects may sound conflicting, but it makes sense when you consider the way the compound effects brainwave activity.

L-theanine has been shown to increase alpha-wave activity in the brain [2], which is associated with an alert but concentrated state of focus.

It’s also used to reduce the side effects of another common stimulant, caffeine, which is notorious for its anxiety-inducing activity.

How to Take L-Theanine for Modafinil-Induced Anxiety

L-theanine is recommended at a dose of either 200mg or 400mg per day.

The effects of L-Theanine don’t last as long as the effects of modafinil. Therefore it’s recommended that you either split it into two doses or take it only while modafinil is at its strongest (the 2-hour mark) to avoid anxious side effects.

2. Meditation/Breathing Exercises

Modafinil increases the activity of our sympathetic nervous system.

What’s the sympathetic nervous system you ask?

It’s the part of our nervous system involved with the fight or flight response.

When we see something that poses a threat to us, our body activates the sympathetic nervous system to give us a boost. We become more alert; our blood sugar levels rise, heart rate increases, and our blood pressure spikes.

Activation of this part of the nervous system is useful for studying or working because it makes us feel alert and focused. Unfortunately, it can also make us anxious and paranoid.

Getting the most out of modafinil involves balancing the stimulating effects of the sympathetic nervous system, without going overboard to produce anxiety.

By far the best way to dial the sympathetic nervous system down is through controlled, rhythmic breathing or meditation.

The opposing force to the sympathetic nervous system is something called the parasympathetic nervous system. They work together like yin and yang, when one increases, the other decreases.

Although these systems normally function automatically, out of our control, there is a way to manually override it to get it to do what we want.

With controlled rhythmic breathing, we can manually override these systems to turn up the relaxing parasympathetic nervous system and subsequently turn down the anxiety-inducing sympathetic nervous system.

This is why things, like breathing into a paper bag or practicing deep breathing, can have such profound effects on reducing anxiety symptoms.

How To Lower Anxiety With The Breath

The lungs are one of the only organs in the body that are both automatic and manually controlled. When you don’t think about breathing it happens normally, and when you do think about it, you can change the breath rate.

This is the secret sauce behind controlling our nervous system.

All you need to do if you’re feeling anxious after taking modafinil (or anytime really) is spend a few minutes breathing deeply, and slowly.

Breath in as you count to 5— and out as you count to 10— repeat.

After about 60 seconds of doing this, you’ll notice your anxiety start to disappear.

This means that you’ve taken control over your nervous system! You’re starting to turn the dial down.

This practice doesn’t take any training to do effectively.

You don’t need to clear your mind (though this is a bonus of meditation). The only thing that’s required for this to work is that you maintain slow, rhythmic breathing.

The nervous system will then respond accordingly.

Repeat this whenever you start to feel anxious for 2 or 3 minutes and you should be able to avoid any issues with modafinil-induced anxiety effectively.

3. GABA & GABAergics

GABA is a neurotransmitter associated with the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system (parasympathetic nervous system).

It counteracts the main neuro-stimulating neurotransmitter, glutamate.

GABA becomes more active in the evenings as we wind down and get ready for bed. It’s also the target for sedative drugs like benzodiazepines.

When GABA increases, either due to natural GABA spikes or after taking supplemental GABA or GABA-boosting compounds, alpha brainwaves naturally start to increase [3].

This gives us a useful means of alleviating the effects of anxiety induced by modafinil.

Supplements With GABAergic Activity

There are some supplements that can increase GABA (including GABA itself) and are useful for reducing the effects of anxiety when taking modafinil.

• GABA
• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
• Magnolia (Magnolia officinalis)
• Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
• Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)
• L-Theanine
• L-Taurine

4. Lower Your Dose of Modafinil

The final way of reducing anxiety after taking modafinil is to simply reduce the dose of modafinil the next time you take it.

Although this does nothing to fix current anxiety levels on modafinil, it can be used to prevent it from happening the next time.

Like any other drug, modafinil affects everyone differently. Some people respond to it very strongly, and can quickly become overstimulated.

Others are less sensitive to the drug and may find that higher doses are needed to produce the same effects.

Therefore, it’s important to listen to your own body and adjust the dose accordingly to get the best results out of it.

If you find that everytime you take modafinil you become easily agitated, anxious, and paranoid, you’re likely taking too much. Lower the dose the next time by half and see how you feel.

modafinil usually comes with a crease down the middle to split the dose in half easily. Pill splitters are also available to make this even easier.

