Modafinil is a performance-enhancing so-called smart drug that is also called a nootropic.
What it does is enhance cognitive function. There are a few reasons why modafinil is considered to be in its own class. These include:
· It not being a stimulant. Although it acts in similar ways to a stimulant, it’s actually an agent for promoting wakefulness. You don’t become jittery or speedy as conventional stimulants do.
· It not being addictive. It actually has been used to help people kick their addictions.
· It creates hardly any side effects.
· It works. It gives you superhuman mental processing abilities while causing few if any downsides.
It has been demonstrated that Modafinil increases resistance to fatigue and improves mood. Indeed in healthy adults, this drug not only enhances fatigue levels but also creates motivation, improves reaction time and supports vigilance. To know more, you can visit this site to find more modafinil information.
University of Cambridge researchers found that Modafinil is effective in reducing bad decision making. It can even enhance brain function in doctors suffering from lack of sleep.
Because Modafinil is not considered addictive there are concerns that there may be a risk that it is abused, with people using it to keep them up but if they go for too long they would probably fall ill.
One extremely rare condition that afftects about five out of one million people is known as SJS, or Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Sufferers have the capacity to develop dangerous life-threatening rashes. The condition is most commonly triggered by taking antibiotics, though it can also come about with analgesics, medications for coughs and colds, NSAIDs, antigout drugs and psycholeptics. SJS can be triggered by using cocaine, phenytoin, or Modafinil.
Though there is a low risk, it’s recommended that you have a genetic test before using any of these drugs, including Modafinil.
Dosing with Modafinil
For the majority of healthy people, a dose of between 30and 50 is considered plenty. The effects last for between six and eight hours so it’s advised to take it in the morning, whether with or without any food.
It’s a prescription drug so you can discuss it with your doctor. There are of course places where it can be sourced online.
Alternatives
If prescription drugs are not your way to cognition then racetams and tiny doses of nicotine can create similar effects to Modafinil.
Remember modafinil is primarily a drug that is used in the treatment of excessive sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, sleep apnea, or some form of shift work sleep disorder.
On occasion, it has been used as a cognitive enhancer. It is capable of affecting many of the brain’s neurotransmitter systems but Modafinil’s exact mechanism is still unclear. There have been different studies that have suggested it may be able to enhance performance when doing complex tasks in individuals who are healthy.
However, there have been no long-term studies that have tested if Modafinil is able to prevent cognitive decline or forms of dementia. In general, Modafinil is considered to be safe when taken by the majority of people who only show minor side effects like headaches, nausea, dizziness, anxiety and insomnia.
Potential benefits
There has been one review that systematically examined 24 studies of healthy individuals to identify if Modafinil actually improved people’s cognitive performance when they were carrying out both simple and complex tasks.
Most of the research suggested that Modafinil does not enhance simple cognitive function like verbal working memory, attention span and cognitive flexibility.
This may have been down to participants already having high baseline scores on the simple cognitive functions.
What research has found is that Modafinil and its effects on learning and memory have been mixed, with some work suggesting there are benefits while others suggest there is no change. Most studies indicate Modafinil has not noticeable effect on creativity, but some suggest Modafinil may cause impairments
The research indicates that Modafinil may be able to improve some aspects of people’s executive function including their capacities to plan, make decisions, and demonstrate fluid intelligence.
In comparison with mixed results discovered with simple tasks, Modafinil was clearly shown to be able to enhance people’s performance when it came to complex tasks founded on the five clinical studies that were included in the systematic review.
The reports were that it was beneficial when it came to various learning tasks:
· One that relied on such things are attention and executive function
· Another that relied on cognitive flexibility and short-term memory
· As well as a task that used multiple memory domains and attention.
In a separate study, a group of chess players were found to take more time per move when on Modafinil compared to when they were on a placebo. The experiment demonstrated improved performance, but the players lost many games because they took too long to make their moves.
Safety
In general Modafinil is considered be safe to be used by the majority of people. There may be some minor side effects like headaches, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, or dizziness. However, it could be associated with some rare skin conditions that are life-threatening and some rare psychiatric conditions.
Because it carries lower risks of addiction, Modafinil tends to be preferred to other similar drugs. But it is still treated as a schedule IV-controlled substance because of the odd report of the drug being abused. Modafinil’s long-term safety is not yet known.
It should also be noted that Modafinil has been known to affect an enzyme that can alter the blood concentration of some drugs, including opioids and some of the anti-viral medications. It’s advised to check with a doctor for other possible drug interactions before Modafinil is taken.
Use
Modafinil is a prescription medicine that is used to enhance wakefulness in those individuals that suffer from conditions like narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea. The doses tend to between 100 and 200mg and are administered in the morning. Modafinil is sold as a branded and a generic drug.
It is believed to be capable of enhancing short-term memory by up to 10%. This is done via the influence it brings to bear on a neurotransmitter known as glutamate.
The University of Cambridge’s Professor Barbara Sahakian, who has been looking into modafinil for its potential to be used in the clinical treatment for patients with cognitive problems and psychosis urges caution.
She says that many people, especially students, are not really aware what it is they are buying and whether it’s been contaminated.
The effects vary depending on the doses that are taken. Dr Nora Volkow and her colleagues found in a study they carried out that PET scans suggested doses of 400mg caused effects in brain areas that are similar to those found in cases of substance abuse and drug dependence.
Sahakian’s work has also suggested that too much use of Modafinil over a long period can have the potential of damaging a person’s sleep architecture.
Many professionals use the drug on specific occasions, she says and cites jetlag or disturbed sleep but students often take one dose and then another when the first wears off.
This, Sahakian says, does have an effect on sleep patterns, because when these students should be going to sleep they’ve still got the Modafinil in their systems.
Whatever the risks, there is a strong likelihood that demand for Modafinil will continue to grow. Indeed, psychiatrists at the American Psychiatric Association Meeting in the US report they are often under pressure to diagnose ADHD to a child even though symptoms are not really severe enough.
These psychiatrists feel the parents are looking to take advantage of smart drugs like Modafinil.
It is important to note that for your people their brains are still developing until late adolescence and young adulthood, so manipulating neurotransmitters is not advisable while their brain is not fully developed.