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Modasomil is the brand name under which Modafinil is sold in Switzerland and Austria by the pharmaceutical company Cephalon. Many people know Modafinil under the more common brand names such as Provigil, Alertex, and Modavigil, but all of these formulations are the same contain identical amounts of the active ingredient.
Modasomil is said to promote a sense of wakefulness within the user and to promote the ability to focus on whatever project is at hand. It is a potent mental performance enhancer and is favored by many Wall Street execs to keep them energized and productive even when working 60+ hours a week.
What is Modasomil used for? What medical conditions is it designed to treat? Why is it included among the class of nootropic drugs and does it have any cognitive enhancement effects?
Alertness
Mental Acuity
Focus- Stimulates wakefulness in the brain
- Promotes mental acuity & processing
- Enhances focus, motivation & energy
What Does Modasomil Do?
Related Topics
- What is Modafinil? (Provigil)
- How Does Provigil Work?
- Effects and Benefits
- User Reviews
- Typical Experiences
- Recommended Dosages
- How to Take
- Provigil Uses
- Use for ADHD
- Effects on Weight Loss
- Negative Side Effects
- Abuse Warnings & Dangers
- Comparison to Adrafinil
- Comparison to Armodafinil
- Comparison to Adderall
- Where to Buy
- Generic Modafinil Brands
- Is Modafinil Legal?
- How to Get Modafinil
- Review of Online Sources
Modasomil is also sold under the names Vigicer, Alertec, Alertex, Modapro, Modafil, Mentix, Resotyl 100, Stavigile, Provake, Modalert, Modiodal, and Provigil.
This medicine belongs to a class of drugs called eugeroics. Translated from classic Greek, the term eugeroic literally means good arousal. Eugeroics are wakefulness promoting compounds.
Eugeroics are psychostimulants offering a two-fold benefit to the user: first, they temporarily decrease the need for sleep, while at the same time they promote a natural sense of being wide awake and mentally alert.
It is also an analeptic agent and demonstrates some anti-depressant effects. They are unique among psychostimulants and analeptics because users do not experience the agitation and edginess most often associated with central nervous system stimulants.
Modasomil is thought to work in the brain by triggering activation of neurons in the hypothalamus-based wakefulness circuits. Most other psychostimulants work less selectively by producing diffuse neuronal activity.
This causes excessive stimulation to the central nervous system, resulting in the jitteriness and tense muscle states so often experienced with amphetamines.
Modasomil exhibits a lower risk of side effects by seemingly working more selectively to target the sleep-response system.
History and Prescribed Uses for Modasomil
Modafinil was first developed in France in 1976. Its discovery came about from the development of a group of benzhydryl sulfinyl compounds, including Adrafinil. Adrafinil is a pro-drug of Modafinil, meaning that in the body it is metabolized into Modafinil.
Modafinil was first discovered during tests to determine the mechanism of action of Adrafinil. It was found that during its metabolism in the body, Adrafinil is converted into the active compound Modafinil, and the inactive modafinilic acid. Because it is not a perfect conversion, Modafinil is more potent than Adrafinil, and consequently is used more frequently nowadays than it’s predecessor.
The first human trials on Modasomil were using the drug to treat patients with narcolepsy, a neurological disorder wherein the afflicted person can fall into a deep sleep without warning. In narcolepsy, the sleep response system is malfunctioning and uncontrollable. Modasomil counteracts this malfunction by naturally promoting wakefulness and arousal in the user.
Modasomil has been used as a prescription medication to treat narcolepsy since 1994 in France (under the name Modiodal) and in the US since 1998 (under the name Provigil). Modafinil has been seen to be so successful that it has even been used to test new narcolepsy medications.
In a trial, Modafinil was compared to sodium oxybate, and both active medications were compared to a placebo. It was found that both active medications improved excessive daytime sleepiness better than a placebo, leading researchers to conclude that sodium oxybate could be considered an alternative treatment for narcolepsy.
Modasomil is also often prescribed to treat patients with other sleep disorders that affect wakefulness, including sleep apnea sufferers who are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, and shift workers suffering from sleep disruption.
Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a medical condition that affects breathing during sleep. The muscles supporting the tongue and soft palate of the mouth intermittently relax, causing the airway to be partially blocked, leading to hypopnea (shallow breathing), or completely blocked, leading to apnea (the stopping of breathing). People with condition often have poor sleep quality and consequently experience fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Shift-work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm disorder (affecting normal sleep/wake patterns corresponding with daytime and nighttime) that may occur in people who work late/overnight or very extended work shifts. This disorder often causes excessive sleepiness when awake (typically at nighttime, during normal sleep time) and may cause insomnia when trying to sleep (typically during the daytime, or normal awake hours).
In people with OSAHS, wakefulness has been seen to improve when using Modafinil, with improved scores being reported on the self-administered Epworth Sleepiness Scale. In persons with shift work disorder, usage of Modafinil/Modalert has been shown to improve Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) scores, as well as subjectively reported quality of life.
In the United States, Modasomil has been classified as a Schedule IV prescription medication. Its approved uses are for the previously mentioned sleep disorders. It has been prescribed off-label for various conditions as well, including for improving fatigue associated with various diseases (depression, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome), as well as for ADHD.
- Increases energy, wakefulness and motivation
- Boosts mental performance and focus
- Supports memory and cognition
Does it Have Cognitive Enhancing Benefits?
