Modafinil –
Laser Focus, Sense of Calm

Believe it or not, despite having my friends rave about it- I hadn’t tried Modafinil until this year.

There’s been some reviews around the Internet saying that Modafinil was the real deal.

Long-lasting, CLEAN, wakefulness, laser-like focus with a noticeable sense of well-being.

The perfect ‘productive’ pill without the downsides of anxiety, dopamine crash and elevated heart rate like most good stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin can cause.

I can officially confirm this and you can hold me to it.
(I’m not a big fan of stimulants and certainly not of daily/habitual use)

I’m thrilled to tell you about my recent experience(s) and what you can expect.

I’m very particular about what I recommend to you guys (because it directly reflects upon me) and I’m excited because I know this compound will positively impact a lot of lives.

Unlike some of my recommendations, I’m a bit late to the party on this one but I have A LOT to compare it to.

There’s not a heck of a lot of reviews on Modafinil on the Internet that combine both intelligent pharmacology with REAL LIFE specific user experience that can accurately reflect newbie expectation – so I hope you find this useful.

We’ll cover –

• What it is
• My experience with Modafinil, EXACTLY what to expect
• Specific situations/Culture surrounding Modafinil
• Types of people that might will find it useful
• More ‘science-y’ stuff; What it’s used for, how it works, safety (Clinical Studies)
• Where to get it

What is Modafinil?

Modafinil is the generic name of the popular stimulant, Provigil.

It is very useful in treating conditions that request the need to counter fatigue or offset the effects of a sleep based disorder. Modafinil was developed during the 1970’s by a French neurophysiologist, being used to originally treat narcolepsy (sudden strong urge to sleep). While it is still an extremely effective treatment for this disorder, as time went by, more and more uses (some off label) were discovered, making it go mainstream.

In short- it’s a stimulant.

But unlike high-powered, DEA-controlled, highly-addictive stimulants that are close in structure to methamphetamine, cocaine or speed (e.g. Adderall), Modafinil does not significantly affect neurotransmitters (specifically dopamine) like these other stimulants do. That is why the addiction/dependency potential is exponentially lower.

My Experience with Modafinil
(and what you can expect too…)

It’s rare that I get the chance to use a compound for the first time. So I kept a first-time experience log like they do on Erowid.

That was my first experience about 3.5 weeks ago. I’ve taken it 7 times since, only once on consecutive days and the experience was exactly the same.

Let me comment on the things I noticed each time-

Increased Visual Perception

The very first thing I noticed was that my vision was sharper. If you’ve taken “focus/ADHD” stimulants before you probably know what I mean. It’s like words on a page jump out at you and even distant objects come into focus better. I noticed this in about 3 minutes. I feel like I could hit a baseball much better, my depth perception improved.

This is common and you should expect it.

Increased Alertness, Self

This is somewhat like the first one. I noticed that I was in an increased alert state. This kept up for about 14 hours, never once going down.

The term “being present” is thrown around a lot in the self-improvement community, but if there was ever a compound that could make me “present” without any sort of increased anxiety crash (where you are COMPLETELY NOT present) this is it.

This is Modafinil and what you can expect.

Increased Thought Clarity, Comprehension, Engagement

This is why stimulants are so beneficial to working people, especially creative persons.

I’m not only locked in to the world around me but also to my own thought processes. The first time I took it, I made a point of reading a news story online that I would otherwise be completely uninterested in. Not only could I understand what was going on from just reading it one time, I was actually interested.

This I can tell you to fully expect.

Only a Slight Increase in Heart Rate

200mg of Modafinil didn’t raise my heart a significant amount. That is one of the most beneficial aspect of this compound. Unlike ephedrine where I would want to run around outside and play, I was perfectly content working and it didn’t feel like my heart was about to beat out of my chest.

I’m fairly sensitive to stimulants so I would expect you to get no more than a slight elevation in heart rate at the beginner’s dose.

Increased Strength at the Gym

I’ll discuss Modafinil:Gym more later, but I did notice a more pronounced mind-muscle connection in the gym. I wasn’t actually “stronger” but rather better able to recruit muscle fibers toward my lifts. This is not uncommon of stimulants.

Don’t expect a HUGE strength increase, you might be able to do 5-10% more on certain exercises or more repetitions than previously.

Decreased Physical and Mental Fatigue

The interesting thing about this compound is it doesn’t necessarily “give” me energy.

Rather- it delays fatigue.

My normal energy levels persist long throughout the day, delaying the normal fatigue or decrease in focus. This is different than other stimulants that give energy for a while and then induce a crash.

You can expect this.

Social Motivation

Over nearly all my experiences, I had the urge to just talk to people and was about 10x more interested in what they had to say. This is likely a combination of feeling great, lack of anxiety and sustained energy levels. I’m generally an extroverted person.