Conclusion

Modafinil can be an excellent tool to boost your productivity and work performance.

Students use it to cram for exams or finish tough projects.

Business executives use it to manage heavy workloads.

Creatives use it to boost creativity.

Unfortunately, the stimulating nature of modafinil means that it can produce anxiety more easily than other medications.

Although the symptoms of anxiety can actually hurt your productivity, it doesn’t need to be this way. Supplements like L-Theanine, GABA, and GABAergic supplements can help counteract anxiety and make your modafinil more effective.

On top of this, the number one method of lowering anxiety when taking modafinil is to spend a few minutes performing slowed, rhythmic breathing whenever you start to feel anxiety coming on.

This usually only takes about 2 or 3 minutes of breathing to completely inhibit these anxious thoughts, at which point you can go back to churning out work at breakneck speeds.

If all else fails, try reducing the dose of modafinil you take.

With all this in mind, you can avoid the adverse effects of anxiety while taking modafinil.

References

1. Michael, A. J., Krishnaswamy, S., & Mohamed, J. (2005). An open-label study of the use of EEG biofeedback using beta training to reduce anxiety for patients with cardiac events. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 1(4), 357.
2.  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.
3. Abdou, A. M., Higashiguchi, S., Horie, K., Kim, M., Hatta, H., & Yokogoshi, H. (2006). Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. Biofactors, 26(3), 201-208.

Beginners Guide to Mixing Modafinil and Alcohol

Modafinil is one of the most popular productivity-enhancing medications in the world.

It’s used by students and business professionals alike to enhance their work efforts by delaying fatigue to get more working hours out of their day.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is far from a productivity enhancer.

In fact, alcohol has a negative effect on both productivity and cognitive function — making modafinil and alcohol an unlikely combination.

There are, however, a few examples of times when it may be beneficial to mix the two. In other cases the two drugs may be taken for different reasons on the same day — resulting in a mixing of the two within the body.

This has many people wondering about the safety of this combination, and how to mix them safely.

Why Mix Modafinil & Alcohol?

Despite having virtually the opposite effects to each other, modafinil and alcohol are sometimes mixed.

Here are a few of the main scenarios where alcohol and modafinil might mix in the body.

1. To Boost Energy Before an Event

Have you ever gotten off a particularly long day of work, feeling tired and ready for bed but had previous plans to go to a wedding or party? Most of us have, and it takes some serious motivation to get cleaned up to head out for the night.

Modafinil offers a unique benefit in these situations.

As a eugeroic, modafinil promotes wakefulness in the brain. Although it’s not a substitute for sleep, it can delay it for several hours. This allows people to stay up and attend events they either don’t want to miss, or simply can’t due to social expectations with friends and family.

In many cases, alcohol is served during these events, which would mean that the alcohol and Modafinil will end up mixing inside the body.

2. To Stay Up All Night

Some people even take modafinil while they’re already out at a party to make them feel more awake during the night.

This is something that is becoming increasingly popular at club venues and music festivals where music is played all night long until the early morning.

This is likely to cause an interaction with alcohol and modafinil, and in some cases may lead to mixing modafinil with other compounds or illicit substances.

3. Unintentionally By Having Drinks After a Day on Modafinil

Modafinil and alcohol are also sometimes mixed unintentionally.

Many people take modafinil to get through a tough project, or on a daily basis to treat conditions like narcolepsy or ADHD. Others consider it to boost overall productivity and wakefulness.

Once the day is done, you may choose to go out for a few drinks afterward with some colleagues or friends.

Modafinil’s long half-life means it will remain in your system for most of the day, and into the early hours of the night. This makes it very likely that alcohol and modafinil will combine in the body, even though you may not have meant to mix them.

How Modafinil Works

Modafinil exerts its benefits by increasing the concentration of neurotransmitters associated with the waking portion of the central nervous system.

Our brains naturally follow a cycle of wakefulness, followed by a period of sleepiness.

By stimulating the waking side of this process, we can remain alert and focused for long periods of time.

Modafinil increases the concentration of a compound called orexin, which is tasked with stimulating the brain to produce a waking state.

It also increases dopamine and norepinephrine, which are two essential neurotransmitters in the brain.

And finally, it increases the concentration of histamine in the brain which is also involved in the process of stimulating the nervous system.

Modafinil & Alcohol Are on Opposite Sides of the Spectrum

Compounds with psychological effects usually fall somewhere on a spectrum between stimulant and depressant.