Modasomil is used off-label for various psychoactive effects and benefits. How does it affect cognitive function in healthy individuals?
It isn’t a cognitive enhancing drug in the classic sense, in that it doesn’t improve your ability to consolidate memory or directly increase your learning ability, but because of its wakefulness and focus enhancement effects, it has proven useful in nootropic regimens for many purposes.
Studies have also found it to improve mental acuity and cognitive function in certain psychometric tests.
Some physicians in the United States are prescribing Modafinil/Provigil as an alternative to Adderall or Ritalin (Methylphenidate) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is believed to have a lower risk of addiction or side effects and abuse potential.
One of the ways that Adderall works is by stimulating release of the catecholamine monoamines Dopamine and Norepinephrine in the brain. This poses a risk for dependence and misuse.
Psychopharmacology shows that Modasomil may affect dopamine transport in the brain, but does not cause the same spike in neurotransmitter release.
It produced positive effects for focus and attentional control, but is less likely to cause anxiety or stress.
For example, some people with ADD or ADHD find it helps by creating an improved ability to focus on a specific project or task for an extended period of time without becoming distracted. For others, the sense of crisp mental alertness promotes an increase in their motivation factor.
The pharmacology of this drug seems to affect orexin and dopaminergic receptors in the brain, as opposed to stimulant substances that affect norepinephrine or epinephrine receptors.
As such, it can fight tiredness and excessive sleepiness linked to sleep deprivation and disrupted circadian rhythm at nighttime.
Users frequently report neuroenhancement and feeling completely awake and ready to take on new tasks and, at the same time, they experience an increased ability to maintain focus on whatever task or project on which they are working.
Productivity increases, motivation is amplified, and fatigue decreases – all without the discomfort of coffee jitters or jaw-clenching tension.
Where to Get Modasomil
Modasomil is available by prescription from your doctor for the medical diagnosis described earlier. Some physicians are familiar with the off-label uses for Modasomil, but it may take some time and effort to find one willing to prescribe Modasomil for you.
There are knock-off versions of Modasomil available through online stores located mostly in India or Mexico but the cost can be prohibitive and it can be difficult to be sure about the quality of the products.
For this reason, many smart drug users use the Modafinil precursor Adrafinil. As previously mention, this compound was the drug originally developed by the same lab which now produces Modafinil.
The difference between them is that Adrafinil is the prodrug (or precursor) to Modafinil, meaning it requires our bodies to convert it into Modafinil.
Because of this, Adrafinil is taken in larger doses than Modafinil and there can be negative effects on the liver if Adrafinil is taken continuously. For this reason, most users choose to reserve Adrafinil for those acute occasions when they need the extra awake time and increased focus potential.
Modasomil Side Effects
Modasomil may cause the following common side effects:
- Headaches
- Nausea and Upset Stomach
- Dizziness
- Anxiety or Nervousness
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Agitation or Irritation
- Diarrhea
- Dry Mouth
- Changes in Mood
- Changes in Heart Beat
- Chest Pain
- Depression
More serious side effects can include upper respiratory tract infections, fever, hallucinations, increased bruising or bleeding and a fast or pounding heart beat. There have been reports of rare, but serious skin and mucous membrane reactions occurring, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS).
If you experience any of these negative effects, stop taking Modasomil and speak to your doctor immediately.
In Review
Modasomil is the Swiss and Austrian brand name for the eugeroic drug, Modafinil. It is available by prescription to treat narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and for shift workers experiencing sleep disruptions.
An alternative non-prescription drug is Adrafinil, which is the precursor to Modafinil. Adrafinil can be purchased through online nootropic stores in capsules or in bulk powder form.
Because of potential effects on the liver with continuous use, Adrafinil is a good choice for those special times when your normal stack isn’t enough. Adrafinil, once converted into Modafinil within the body, provides all the beneficial effects of Modasomil.
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- Brown JN, Howard CA, Kemp DW. Modafinil for the treatment of multiple sclerosis-related fatigue. Ann Pharmacother. 2010
- Haris M, Singh A, Cai K, Nath K, Verma G, Nanga RP, Hariharan H, Detre JA, Epperson N, Reddy R. High resolution mapping of modafinil induced changes in glutamate level in rat brain. PLoS One. 2014
- Morgan PT, Pace-Schott E, Pittman B, Stickgold R, Malison RT. Normalizing effects of modafinil on sleep in chronic cocaine users. Am J Psychiatry. 2010
- Neale C, Camfield D, Reay J, Stough C, Scholey A. Cognitive effects of two nutraceuticals Ginseng and Bacopa benchmarked against modafinil: a review and comparison of effect sizes. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013
- Gupta R, Gupta LK, Bhattacharya SK. Chronic administration of modafinil induces hyperalgesia in mice: reversal by L-NG-nitro-arginine methyl ester and 7-nitroindazole. Eur J Pharmacol. 2014
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment
2 Comments
Thank you for the info. However…
nothing about the side-effects??
The page on wikipedia contains and impressively long list of negative side-effects ranging from mild and insignificant to very serious.
I would be interested to know how high is the risk of having any of those consequences, if it is common for regular or prolonged use or rather occasional and individual.
Hey N,
We have a full article on Modafinil side effects if you would like to take a look!
In placebo-controlled trials, less than 5% of users saw more side effects than those who were given a placebo. 2% experienced headaches and less than 1% experienced nausea, anxiety and insomnia.
Serious side effects were very rare, especially when it is used as recommended in the appropriate dosages!