This I can’t guarantee if you aren’t naturally extroverted.

I almost guarantee holding conversation with people will be easier though.

No Anxiety

It’s hard to describe exactly how this feels. Blake (girl) and I were talking about this.

The focus is so sharp that our brains don’t get the chance to wander into ‘anxiety land’. You are literally “present” like I said before. Although you are focused, you aren’t inside your head.

Does that make sense?

It’s hard to describe.

I could imagine this might help some guys pickup girls; since I don’t have anxiety when talking to chicks I can’t really say for sure.

There’s no crash from this stuff at all, so there’s not going to be any anxiety when it’s wearing off either.

The jury is out on this; I generally think that if you have the urge to talk to people more than you otherwise would, that is a sign of lower anxiety. Either way, Modafinil won’t give you anxiety like other stimulants.

Sense of Well-Being

Unlike other stimulants that may produce euphoria followed by a crash, there is no significant euphoria with Modafinil nor a crash.

You simply feel a nice calm preside over you while still being dialed in. It’s like when you take some ephedrine and have a fantastic workout; afterward you are feeling great and the ephedrine is going away so you aren’t super hyped up.

Everyone that has taken it with me reported this.

Appetite Suppression

There is some appetite suppression but certainly not as much as most stimulants. The girls that have tried it love this aspect but most girls love anything that makes them not want to eat.

You will get some appetite suppression.

Likely Insomnia If You Take It Mid-Day

I was smart enough not to take Modafinil during the middle of the day, though it doesn’t give a RUSH of energy – it will clearly keep you awake if you don’t take it early in your day. Supposedly fighter pilots that fly long 20+ hour missions use Modafinil and that would make sense.

Yeah, don’t take it if you want to go to sleep within 12 hours.

Penis Is Fine, Slightly Less Sensitive

Stimulants are notorious for decreasing blood flow to your dick to the point where most people can’t sustain an erection.

In my experience, this is not the case with this compound. My libido, balls and dick were all normal. It did slightly lower my sensitivity, allowing me to last longer. For me, this isn’t a positive or a negative; I never had erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation issues. I can imagine that it will let a lot of guys last longer.

I suspect most people won’t have boner issues.

Nothing that a little Cialis won’t clear up (ask your doctor, of course). If you have had boner issues in the past I wouldn’t take it on the first night with a new girl.

Specific Situations and Modafinil Culture

Obviously I haven’t been in every situation but I’ll tell you about a few.

Work/Study

This is the most obvious and probably the best use of Modafinil. You won’t be all hyped up and the increase in cognitive ability will allow you to process text and concepts faster and longer. The normal person will be significantly more productive. You definitely need to take it at the beginning of your day; it’s not something to take at 9pm for a 4 hour study session unless you want to be up the entire night.

Interestingly enough, we’ve all heard about Adderal and Ritalin being the go to ‘smart drugs’ on Wall Street and in universities but there’s been less talk about Modafinil. I do have 2 friends in medical school that frequently use Modafinil and I assume that it will be more popular among this crowd in the coming years.

The Gym

I’ve gone to the gym a few times after taking Modafinil. I prefer ephedra-based products because they will give you a significant amount of energy. The focus from Modafinil is still REALLY SIGNIFICANT however. When I do exercises such as squats, my blood pressure naturally goes up – so I avoid ephedra and Modafinil is a better choice because you get the focus, motivation without the increased heart rate.

Athletics

Over the past few weeks I’ve made a point of taking Modafinil and playing sports. I noticed I was able to see the nose of the football better (that’s the key to catching a football), I was better able to judge pop-flys and grounders in baseball and I seemed to do really well at this beginner’s level archery class. I have no doubt that it improves athletic performance. Most stimulants do.

I venture to say there’s probably a lot of baseball players taking it. I don’t actually know the NCAA’s (or MLB/MILB’s) rules on it however. Professional baseball players used to take a lot of ephedrine in the previous decade. I would actually think Modafinil would be a better choice because Ephedrine might be overstimulating for a slower sport like Baseball. Either way, it has to be impossible to go to sleep after a night game if a player takes any legit stimulants.

Social Situations / Meeting Girls

I never thought I’d be suggesting that a stimulant may give you an overwhelming sense of calm but this one does for me. I think the average person would feel the same way and things like keeping eye-contact, finding another person interesting and just wanting to TALK would be more pronounced. I generally feel like I’m “one step ahead” in social situations and with my gameplan, this had me several steps ahead.

The girls I live with say that it reduced the effects of alcohol, like most stimulants do. I’m not encouraging you to drink with it, just telling you what they said.

Daily Use?

I haven’t been using Modafinil daily so I’m not going to comment.

I’m not a fan of taking stimulants every day; you will build a tolerance and cause adrenal fatigue. I say no more than 4 days a week.

