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Nuvigil (Armodafinil) is Cephalon’s newest version of the energy-boosting drug, Modafinil.
Though both drugs are used to treat the same medical conditions, there is a distinctive difference in their chemical composition rendering Nuvigil a purer form of the drug Modafinil.
The change in chemical composition may lower the incidence of side effects which occurred with Modafinil as well as slightly change the effects the user experiences with this drug.
Like Modafinil (Provigil), there are many who are interested in taking Nuvigil for non-prescription purposes as well.
Both “smart drugs” are taken by students as study pills or simply to improve productivity, alertness, focus and mood.
Given the widespread use of Nuvigil for unapproved purposes, a common question is, “Can you get Nuvigil without a Prescription?” What are the legal requirements for obtaining Nuvigil around the world?
Energy
Cognition
Motivation- Wakefulness-boosting stimulant
- Enhances motivation and focus
- Shown to boost mental performance
History of Nuvigil
Related Topics
- What is Armodafinil?
- What is Nuvigil?
- Armodafinil vs. Modafinil
- User Review
- Typical Nuvigil Experiences
- How it Works
- Nuvigil for ADHD
- Effects on Depression & Anxiety
- Dosage Recommendations
- How to Take
- Reported Side Effects
- Withdrawal & Tolerance
- Prescription Information
- Buying Nuvigil
- Generic Nuvigil Brands
- Is Armodafinil Legal?
- Is Nuvigil Safe?
- Comparison to Adderall
Nuvigil is the latest compound in a line of eugeroic drugs that stretches back to the 1970s. Eugeroics are wakefulness promoting drugs that have stimulant-like effects. However, eugeroics are not chemically related to traditional amphetamine based stimulants, and their known mechanisms of action are different.
The first eugeroic compound in this group to be discovered is Adrafinil, which was developed by scientists at the pharmaceutical company Lafon Laboratories in France in 1974.
Soon after the development of Adrafinil, the compound Modafinil was discovered. During tests to determine Adrafinil’s mechanism of action, Modafinil was discovered to be its primary active compound that causes its effects in the body.
After it is ingested, Adrafinil travels to the liver, where it is broken down into its component parts, modafinilic acid, and Modafinil. Modafinilic acid is largely inactive, and Modafinil was found to be the active component of Adrafinil.
Adrafinil and Modafinil were seen to have wakefulness and stimulant-like effects in animal trials. These compounds were first tested in human patients as treatments for the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
Once Modafinil was able to be produced directly, the need for Adrafinil decreased, as this prodrug is less potent and long-lasting as its successor Modafinil. Production of Adrafinil slowed and eventually ceased (however it is once again made by other manufacturers today).
In 2001, Lafon was bought by Cephalon Inc. Cephalon continued making the brand name version of Modafinil, Provigil. When the patents on Provigil were a few years from expiring, work was done to help develop a new version of Modafinil that would allow Cephalon to maintain their market share.
Modafinil is comprised of two mirror image copies of the same molecular structure. These copies are known as enantiomers, a specific type of stereoisomers that are identical in structure, but flipped on one axis (similar to a right and left hand mirror each other on one axis).
Testing on these two enantiomers found that the R-enantiomer is more pharmacologically active, stable, and longer-acting than the S-enantiomer. Armodafinil is therefore a enantiopure version of Modafinil that is made using just the R-enantiomer – hence the name, Armodafinil, from R-Modafinil.
Cephalon was bought by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in 2011. Today, Cephalon, as a subsidiary of Teva, still makes the most well-known brand name versions of Modafinil and Armodafinil, Provigil and Nuvigil.
Nuvigil for Sleep Disorders
Adrafinil was approved for use as a treatment for narcolepsy in 1986 in France. Later, Provigil was approved as a treatment for narcolepsy in France in 1994, and in the US in 1998. It is fitting then that Nuvigil was also approved as a treatment for narcolepsy.
Like Provigil before it, Nuvigil is approved as a treatment for a few serious sleep disorders, namely narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder, and as an adjunct treatment for obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. In some countries, Provigil and Nuvigil are also approved to treat idiopathic hypersomnia, which is a condition similar to narcolepsy, but often less severe.
In various double-blind placebo-controlled research studies, Nuvigil has been seen to significantly decrease excessive daytime sleepiness (and excessive nighttime sleepiness in shift-work disorder patients) and improve wakefulness when compared to a placebo.
In one study on narcolepsy, mean sleep latency times measured by the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test were increased from baseline in patients given Nuvigil, versus a decrease from baseline seen in placebo patients.
