Modafinil / provigil

[sciencesuccess]

Hi all, 

 

Modafinil is great for combatting sleepiness and a few other adderal withdrawal symptoms. 

 

 

Modafinil is a drug made for sleepiness disorders like narcolepsy, or for night shift workers like EMTs to stay alert.  You need a prescription for it.  If you already have an addy script, then you won't have a hard time asking your doctor for modafinil, as it's approved for adhd, fatigue etc. all the same symptoms that addy is prescribed for. 

 

You can also buy it fairly cheaply (25 cents /pill or so + $25 shipping) from India.  It's illegal, but it's only a Class IV drug, so law enforcement won't care in the U.S., very very very low risk of any trouble.

 

I used to take modafinil along with adderall for an extra boost, especially during nighttime work binges, it was much better at keeping you awake than adderall and caffeine.   

 

It's not the same as an amphetamine, but certainly has a CNS stimulating effect, without the flood of dopamine like adderall (however, I suspect there is a mild dopamine reuptake inhibition, because motivation and focus for work increases VERY slightly with it, nothing close to even a low dose of adderall). 

 

It's been great for staving off the sleepiness of adderall withdrawal, one of the worst parts of the immediate withdrawal.  It also won't get you high, and is very very difficult to abuse.  Taking too much will just create uncomfortable vasoconstriction, and maybe chest pain, but no euphoria, and the wakefulness effects don't really increase more than the reccomended dosage anyways.  

 

It takes about 4 hours to fully kick in, and lasts for a while.  If you take it in the morning, you won't be able to sleep deeply until 8 or so.  So make sure to take it early.  

 

Highly recommended for taking the edge off, and not letting adderall withdrawal affect (as much) your ability to do great things in the world like you used to.  

 

Note: too much caffeine/nicotine in combination may produce uncomfortable vaso-constriction, good thing to be mindful of.  Especially since it takes 4 hours to "peak" (doesn't really peak, come up and come down is very gradual), it can be easy to load up on energy drinks and whatnot thinking it's not working enough, and then be stuck in a sweaty tweak later on.

[Jon]

From Wikipedia:

Addictive Potential:

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) study highlighted "the need for heightened awareness for potential abuse of and dependence on modafinil in vulnerable populations" due to the drug's effect on dopamine in the brain's reward center.

 

My personal experience with this drug was horrible. I found myself chasing the "high"  and wound up in neurotransmitter Hell.

 

I don't recommend it for anyone who is, or was, addicted to Adderall or speed of any kind.

[Cassie]

From Wikipedia:

Addictive Potential:

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) study highlighted "the need for heightened awareness for potential abuse of and dependence on modafinil in vulnerable populations" due to the drug's effect on dopamine in the brain's reward center.

 

My personal experience with this drug was horrible. I found myself chasing the "high"  and wound up in neurotransmitter Hell.

 

I don't recommend it for anyone who is, or was, addicted to Adderall or speed of any kind.

Agreed. I've never taken it, but it's a stimulant and anything that increases dopamine has addictive potential. No long term studies either.

 

I think the ideal use of any of performance enhancing drug is an occasional, very sporadic use for a special occasion, like Air Force missions or taking the MCAT or whatever. Once you get a prescription for these drugs it's all over.

 

[Zerokewl]

Its really up to you. Something I learned in SMART is to ask yourself " Am I taking this to get high? Or am I taking this to aid my recovery? "  Be careful do your research. WHen I started taking adderall I thought the withdrawal period would be about a month according to the data I read. 

[Cassie]

Its really up to you. Something I learned in SMART is to ask yourself " Am I taking this to get high? Or am I taking this to aid my recovery? "  Be careful do your research. WHen I started taking adderall I thought the withdrawal period would be about a month according to the data I read. 

I think that SMART question is misleading because you can get addicted to drugs that don't get you high. Even if there's no euphoria with modafinil, don't you think people become dependent on the energy/wakefulness it provides? The no-sleep-required all day energy is surely addictive. The productivity that ensues is definitely addictive. Same thing with Ambien - pretty sure it doesn't get you high, but people get addicted because without it they can't sleep and so it becomes a crutch that they require to function. I think a better question to ask yourself is, "Does this drug have a habit forming warning on the manufacturer's label? If so, as a recovering addict, I probably shouldn't mess with it."