Modafinil can be located far on the stimulant side of the spectrum, while alcohol is on the depressant side. They offer nearly opposite effects to one another.

While modafinil increases stimulating neurotransmitters that make us feel more alert— alcohol stimulates relaxing neurotransmitters that make us feel tired.

This makes effects of mixing the two unpredictable. It also depends a lot on the individual dose of each.

The Dangers of Mixing Modafinil & Alcohol

1. It Causes Dehydration

Both alcohol and modafinil promote water loss in the body. This is because the body has to use water to metabolize and break them down, and also because it increases water loss from the kidneys in the hopes of eliminating these compounds from the body faster.

Mixing the two compounds can significantly increase the chances of becoming dehydrated.

2. It Can Negatively Affect Liver Function

Virtually all compounds that enter the body are metabolized by the liver at some point. The liver is tasked with converting active compounds to inactive metabolites and preparing them for excretion through the digestive tract or kidneys.

Both alcohol and modafinil need to go through the liver to be neutralized and prepared for elimination.

The liver has a set of specialized enzymes tasked with accomplishing this called the CYP450 isoenzymes. Each compound is usually metabolized by one or more of these enzymes.

Alcohol is broken down by some of the CYP450 isoenzymes like CYP2E1 [1].

Modafinil, on the other hand, is metabolized by another one of these enzymes, known as CYP3A4 [2].

It requires a lot of energy to break down these compounds in the liver.

When alcohol & modafinil are getting metabolized at the same time, it places a burden on the liver to break them down.

The liver is responsible for many other processes in the human body, including fat metabolism, sugar metabolism, hormone activation and clearance, and the manufacture of important transport proteins in the bloodstream. It’s also a primary source of gastric enzymes responsible for breaking down the food we eat into molecules small enough for us to absorb.

If the liver is forced to slow down for too long, or too often to clear both modafinil and alcohol from the body, other issues can start to arise, including low energy, hormone imbalances, inflammation, and poor digestion.

How to Reduce Side Effects of Modafinil & Alcohol

If it hasn’t been clear enough by now we DON’T recommend mixing modafinil and alcohol, however, if the two were to combine, there are a few things you can do to lower the chances of side effects.

1. Lower the Dose of Each

The dose taken of each of these drugs are going to be the most significant determining factor on whether there’s going to be a negative reaction or not.

If you plan on mixing these drugs, make sure you take a smaller dose than usual to avoid complications. This will give the liver a chance to stay on top of what it needs to do, and reduces the chances of becoming dehydrated.

Additionally, many users report that when these compounds are mixed, they become intoxicated much more easily. This is likely due to the liver’s inability to process them safely.

2. Take With Food

Many of the bad experiences reported with mixing modafinil with alcohol on forums like Reddit suggest that they had an empty stomach when they took one or both substances.

This is very common with modafinil users since one of the most common side effects is low appetite.

If you go all day without any food, and then start drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, you’re more than likely going to become inebriated very quickly, and are likely to have a bad experience due to nausea and vomiting as well.

Having some food in the stomach slows the absorption of both compounds, and gives the body the nutrients needed to manage the load placed on the liver and brain in response to these substances.

3. Drink Plenty Of Water

As mentioned, both alcohol and modafinil promote dehydration in the body. This can be a severe condition if left unchecked for too long.

The best way to avoid this is to drink plenty of water while taking modafinil and alcohol.

Many people avoid water while consuming either modafinil or alcohol because it makes them have to urinate often. This is very unwise because the body is forcing water through the kidneys in more substantial amounts for a reason. If water isn’t consumed, the kidneys will be unable to eliminate the compounds from the body, which can build up to cause much more serious consequences.

In many cases, the body will shift from eliminating compounds through the kidneys to pushing it out the sweat glands in the skin. This can cause a variety of undesirable skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

Bottom line—drink enough water.

4. Don’t Mix Them Often, And Take Recovery Days

Occasionally mixing small amounts of modafinil with alcohol may not pose a serious risk on the body; however, long-term use certainly will.

It’s important that if you choose to mix modafinil & alcohol, you should avoid doing it every day, or even every few days.

Over long periods of time, too much burden on the liver can cause conditions like high cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, and diabetes.

Conclusion

Mixing modafinil and alcohol is not recommended, however, in some cases, this can be appropriate with careful consideration and understanding of how these drugs affect the body.

When the two are mixed, the chances for side effects from either are increased.