In a study using Nuvigil to treat shift-work sleep disorder, Nuvigil was seen to significantly increase mean sleep latency time from baseline times on the Multiple Sleep Latency test compared to placebo. Patient sleep diaries also revealed reduced sleepiness scores during nighttime work or laboratory testing shifts, as well as during commutes home.
Some people who are successfully treated for their condition using the most popular treatment option – nCPAP (nasal continuous positive airway pressure) – sometimes still experience residual excessive daytime sleepiness. Nuvigil has been seen to be a successful adjunct treatment that helps increase mean sleep latency times on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test, and decrease excessive sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
Common Off-Label Uses
Any use of a prescription drug that is not one of its approved uses is technically considered an off-label use (approved uses are considered on-label). Nuvigil and Provigil before it have both been used extensively off-label for their stimulating effects.
Some of the most common off-label uses relate back to the drugs’ original purpose. They have been used to help reduce the fatigue associated with some diseases, including depression, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Nuvigil has also been used to relieve the symptoms of attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There is not much research done using Nuvigil for this purpose, but many studies done using Provigil.
It has been seen in a large variety of double-blind placebo-controlled studies in all age groups (pediatric, adolescents, adults) that compared to placebo, Provigil significantly improves symptoms of ADHD as measured by a number of different tests, including Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale-IV, the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale, Conners Rating Scales, and the DSM-IV ADHD Behavior Checklist.
Provigil and Nuvigil are most commonly used off-label use cognitive enhancing nootropic drugs. Users say that these compounds in addition to helping provide physical and mental energy and alertness, also improve concentration, focus, motivation, and memory.
No studies have been done directly on the nootropic properties of Nuvigil, however cognitive enhancing effects have been studied in trials focused on various sleep disorders.
One study using Nuvigil to treat narcolepsy observed significantly increased scores on tests of attention and memory from the Cognitive Drug Research battery of tests compared to scores from placebo patients. Similar results were seen in a study on shift-work sleep disorder, with improved scores on standardized memory and attention tests in Nuvigil patients.
- Increases energy, wakefulness and motivation
- Boosts mental performance and focus
- Supports memory and cognition
Nuvigil Prescription Status
As described earlier, Nuvigil is part of a family of eugeroics or stimulant-like drugs that counteract lethargy and promote wakefulness.
Users report it also can enhance one’s ability to concentrate at demanding work as well as increasing motivation and goal-directed behaviours.
Nuvigil is typically only approved to treat certain serious sleep disorders in most countries. However, it is frequently used off-label to decrease or eliminate jet lag, decrease overall fatigue, ADD and ADHD, to elevate mood, and most commonly as a nootropic cognitive enhancer.
Ascertaining the status of, or regulations governing, any drug within a given country can prove problematic.
Laws and regulations established by the various agencies and oversight committees often only serve to lend confusion to an already confusing issue. Depending on the country, drugs can be regulated or unregulated, non-prescription or prescription-only, approved or unapproved, controlled or not controlled, and scheduled or unscheduled.
Because Nuvigil is a newer incarnation of an already established medication, a general rule of thumb is that Nuvigil appears to have inherited the same prescription status as Provigil in almost all countries. In most localities across the globe, if you need a prescription for Modafinil then you will also need a prescription for Nuvigil.
USA
In the United States, Nuvigil is regulated and is categorized by the Food and Drug Administration as a Schedule IV prescription drug. This means you need a prescription in order to legally buy, possess, or use it.
Drugs in the USA are assigned to specific schedules based on their risk of side effects as well as the possibility for abuse and addition. Nuvigil has been assigned to Schedule IV because it is considered to have a relatively low risk of abuse or negative effects.
If you are traveling to the US, you are permitted to bring up to 50 pills into the country with you, provided you have a prescription for them. Otherwise, importing Nuvigil by purchasing it from an online pharmacy is not permitted by individuals without appropriate DEA approval.
People have reported having success buying Nuvigil from legitimate registered online pharmacies within the US, although these are limited. Some users have reported being able to successfully import Nuvigil from registered pharmacies in other countries, provided they have proof of their prescription information available.
Canada
Nuvigil is a regulated drug in Canada. It is considered a Schedule I prescription-only drug, listed on the Prescription Drug List (this designation replaced Schedule F of the Food and Drug Regulations).
Therefore, Nuvigil can only be dispensed with a prescription from your medical provider.
