Modafin

What is Modafin by Alpha Pharma?

Modafin is a modafinil tablet produced by Alpha Pharma, with 200 mg of the active substance in each pill. It is not a steroid or a hormone. Modafinil belongs to a separate class of drugs called eugeroics, or wakefulness-promoting agents, which were designed to keep people awake and alert without the jittery stimulation of amphetamines.

The compound came out of French research into sleep disorders in the 1970s and 1980s and was first marketed in France. In the United States it was approved in 1998 under the brand Provigil, initially for narcolepsy, and later also for excessive sleepiness linked to obstructive sleep apnea and to shift work disorder. It is a prescription medicine and a Schedule IV controlled substance in the US.

Effects and reasons for use

Modafinil reduces daytime sleepiness and supports sustained attention. It acts mainly by blocking the reuptake of dopamine and also influences norepinephrine, histamine and orexin signalling in the brain, although its exact mechanism is still not fully explained. Compared with classic stimulants, users usually describe a calmer, more even kind of alertness.

Outside of sleep medicine, people use Modafin for:

• staying alert through long working days, night shifts or travel across time zones;
• improving focus on demanding mental tasks;
• keeping energy up during a strict diet, when fatigue makes early training sessions hard;
• reducing the sense of tiredness without the crash typical of high caffeine intake.

How it is taken

In medical use the standard dose for narcolepsy and sleep apnea is 200 mg once in the morning. For shift work it is taken about an hour before the shift starts. Higher doses have been studied without a consistent added benefit. Because its effect lasts many hours, taking it in the afternoon or evening can ruin the following night's sleep. These are general reference doses only: whether and how to use modafinil must be agreed with a qualified medical professional.

Possible side effects

The most common complaint is headache, followed by nausea, nervousness, anxiety, dizziness, dry mouth, reduced appetite and trouble sleeping. Rare but serious reactions include severe skin rashes such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which require stopping the drug at once and urgent medical care, as well as psychiatric symptoms. People with heart rhythm problems, chest pain or a history of psychosis should not use it without medical approval. Modafinil can make hormonal birth control less effective. It is also prohibited in competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Package

A pack of Modafin contains 30 pills of 200 mg modafinil, made by Alpha Pharma. It can be ordered on MaxLabs.co, where other modafinil products are listed as well.