Blackouts, significant intoxication, nausea/vomiting, and vision disturbances are all commonly reported when mixing the two.

You can avoid these side effects by taking smaller doses of both alcohol and modafinil, allowing for recovery days throughout the week, drinking plenty of water, and ensuring that both the alcohol and modafinil are taken with food.

References

1. Cowpland, C., Su, G. M., Murray, M., Puddey, I. B., & Croft, K. D. (2006). Effect of alcohol on cytochrome p450 arachidonic acid metabolism and blood pressure in rats and its modulation by red wine polyphenolics — clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology, 33(3), 183-188.
2. Robertson, P., Decory, H. H., Madan, A., & Parkinson, A. (2000). In vitro inhibition and induction of human hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes by modafinil. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 28(6), 664-671.

Beginners Guide to Modafinil Addiction, Dependence, and Withdrawal

Love taking your modafinil but afraid of becoming addicted?

Modafinil is by far one of the most popular smart drugs available, but there’s been some debate lately about its potential for addiction.

Here, we bust the door wide open about modafinil and it’s potential for addiction. We talk about what addiction is, the different types, and how modafinil fits in with that picture.

We answer all your questions around modafinil and dependence/addiction/withdrawal.

Why Use Modafinil?

There are two different categories of how modafinil is used; on-label (prescribed uses), and off-label (not prescribed uses).

On-label, modafinil is a treatment for conditions involving “excessive sleepiness.” This includes narcolepsy, shift-worker sleep disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea.

It’s used in the treatment of medical conditions like multiple sclerosis, or chronic fatigue syndrome to manage the symptoms of fatigue.

Off-label, modafinil is considered a “study drug.”

What this means is that modafinil boosts cognitive performance, making our study efforts more effective.

But that’s not all it’s good for…

Modafinil enhances productivity. It’s used by virtually anybody trying to get through a tough project.

Occupations That Often Use Modafinil Include:

• Students
• Business executives
• Creatives
• Freelancers
• CEO’s
• Doctors
• Pilots
• Military personnel

It’s an excellent tool for keeping you awake, alert, and highly focused on the task at hand.

People with ADHD often use the drug to improve problems with concentration and focus.

Buying Modafinil Online

Curious about where to buy modafinil with or without a prescription?

By far the easiest way to get it is to order it online from vendors like Afinil Express(use the coupon code MODAFINILOTC at checkout for additional savings). These vendors sell the generic versions of the drug.

These generic versions of the drug are just as high quality as the brand name options, but significantly cheaper!

How Does Modafinil Work?

Modafinil has several effects on the brain that produce its benefits:

1. It increases a neuropeptide called orexin, which controls our sleep-wake cycle.
2. It boosts dopamine levels, which is involved with the process of learning, attention, memory, and emotion.
3. It increases norepinephrine, which gives us that energy kick when we’re in the fight or flight response.
4. It increases histamine levels in the brain, which works similarly to orexin to make us feel awake and vigilant.

Overall, the effects of modafinil make us feel super awake. The effects last several hours, allowing us to delay the onset of mental fatigue while we complete our work or study.

Modafinil makes us better at studying, better at work, and more awake… but how does this play into its potential for making us dependent on it, tolerant to it, or addicted?

Modafinil & Addiction

In the case of modafinil, the most important thing to understand is its effects on dopamine.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter most closely connected to addiction. More on this below.

Dependence, on the other hand, involves many different neurotransmitters or hormones.

Let’s get into it by talking about what dependence, addiction, and tolerance mean in terms of pharmaceutical drugs like modafinil.

What is Tolerance?

The first stage of addiction is tolerance, so this is a logical place to start the discussion.

Tolerance, in a nutshell, happens when the body resists the effects of a drug, prompting us to have to take more of it to produce the same impact.

How Does Tolerance Work?

Most drugs (modafinil included) produce their effects by binding to particular sites on our cells called receptors.

Each receptor is unique and tells the cell to do something.

We have receptors that control our metabolism, neurotransmitter production, neurotransmitter breakdown, and hormone levels.

We even have receptors that tell the cells to die off to make room for new cells when appropriate.

Whenever we take a drug that acts on one of these receptors, we get an effect on the body. It’s like pushing a button in the cockpit of a plane. Some buttons (receptors) control the landing gear, others turn on/off the lights.

When we take a drug that pushes these buttons, the body tries to resist it. It can do this by changing the receptors.

Using our cockpit example— it would be like putting tape over the buttons so that we need to push it harder to produce the same effect.