In Canada, regulations have recently changed regarding the importation of small quantities of prescription drugs for personal use. It is no longer legal for residents of Canada to import prescription medications.
According to the Administration of Health Canada Acts and Regulations Relating to Certain Controlled, Prohibited or Regulated Goods Memorandum D19-9-1, “Canadian residents may not import prescription drugs by mail or courier.”
There is one exception to this importation rule: residents who have traveled abroad and been prescribed a prescription medication there may bring back a small amount of the drug with them (up to a 90 day supply), provided they have a prescription.
United Kingdom
In the UK, Nuvigil is a regulated drug and considered a prescription-only medication, meaning you need to get a prescription from your doctor before being able to access the drug through your local pharmacy or online provider. Regulations allow UK residents to import small quantities for personal use—usually a 30-90 day supply.
Australia
Nuvigil is regulated in Australia and is a Schedule 4 prescription drug. It is only available by prescription from a licensed medical doctor.
Germany
In Germany, Nuvigil is available by prescription only.
Mexico and India
Nuvigil is not a controlled or regulated substance in Mexico and India. This means it can be dispensed without a prescription. Several online pharmacies located in Mexico and India offer Nuvigil to users in other countries.
However if you get Nuvigil from Mexico or India and do not have a prescription for it, there is no guarantee that your country of residence will allow it to cross through customs.
Buying Nuvigil Online Without a Prescription
Because getting a Nuvigil prescription for anything other than a serious sleep disorder is very difficult, some people may be tempted to turn to the internet gray market. There are many international online pharmacies where you can buy Nuvigil online without a prescription.
These pharmacies are typically located in countries where Nuvigil is sold as as over-the-counter medication, such as Mexico and India. While buying the drug from these countries lies in a legal gray area, problems arise when they are imported.
Once the product reaches your country, it is then under the jurisdiction of the laws of your country, and will be considered a prescription drug in most places. Customs agents are able to seize your product, and based on the laws in your country, it could be outright confiscated if importation is not allowed.
If importation is allowed, then you will need to provide proof of a prescription to get your product or have it be confiscated. There is also the possibility of being placed on drug enforcement agency watchlists if you try to import drugs without a prescription, which could have legal ramifications for you.
If you do in fact receive your product though, then another issues arises. It is often impossible to determine if the product you get is in fact Nuvigil, and if it is pure and free and contaminants.
The manufacuring facilities for these drugs are often not compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – protocols that ensure the safety and purity of product production. Additionally, Certificates of Analysis from third party labs are typically not available for these products, especially not for every batch.
Overall, it is a risky endeavor to try and buy Nuvigil without a prescription from one of these international online pharmacies. Because of this, many people instead turn to some non-prescription Nuvigil alternatives.
Alternatives to Nuvigil
A viable non-prescription alternative to Nuvigil is Adrafinil. It can be found at most online nootropic stores.
As described earlier, Adrafinil (Olmifon) was the first drug developed to treat narcolepsy and is the predecessor to both Modafinil and Nuvigil.
Over the years, as the researchers were able to synthesize Modafinil and Armodafinil, they stopped production of Adrafinil.
Adrafinil relies on the user’s liver to convert it into Modafinil. This process takes about an hour to occur. While it cannot be converted directly into Armodafinil, the effects are said to be largely similar.
While production of Adrafinil by the original producer ceased when Modafinil could be synthesized directly, this original eugeroic drug is available from other pharmaceutical manufacturers today and widely available through online nutritional and nootropic stores.
Because the body must convert the drug, a larger dose is needed to achieve the beneficial results, but the cost for Adrafinil is significantly lower, making the larger doses affordable.
Besides requiring a larger dose to be effective, Adrafinil may have a higher potential for certain side effects. Mild side effects can include headache and nausea.
Because Adrafinil is processed in the liver, it may raise toxic liver enzymes if used frequently. It is recommended that Adrafinil be used on an occasional basis for safest results, only being used when needed for an extra mental boost.
If using Adrafinil continuously for any time period, ask your doctor to draw a liver panel regularly.
Summary
Nuvigil is a prescription-only medication in most countries. A viable alternative which does not require a prescription is Adrafinil. We recommend ordering from a reputable online company.
Buying Adrafinil in bulk powder form is the most cost-effective method. If using Adrafinil with any frequency, work with your doctor to have your blood work monitored every 30-90 days.
Adrafinil is a good non-prescription alternative to Nuvigil’s prescription-only status.
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Article last updated on: April 13th, 2018 by Nootriment