Modafinil for Studying, Memory and Learning

The use of Modafinil for studying is becoming more common in academic communities. Interest in the drug has spiked due to reports that everyone from Wall Street bankers to Silicon Valley millionaires to White House staffers have used Modafinil (Provigil) to enhance their cognitive faculties and enable them to work for longer periods of time.

Is it safe to take Modafinil for memory, learning and other academic pursuits?

As is the case with a number of drugs, a medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for one purpose has the potential of providing other patient benefits. Even if the FDA has not approved it for those other purposes, doctors at their discretion can prescribe it for these “off-label” benefits.

All sorts of individuals have sought drugs and other substances to increase their memory and mental powers for thousands of years. Some healthcare professionals believe that modafinil for memory offers solid benefits that foster learning and recall.

Others believe the drug could have side effects related to tolerance and withdrawal. Some people are tempted to turn to cognition enhancers when coffee just isn’t enough.

Modafinil

Ergogenic Drug

Alertness

Mental Acuity

Focus

How It Works:

• Stimulates wakefulness centers in the brain
• Promotes mental acuity & processing speed
• Enhances focus, motivation & energy

Dosage:

Between 100 - 200 mg per day

Safety:

Some Reported Side Effects

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History and Uses of Modafinil (Provigil)

Modafinil was created by a French professor named Michel Jouvet in the 1970s. Used experimentally to treat narcolepsy in 1986, it was approved for use by adults in 1998 by the FDA for that disorder.

It has never been approved for children. The drug is distributed by Cephalon Inc, who first discovered a predecessor to this drug known as Adrafinil.

Modafinil continues to be used as a way to treat the excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder. It is the generic form of the brand name product – Provigil.

Some people take modafinil to improve the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Others take the medication, which is sold in pill form, to treat shift work sleep disorder.

Since the FDA approved this drug to treat narcolepsy, physicians have increasingly prescribed it off-label to address issues that include memory, attention span, multiple sclerosis, and depression.

Individuals without sleep disorders who seek the drug believe it improves many mental functions. Some students see it as a so-called “study drug” they seek to purchase to boost test scores and academic success.

Modafinil for Studying

Evidence suggests that the medication dispensed as Provigil in healthy individuals does enhance cognition. Drugs that are cognition enhancers improve mental functions like attention, learning, language, memory, perception, making decisions, and planning.

A German clinical trial concluded that Provigil achieved “subtle” benefits for boosting memory. Much of the information suggesting that the drug creates major memory improvements has been passed along by word of mouth.

Modafinil appears to improve concentration and help a person stay focused on a task at hand. However, it apparently does not have a direct effect of the physiology of memory if the individual is not sleep deprived.

For subjects who lack sufficient sleep or have poor memories, there appears to be a more marked improvement when considering modafinil for memory and learning activities. This is why many students try to acquire modafinil for studying for a big exam.

The strongest improvement occurs in short-term span for verbal memory. Studies suggest that some people show improved spatial planning and visual memory.

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Research Into Modafinil’s Effects

An informal survey included 1,400 subjects who indicated that they had taken Provigil, Ritalin, or beta blockers to stimulate their memory, focus, or concentration.

Of this group, 44 percent had tried Provigil. Satisfied users either obtained the medication off-label via prescription or purchased it over the Internet.

Some small studies have concluded that modafinil actually slows a person down rather than increases cognitive abilities. One study included 64 volunteers considered young and healthy. Half the subjects took modafinil. The remainder took a placebo. Afterward, all of them took tests for reading and sentence completion.

While the two sets of subjects had fairly equal results, it took those who were given modafinil slightly longer to answer the questions. This suggested that while the drug improves alertness in some people, that does not mean their performance is better.

Because of limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of the drug in treating memory issues associated with attention deficits, modafinil is considered an alternative treatment for conditions such as ADD and ADHD. More prescriptions are written for off-label modafinil uses in the United States than for on-label approved uses.

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How Modafinil Affects Memory and Focus

Thus far, researchers have been unable to isolate exactly how this drug affects the brain functions involving cognitive processes.

The study of medications that interact with brain neurons regarding mood, behavior, thinking, and sensation is known as neuropharmacology. There has been considerable interest in studying modafinil and the brain.

Many researchers believe that the center of the drug’s activity falls in the subregions of the hippocampus, the central nucleus of the amygdala, and the thalamus’s centrolateral nucleus. A few animal studies suggest that modafinil has the capability to boost glutaminergic transmission in the hippocampus as well as the thalamus.

Unlike amphetamines and other stimulants that affect the central nervous system, modafinil’s effects do not seem to be mediated by the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Modafinil has been dubbed a nootropic drug. It is also known as a so-called smart drug. Such drugs increase a person’s attention, memory, learning abilities, and motivation. Advocates of all-label usage of the medication say it improves the performance of an individual who is fatigued and suffering from insufficient sleep.

How this medication works has not been researched to the extent that scientists are able to list all the factors that govern how it operates. Some research suggests that it affects learning and memory by changing the histamine levels in the central nervous system, resulting in elevated histamine and locomotor activity.

The use of modafinil for studying is doubly attractive to college students who believe it helps them intensely focus on academic tasks. It lets them sustain higher-than-normal cognitive levels while getting significantly less sleep. It is just one example of a medication designed to treat a disorder, then used by the healthy for other purposes.

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