This is what tolerance is. In order to push the button, we now need to take a larger dose of the drug so that it can push the button through the protective tape.

As time goes on, more and more tape is added, requiring us to take larger and larger doses of the drug to give us the effects we want.

What is Addiction & Dependence?

Most people have heard the word addiction, and have an understanding of what it means.

Addiction and dependence are very similar. Addiction is the broader term, while dependency is specific to a certain kind of addiction.

There are actually two main types of addiction we can experience:

1. Physical Addiction (Dependance)

Physical dependence (such as addiction to opioids or alcohol) starts with tolerance. It relies on physical changes in the body.

Using our example from before, this is like using tape to make the buttons on the dashboard harder to push.

As the body continues to resist the effects of the drug, and we start taking higher and higher doses, we eventually reach a point where we need the drug to maintain our internal balance (homeostasis).

Without the drug in the system, we cannot activate those receptors.

The pilot in the cockpit doesn’t have the strength to push the button on his own; he needs the drugs help now.

As soon as the drug starts to wear off, we begin to feel ill, resulting in symptoms of withdrawal.

If the pilot can’t push the button to deploy the landing gear, he risks crashing the plane.

Let’s Use Opiate Addiction as an Example:

Opiates activate— you guessed it— the opioid receptors in the body.

The opioid receptors are responsible for controlling pain transmission, as well as body temperature, respiratory rate, and carbon dioxide levels in our blood.

When our body is frequently exposed to opiate drugs (like morphine, fentanyl, or codeine), it changes the receptors by making less of them. This makes us require a larger dose in order to get the same effects. (this is the tolerance stage).

As time goes on, we start to become dependent on the opiate drugs because, without them, we can’t activate the opioid receptors when we need to.

When the drug starts to wear off, we lose our ability to control important functions including:

1. Temperature regulation (causing fits of hot then cold)
2. Respiratory rate (causing our breathing to slow down to dangerous levels)
3. Pain blockage (causing widespread and severe pain all over the body)

The withdrawals produced from dependence to this class of drugs can be extremely painful.

Modafinil and Physical Dependence

Some people suggest that modafinil can be physically addictive because it has some overlapping effects on the highly addictive drug, cocaine.

Modafinil binds to a receptor controlling dopamine transporters (DAT), which is the same receptor cocaine uses to exert its euphoric effects [4].

At first glance, this may seem like evidence that modafinil causes physical dependence the same way cocaine does. But this is not the case.

Study after study has shown that modafinil somehow lacks the addictive effects cocaine has. A large study investigating this question showed that long-term modafinil users showed no indication of tolerance or dependence on the drug [6].

Whether this is because modafinil has less potency on this receptor, or due to some of the other effects modafinil has on other areas of the brain, nobody knows for sure.

Nevertheless, modafinil doesn’t appear to cause physical dependence, and it’s actually used to treat physical dependence on drugs like cocaine [3].

2. Behavioral Addiction (Habit Formation)

This type of addiction relies on the brain’s own reward center.

Some Examples of Habit-Forming Activities Include:

• Sex/Masturbation
• Food
• Exercise
• Marijuana
• Video games

None of these things causes physical dependence on the body. No tolerance is formed, and we don’t change the way our receptors work in response to them, however, they are still considered addictive.

When the reward center in the brain is activated, a surge of euphoria is produced. This tells us to repeat this activity again and again.

This is what allows us to develop habits that are meant to help us out. This can be through saving us time or energy or promote life-giving activities (like eating, sex, or exercise), or escaping danger (like landing safely on the ground after skydiving).

In some cases, we can become addicted to these habits by causing an over-activation of the reward system. We start to obsess about the activity, thinking about it all day and feeling incomplete without it.

This can become detrimental for our health. It causes us to over-exercise, play way too much video games, overeat, have too much sex, etc.

Modafinil & Behavioural Addiction

We can develop a behavioral addiction to almost anything. All it takes it the wrong mindset about it and repetition.

What I mean by that is that if we think we need something, we’re more likely to obsess over it and become addicted. This is an unhealthy mindset to have about anything.

Many people who take modafinil are well aware of its benefits, and use it to get ahead of their workloads or study. Others use it to treat their fatigue or sleeping disorders.

Sometimes people start to believe that they can’t function without it. They obsess over it when they don’t take it, and they start to become addicted to it psychologically (behaviourally).

When this goes on long enough, over a period of weeks, months, or years, they can become fully addicted to the drug.

