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Modafinil

Modafinil is the primary metabolite of adrafinil. Its trade names include Provigil , Alertec, Modavigil, Modalert, Modiodal, Modafinilo, Carim, and Vigia. It is a stimulant and fairly classic releasing agent, specifically for norepinephrine, serotonine and dopamine. It is as a consequence addictive, with the severe withdrawal symptoms described in the mechanism section. Modafinil also elevates hypothalamic histamine levels and ‘activates glutamatergic circuits while inhibiting GABAergic neurotransmission’ – so again it doesn’t calm it excites, it is a stimulant and an extremely powerful one.

Background

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. Needlesss to say studies supported by the drug companies have said it "has limited potential for large-scale abuse" and "does not possess an addictive potential in naive individuals." If you want to see just how much it is abused see

EROWID entry.

 Because Modafinil is, in effect, an amphetamine, it has been used by athletes as a ‘performance enhancer’ . Sprinter Kelli White in 2004, cyclist David Clinger and basketball player Diana Taurasi in 2010 have all been ‘accused’ of using it. It appears to be the drug of choice in the USA’s Major League Baseball. The leading home-run hitter Barry Bond is said to have taken Modafinil, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. In one of the most ironic twists of legislative nonsense, Modafinil was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency "Prohibited List" in 2004 as a prohibited stimulant, but remained a legal drug for use by doctors and the government.

Some defence departments are using Modafinil, for example, as ‘an alternative to amphetamines’ [though it is an amphetamine/stimulant , so why they think it is an alternative I am not sure ] —the drug ‘traditionally employed in combat situations where troops face sleep deprivation, such as during lengthy missions’. The French government indicated that the Foreign Legion used modafinil during certain covert operations. In the United States military, Modafinil has been approved for use on certain Air Force missions – which is truly scary, given the effect of amphetamines. No wonder the USA troops have a record for ‘friendly fire’

It is used not only for narcolepsy but also for ‘shift work sleep disorder’, and ‘ excessive daytime sleepiness’ in the USA. In Europe, the European Medicines Agency has recommended that it should only be used for narcolepsy. In some countries, it is also approved for ‘idiopathic hypersomnia’ - all forms of excessive daytime sleepiness where causes can't be established. In the USA in particular it is also being used by doctors off-label to treat “ADHD, depression, bipolar depression, opiate and cocaine dependence, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and ‘disease-related fatigue’, as well as ‘fatigue that is the side effect of another medication’.”[you are reading this correctly] . Furthermore, Modafinil is “not approved for, but has been used to allay symptoms of the neurological fatigue reported by some with multiple sclerosis”.

Modafinil is also used off-label to treat “fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myotonic dystrophy, opioid-induced sleepiness, spastic cerebral palsy, and Parkinson's disease. It has been used to help jet-lag and obesity”

Holy Moses!!

"Heart Problems? - Modafinil (Modiodal) - Lerdob
I am a 42 year- old woman, a perfectly healthy physician, who has been going through an atypical depression (hypersomnia,...). I have been recieving [sic], thanks to my psychiatrist [also sic] , Paxil (paroxetine) 40 mg /day and Modiodal (modafinil) 200 mg/day. Since I started Modafinil my life has been very different: I have a lot more energy, I sleep much less during the day, and I can do almost a normal life (except from driving).
I have been really satisfied with that drug, but a month ago, although I have been a perfectly healthy woman (except for my depression), I have been experiencing high blood pressure, tachicardia and most of all, arrythmias, and also angor pectoris (angina). I suspended Modiodal 5 days ago, and I still have arrythmias and angor. I would like to know if these symptoms are reversible. Now I feel depressed again, but also feeling those cardiac effects, which are worse that the depression alone, or the non-depression and cardiac symptoms.