What the hell are you doing where you gotta take it every day?

You can check out the safety profile below and you are encouraged to talk to your physician as well.

Lets get more “science-y” and I’ll allow my pharmacist friend to step in and tell you about the compound.
(btw- he has used it for years and he’s an educated pharmacist, not a total idiot un-smart moron like me)

What is Modafinil Used For?

Due to its stimulatory ability, Modafinil is best suited for conditions that require wakefulness or some degree of alertness enhancement.

Conditions like-

• Narcolepsy- condition that results in unavoidable daytime sleepiness accompanied by muscular weakness (cataplexy)
• Shift Work Sleep Disorder- common in persons who work abnormal hours or many night shifts, resulting in shifting of natural sleep-wake rhythm (circadian cycle) and resulting insomnia or sleep deprivation.
• Sleep Apnea- periods of breathing cessation or abnormally slow breathing interrupting sleep pattern and possibly leading to harm. Persons with sleep apnea constantly experience daytime grogginess without knowing why.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)- condition frequently affecting children, which results in signs such as lack of attentiveness and ability to display impulsive behaviour. This may result in impairment of performance in school. However, there were studies showing that it does carry potential significant risk to children, making it available only to adults.
• Improvement of Memory- the use of Modafinil for improving memory, while not approved, is one of the most common uses, being able to improve some aspects of memory. It does seem to improve math skill or analytical ability, but doesn’t seem to do much for physical memory.
• Weight Loss- as with most stimulants, Modafinil decreases appetite. A small study conducted showed that it decreased appetite anywhere from 18-38%, depending on the dose used. Of course, these effects were inconclusive, and to date it is not approved for weight loss. If, however, you can get your hands on some and are willing to give it a try, you may get results.
• Fatigue- probably the most common use for Modafinil today is fatigue and as a sleep fighting drug. It is useful for treating conditions that result in fatigue and sleepiness as an untoward effect, such as adrenal fatigue and depression, to treating jet lag by shifting the circadian pattern backwards.
• Performance Enhancement- although not widely known, Modafinil can significantly improvement cardiovascular function while performing activity at around 85% VO2 Max capacity. What this results in is performance for a longer time with a lesser degree of exertion.

How Does Modafinil Work?

To date, the exact mechanism of Modafinil action is unclear.

Originally, it was believed that the effects observed from its use were totally independent of dopamine; drastically different from most other stimulants (such as amphetamine or cocaine). Effects ranging from anti-oxidant to neuroprotective were believed at least partially responsible for its wake promoting effects, since oxidation and stress also play a role in sleep induction pathways. What is also now realized is that it does have an effect on histamine, serotonin, nor-epinephrine and dopamine, though its actions on each of these neurotransmitters or where it acts is still a mystery.

How Long Do The Effects of Modafinil Last?

To be safe I’ll say 12 hours.

The duration of effect a drug gives is a direct reflection of the half life of it.

In the case of Modafinil, with a half life of 12- 15 hours, you can expect mental clarity and focus throughout the day, so much that it may even interfere with normal sleep patterns. As a result, it becomes very important for you to tailor or modify your usage patterns around your sleep wake cycle.

For example, let’s say you normally wake up at 6am; keeping in mind the 12- 15 hours half life, you can expect its effects to weaken (not totally disappear, as only half of the drug is gone at that time) between 6-9pm. Many persons in fact cite the long half life as the major problem associated with Modafinil usage, some postulating that acidifying the blood could speed up its rate of elimination.

How Should Modafinil Be Taken?

Ask your doctor. Use as directed.

For someone completely new to Modafinil, a dose of 100-200mg is more than enough to provide a big boost in concentration, drive and wakefulness, allowing you to achieve much more than you normally would in the same time (an increased rate of productivity). Doses are usually taken once daily, in the morning, as the half life is more than enough to last all of your wakeful hours.

Is Modafinil Safe For Long Term Use?

Many people may not realize this, but Modafinil is actually a “smart drug” that can significantly improve your mental prowess and performance over the long haul.

But is it safe to do so? For the most part, very safe.

Modafinil has been used by thousands of people around the world with excellent effect, being effective even in children. However, with there being a possibility for development of the skin condition Steven’s Johnson Syndrome, it has been discontinued in them. Very rarely, psychiatric or cardiovascular events have been reported, but are likely to be considered during your physician visit.

How Can I Get Modafinil?

If you already knew about Modafinil, this is probably what you came for.

Keep in mind that all the information presented here is for informational purposes only; as much as possible, consult your doctor for initial screening to see if you’re a good candidate for Modafinil. With that in mind, the next thing to note is that Modafinil is lightly-regulated- meaning that you are unlikely to get in trouble for being in possession of it, unless it looks like you’re going to be a reseller.

I buy good quality Modafinil from here