[Jon]

I think that SMART question is misleading because you can get addicted to drugs that don't get you high. Even if there's no euphoria with modafinil, don't you think people become dependent on the energy/wakefulness it provides? The no-sleep-required all day energy is surely addictive. The productivity that ensues is definitely addictive. Same thing with Ambien - pretty sure it doesn't get you high, but people get addicted because without it they can't sleep and so it becomes a crutch that they require to function. I think a better question to ask yourself is, "Does this drug have a habit forming warning on the manufacturer's label? If so, as a recovering addict, I probably shouldn't mess with it."

 

 

That is a keen insight Cassie. Good work. I knew there was something wrong with the logic in the SMART question, but I couldn't put my finger on it. No offense Z.

 

Just for the record, modafinil offers powerful euphoria initially. Yes, it is less intense than Adderall's euphoria...in a really nice way. If you are anthing like me, a pill popper, you just want to take more... like taking more Adderall. But when you chase the euphoria and energy in this pill you are inviting the devil into your head (incert Dr. Evil laugh: Muahahahha). Ok, that's just my experience.

[Zerokewl]

err maybe i need to attend more than 3 meetings before I start posting about it. You are right Cassie And Jon and thanks for calling me on it.  My apologies. 

[BeHereNow]

ZK, I"m a little late here but thanks for starting this thread.  Someone mentioned it to me recently and I got curious, thinking it would help with my focus/motivation problems... but now I know what a bad idea it would be.

[Faust]

I know a few people who have taken it, some of them are helped by it and others abused it. I think it is a matter of why you take it; is it just to get an extra boost or do you genuinely need it to function? (it's primarily a narcolepsy mediaction). 

[michaelking500]

Provigil is what got me started on adderall. I couldn't stay awake in my pharma rep route so I just got a prescription from a doctor I knew would write anything I asked him to and boom, I started on my speed trip which lasted 7 years total.  I had to stop taking it because I was becoming an angry person.  Very angry.  I'm never like that anymore, not even when I was taking adderall.

 

Anyway, the fact that the FDA has provigil at Class IV doesn't make it safe.  Psychologically and physically this drug is addictive.  Why?  Tolerance and the need for it to keep you awake.  You take provigil over time and you will need more than you started with to get the same effects.  I don't trust the studies these pharma companies do.  Provigil will alter your personality in a similar to perhaps even a more drastic manner than adderall. Provigil scared me before I got off it. I was so happy to just move from provigil to adderall.  Quitting adderall for me has been a smooth process.  But had I just stopped provigil with nothing to replace it with I'm not sure what would have happened at that time in my life.  I was angry when I was on it and angry when I wasn't on it, but I'm guessing the withdrawal impact would have been similar to any drug.  

 

Another scary thing about Provigil is that the mechanism of action or the "how" this drug works is not known.  When I see that I think then how the heck did they discover it would work in the first place.  I'm sure there is a good story on that, but I don't place my faith in drug companies.  They are driven for profits as we all know.

 

So I'd have to agree with the posters above that say stay away from provigil. It does work, but this drug is also another trap.

[AlwaysAwesome]

This is an interesting thread, considering the adrafinil thread starting up elsewhere...  Side effects are not great.

[BeHereNow]

I was horrified to read this headline yesterday:

 

"The World's First Safe Smart Drug"

 

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/20/narcolepsy-medication-modafinil-worlds-first-safe-smart-drug

 

The article immediately also goes to say that long-term testing hasn't been done, and they have no idea if it's safe for more than a couple weeks. 

 

It also says that "already creative people" tend to lose their  on the drug.  Duh, everyone is creative, and creativity is possibly the most important aspect of knowledge....

 

So it sounds like this is the plan.  Bypass ethical approval for long term testing, release it to the general population, advertise it as a "smart drug," and let the people who get hooked be the lab rats.  Sounds EXACTLY like what Shire did in the 90's and early 2000's.  And now we on this site are probably the ones who can tell you most about long term effects of adderall. 

[Greg]

I was horrified to read this headline yesterday:

 

"The World's First Safe Smart Drug"

 

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/20/narcolepsy-medication-modafinil-worlds-first-safe-smart-drug

 

The article immediately also goes to say that long-term testing hasn't been done, and they have no idea if it's safe for more than a couple weeks. 

