Modafinil is a drug that increases brain function

Modafinil is a highly effective wakefulness agent and cognitive enhancer with a low liability to abuse. It improves cognition and vigilance in various neurological and medical conditions, including narcolepsy, multiple sclerosis, idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, obstructive sleep apnea, and postanaesthetic sedation.
Modafinil 200 Australia undergoes hepatic metabolism and is excreted in urine. Severe hepatic impairment may result in increased steady-state drug concentrations, so dose reduction is recommended in these patients.
It increases brain function
Modafinil has been shown to improve cognitive performance in both animal and human studies. In a dose-dependent manner, it enhances working memory on a sequential alternation task in mice, without affecting exploratory or anxiety-related activity. It also increases the rate of learning in a delayed alternation task in rats, again without influencing exploration or anxiety-related behavior (Beracochea et al, 2001).
In humans, modafinil reduces errors on a WCST and a version of the Hayling sentence completion test, which requires cognitive control, relative to placebo in a double-blind study of people who performed shift work. It also improved performance on the digit symbol substitution test, which requires rapid switching of attention, in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial with adults.
Modafinil acts on glutamate receptors, resulting in an increase in the glutamate-glutamine pool in medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal cells, compared to controls (Ferraro et al, 1997a). This effect is blocked by prazosin but not by yohimbine. It also increases the rate of aspartate influx into these neurons, and decreases glycine synthesis.
It is safe
Modafinil appears to have a lower liability to abuse than some other stimulants, and is less likely to affect the cardiovascular system. This makes it a safer medication to use than most other medications that improve cognitive function in psychiatric patients.
Clinical trials suggest that Modalert 200 Australia improves fatigue in a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions that are currently treated with stimulants, including various fatigue syndromes, treatment-resistant depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These benefits are largely independent of sleep problems. In addition, modafinil does not appear to increase the risk of psychosis or mania in psychiatric patients.
However, this drug can have serious side effects if it is misused. It can cause euphoric and psychoactive effects, which may change your thinking and feelings. It should be used with caution in patients with a history of substance abuse. It can also cause severe skin reactions, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. If you have a severe skin reaction while taking this medicine, contact your doctor immediately.
It is effective
Modafinil has been shown to improve several prefrontal-dependent cognitive functions in psychiatric patients. It enhances working memory performance on a serial alternation task without increasing exploratory or anxiety-related activity in mice (Beracochea et al, 2001). It also increases the speed of response to a visual cue in a delayed-reaction time task (Dolan et al, 2004). In a double-blind study in sleep-deprived emergency physicians, modafinil improved cognitive performance compared to placebo (Myrick et al, 2005). It has been found to reduce errors on a word completion test in medication-free narcoleptics who had received 400 mg/day of modafinil or methylphenidate for 3 weeks (Schwartz et al, 2004).
A recent double-blind fMRI study of schizophrenia patients showed that modafinil 100 mg single-dose was associated with greater activation of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during performance of an N-back task (Spence et al, 2005). Modafinil is structurally unrelated to amphetamine and exhibits fewer side effects. It does not bind to monoamine receptors, neuropeptide receptors or transporters, nor does it have direct actions on nerve membrane ion channels.
It is not addictive
Modafinil is a stimulant that is prescribed to treat extreme sleepiness associated with narcolepsy and other sleep disorders, such as periods of stopped breathing during sleep (obstructive sleep apnea). It can also be used to help people stay awake at work if they have shift work sleep disorder. It is a Schedule IV drug, which means it has a low risk of addiction and abuse and does not cause serious withdrawal symptoms.
It is not clear how modafinil works, but it appears to block dopamine transporters in the brain and increase dopamine levels, which are responsible for feelings of alertness and energy. This effect is similar to the effects of cocaine and amphetamine, but Modafinil does not produce as much euphoria.
Modafinil may make certain birth control methods less effective. Talk to your doctor about using reliable forms of non-hormonal birth control while taking modafinil and for one month after you stop treatment. This medication is also found in breast milk and can pass into your infant.
What's Your Reaction?