What Does Behavioural Addiction Look Like?

Behavioral addiction is very different from physical addiction.

It doesn’t produce withdrawals, and you don’t risk dying if you stop taking it as you do with physical addiction.

However, it is still very uncomfortable when you stop taking it.

Our minds start to obsess, and we become highly motivated to get more of the drug or activity that we’re obsessing over.

Reversing these thoughts and obsessions can take several weeks of discipline to overcome.

How Common Is Behavioral Addiction To Modafinil?

Luckily, behavioral addiction to modafinil is uncommon and relatively easy to avoid for most people.

The most at risk group of people are those who use the drug to treat a medical condition (such as narcolepsy) or those who already have obsessive or addictive personalities.

The vast majority of people can take modafinil every day for a year, and stop without any problem.

How To Treat Behavioural Addiction To Modafinil

Behavioral addiction is closely related to habits. Therefore, the best way to treat it is to work on our habits.

The very nature of how habits work requires repetition and time. You’ll need to be patient, and phase out of the habit slowly.

There are many ways to achieve this, but my favorite is to use the methods of Charles Duhigg. In his book The Power of Habit.

He talks about how habits are formed in the brain using a system of cue, routine, reward.

In a Nutshell, Habits Work Something Like This:

1. The Cue – This is the trigger for the routine. It’s what starts the process.
2. The Routine – This is the habit itself.
3. The Reward – The reward is the benefit given to the body. It’s what reinforces the cue and reward, making us want to do it again so that we can get the reward again.

Duhigg argues that in order to change habits (and behavioral addiction), we need to keep the same cue, and the same reward. All we change is the routine.

Here’s an example of how this might play out:

Let’s say you take your modafinil every morning on the train on your way to university or work. Getting on the train is your cue, and taking modafinil is the routine.

Once you get off the train, you grab a coffee and head to work, ready for a productive day ahead. This is the reward.

Duhigg would likely suggest keeping the cue, but instead of taking modafinil on the train, you take a multivitamin (changing the routine). Then you grab your coffee and head to work ready for the productive day ahead (same reward).

For this to work, you need to repeat it day after day. Eventually, you’ll be able to override the behavioral addiction that may have formed.

For most people, this process takes between 1 and three weeks.

It’s Not Always That Simple

Thankfully, behavioral addiction to modafinil is generally easy to shake (in the rare event that it actually happens). However, some people find changing their behaviors very difficult. We’re creatures of habit, after all— we thrive off of it.

If you’re having a hard time with this method, there are a lot of therapists that specialize in changing mindset and habits. It might be useful to seek professional help to watch over the process and help you step by step.

To Summarize, Is Modafinil Addictive?

Modafinil has some addictive qualities to it.

As mentioned earlier, modafinil binds to the same receptor as cocaine. Both of these compounds cause a release of dopamine in the brain and have stimulating effects overall.

Modafinil has far less potency than cocaine and is not considered a high-risk drug for addiction.

It’s even used to treat cocaine addiction.

Modafinil can, in rare cases, cause a behavioral addiction. Though this form of addiction is rare and much easier to treat than physical addiction, some people do struggle with it.

We recommend working on changing the habits you have around modafinil to combat this if it happens to you.

If this doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Some therapists specialize in this who can walk you through the process quickly and effectively.

References

1. Peñaloza, R. A., Sarkar, U., Claman, D. M., & Omachi, T. A. (2013). Trends in on-label and off-label modafinil use in a nationally representative sample. JAMA internal medicine, 173(8), 704-706.
2. Krishnan, R., & Chary, K. V. (2015). A rare case modafinil dependence. Journal of pharmacology & pharmacotherapeutics, 6(1), 49.
3. Dackis, C. A., Kampman, K. M., Lynch, K. G., Pettinati, H. M., & O’brien, C. P. (2005). A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of modafinil for cocaine dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(1), 205.
4. Madras, B. K., Xie, Z., Lin, Z., Jassen, A., Panas, H., Lynch, L., … & Miller, G. M. (2006). Modafinil occupies dopamine and norepinephrine transporters in vivo and modulates the transporters and trace amine activity in vitro. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 319(2), 561-569.
5. Madras, B. K., Xie, Z., Lin, Z., Jassen, A., Panas, H., Lynch, L., … & Miller, G. M. (2006). Modafinil occupies dopamine and norepinephrine transporters in vivo and modulates the transporters and trace amine activity in vitro. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 319(2), 561-569.
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.