 

It also says that "already creative people" tend to lose their  on the drug.  Duh, everyone is creative, and creativity is possibly the most important aspect of knowledge....

 

So it sounds like this is the plan.  Bypass ethical approval for long term testing, release it to the general population, advertise it as a "smart drug," and let the people who get hooked be the lab rats.  Sounds EXACTLY like what Shire did in the 90's and early 2000's.  And now we on this site are probably the ones who can tell you most about long term effects of adderall. 

that article is total BS

[Doge]

It sounds almost exactly like the adderall articles I read when I was first exploring the drug and considering trying it.

[Cassie]

I laughed at one of the article comments: "Speed your mother can take."

[Greg]

this and the whole idea that vyvance has been approved for eating disorders is bullshit

[Doge]

Maybe Russian Roulette should be approved for treatment of boredom.

[AlwaysAwesome]

 LOL

[AmytheCatLover]

Very happy I found this thread! It's definitely a tricky subject. I was prescribed modafnil back when I was abusing Adderall. When I got clean from Adderall, the modafnil was sometimes the only thing that would get me out of the house on days where I felt wiped. Well, soon enough, I was using it much like I used Adderall: taking too much, taking it in the early evening so that I could stay up late, and feeling like I "needed it."

 

It didn't give me that invincible feeling that Adderall did, but it was like a long-lasting cup of coffee. (One that had serious side effects—I was always warm, and my anxiety was paralyzing at times.)

 

My advice to anyone considering modafnil would be to know yourself and look out for signs that you're abusing it. Now that I'm working with an addiction psychiatrist, he strongly advised me not to take modafnil because of the potential for abuse in high-achieving types.

[Spirit76]

I took modafinal and managed to abuse it. It felt very similar to Adderall at high doses. I would not recommend it, if you truly want to quit. Just my 2 cents. 

 

[NotToday]

I, too, tried modafinil and managed to abuse it. Within a matter of days I was taking 3 to 4x the maximum recommended dose. i think the anxiety it gave me may have been worse than adderall and lasted even longer. I would also advise staying away from this drug and to not believe the 'no abuse/addiction potential' bs.

[Frank B]

Well the guy who made this original post name was "sciencesuccess" he all but put up a link to the India sources. Looks like it was probably a DEA sting operation you know something to nail us addicts because we are the fucking problem. Hit someone when they are down make life worse yep that will get people on the right path or just maybe the correctional facilities are a money making scam and the government is in on it..,  no that can't be true lmao. 

[Frank B]

Well the guy who made this original post name was "sciencesuccess" he all but put up a link to the India sources. Looks like it was probably a DEA sting operation you know something to nail us addicts because we are the fucking problem. Hit someone when they are down make life worse yep that will get people on the right path or just maybe the correctional facilities are a money making scam and the government is in on it..,  no that can't be true lmao. 

[okie]

This is old, but just wanted to share that I’ve been on nuvigil for the past month while.l quitting vyvanse cold turkey. Quitting ALOT of vyvanse cold turkey. 
 

it’s been great for me - I don’t have cravings to take more than prescribed like I did with vyvanse, and feel like it has made the past month+ a little less miserable. Initially I was taking 250mg, but that made my anxiety go crazy so I’ve gone down to 125 and am in the perfect range. 
 

Just wanted to share my positive experience. 

[Tom23Jones]

On 3/3/2020 at 3:54 PM, okie said:

This is old, but just wanted to share that I’ve been on nuvigil for the past month while.l quitting vyvanse cold turkey. Quitting ALOT of vyvanse cold turkey. 
 

it’s been great for me - I don’t have cravings to take more than prescribed like I did with vyvanse, and feel like it has made the past month+ a little less miserable. Initially I was taking 250mg, but that made my anxiety go crazy so I’ve gone down to 125 and am in the perfect range. 
 

Just wanted to share my positive experience. 

You might not have cravings to take more because its new to you.  Its still a stimulant like adderall or vyvanase.  Thats why it made your anxiety go crazy.  If you want to put the anxiety and side affects behind you, I'd get off this stuff as quickly as you can.  Deal with the shitty withdrawls, push through and start recovering/healing.