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Provigil is a unique analeptic and energy-promoting drug which was originally developed to treat patients with narcolepsy. Individuals diagnosed with narcolepsy fall into a deep sleep sporadically throughout the day without any warning.
Provigil is observed to keep narcoleptics awake and functioning throughout the day and to delay the need for sleep.
The drug quickly gained a reputation for off-label uses due to its ability to improve focus, decrease fatigue and increase motivation in the user.
It is seen as one of the best ADHD treatments available and a viable option for users interested in boosting their brain power.
However, Provigil is a prescription medication, so it cannot be legally bought by anyone with a doctor’s prescription. Because of this, many people are interested in looking into Provigil alternatives instead.
Alertness
Mental Acuity
Focus- Stimulates wakefulness in the brain
- Promotes mental acuity & processing
- Enhances focus, motivation & energy
Provigil History and On-Label Prescribed Uses
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
Modafinil was first discovered in 1976 in France by Michel Jouvet, a neurophysiologist working for the pharmaceutical company Lafon Laboratories. Lafon has since been bought by the company Cephalon Inc. Cephalon makes the most popular brand name version of Modafinil available in the world, Provigil.
In this article Modafinil and Provigil are used interchangeably to refer to the same product, however there are generic sources of Modafinil available that have a similar formulation to brand name Provigil, but are not patented like this formulation.
In the first animal studies done using Modafinil, it was found that it caused hyperactivity, increased locomotor activity, and heightened vigilance/alertness in the animal models. It has been determined that Modafinil is a eugeroic agent, meaning it has wakefulness-promoting effects. It has stimulant-like effects, but is in fact not related to traditional amphetamine based stimulants.
Because of the effects seen in animal trials, the first human trials used Modafinil to improve symptoms of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. As mentioned above, narcoleptics have issues maintaining wakefulness, and can fall asleep suddenly, randomly, and frequently throughout the day; they also experience excessive daytime sleepiness, irregardless of sleep quality at night.
In multiple double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials on narcoleptics, it has been seen the Provigil is significantly better at improving wakefulness and reducing excessive sleepiness than a placebo. When given Modafinil, the latency to sleep as measured by the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test is increased over baseline and placebo levels, and likeliness of falling asleep as measured by the self-administered Epworth Sleepiness Scale decreased.
Modafinil was approved as a prescription medication for narcolepsy in France in 1994, and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States in 1998, under the name Provigil. Since that time it has been approved for two other on-label sleep disorder related uses: shift-work sleep disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.
Shift-work sleep disorder is a sleep disorder that can occur when there is a shift to normal circadian rhythms, most typically due to work schedules. A normal circadian rhythm for a human is to be awake during daylight hours, and sleep during the nighttime. Due to working a late night, overnight, or extended shift, some people are forced to go against the normal circadian rhythm and be awake at night and sleep during the day.
Consequently, these people can sometimes experience excessive sleepiness when they are awake, and occasionally experience insomnia when trying to sleep. Modafinil has been tested and approved as a treatment for the excessive sleepiness experienced by shift-work sleep disorder sufferers.
In a research study, patients with this disorder were given either Provigil or a placebo before a nighttime work shift. It was found that people who took Provigil had less frequent and shorter lapses in attention compared to placebo patients. However they still reported some residual sleepiness, so it is possible that even better treatment options are still needed for this disorder.
Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is the final official approved use for Provigil. In this medical condition, breathing is affected while sleeping. The muscles of the mouth involuntarily relax during sleep, allowing the tongue and soft palate to either partially obstruct breathing (hypopnea), or completely obstruct the airway, causing breathing to stop (apnea).
These episodes of poor or no breathing can occur multiple times a night, leading to overall poor sleep quality. This typically leads to excessive daytime sleepiness.
The most common treatment for this condition is to wear a CPAP machine while sleeping to help keep the airway open and breathing regular. Some people still experience excessive sleepiness even after this treatment, and when used as an adjunct treatment, Modafinil has been seen to significantly reduce this symptom compared to placebo.
Provigil has been approved by the FDA as a Schedule IV prescription-only drug for the treatment of narcolepsy and shift-work sleep disorder, and as an adjunct treatment for the symptom of excessive sleepiness caused by OSAHS. Any other uses of Provigil are considered off-label.
Provigil Alternatives
As previous discussed, Provigil is only available with a prescription and the cost for thirty 100mg tablets of this name brand version ranges from $800 – $1500.
Because of this, smart-drug users will often elect to stack other nootropics in order to gain the benefits Provigil provides. What are the best Modafinil alternatives that you can use to improve your concentration, energy, mental drive and productivity?
Provigil has a reputation for producing a unique state of mental alertness while also boosting the user’s motivation factor. Increasing motivation plays out by heightening creativity, focus and productivity.
Provigil promotes wakefulness without producing agitation like many stimulants tend to do.
While amphetamines work, in part, by creating dopamine dumps in order to create resistance to fatigue, they are potentially addictive, require prescriptions and have unwanted side effects.
Nootropic options which are non-addictive and produce cleaner effects are readily available without a prescription. Phenylpiracetam is approximately 60x more potent than Piracetam and is known for boosting both motivation and mood.
It is basically Piracetam with a Phenyl group attached. This allows Phenylpiracetam to provide the cognitive benefits of Piracetam while also creating a generous amount of mental energy.
Another nootropic which users report increases motivation and productivity is the racetam Noopept which is about 1000x more potent than Piracetam, thereby requiring very small doses.
Phenylpiracetam or Noopept can be stacked synergistically with a quality source of Choline to achieve optimal results.
- Increases energy, wakefulness and motivation
- Boosts mental performance and focus
- Supports memory and cognition
Provigil Alternatives For ADD/ADHD
One of the most common off-label uses for Provigil is for improving attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Countless research studies in children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD have shown that Modafinil significantly reduces symptoms and improves scores on a variety of ADHD tests and scales compared to a placebo.
Some research has been done comparing Provigil to a placebo alone. Typically the trials are organized such that patients are randomly given one of either the placebo or Provigil for a set amount of time (typically two weeks), and then they are given the alternate treatment for two weeks.
Multiple double-blind placebo-controlled studies that are organized in this manner have shown that compared to scores on placebo, scores on various tests including the DSM IV ADHD Behavior Checklist, Test of Variables of Attention, ADHD Rating Scale-IV School and Home Versions, Clinical Global Impressions Improvement Scale, and the Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale-IV are significantly improved when taking Modafinil.
Provigil has also been tested against some traditional ADHD medications. One study compared Provigil to dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), as well as comparing both active medications to a placebo. It was found that when patients took either Modafinil and dextroamphetamine they had significantly higher scores on the DSM IV ADHD Behavior Checklist compared to when they took a placebo.
As has been seen in various research studies and from user reviews, Provigil enhances the user’s ability to focus and concentrate. Some people with ADD or ADHD find that they prefer the subtle stimulating effect of Provigil to that of other stimulants.
The most common prescription medications for ADD or ADHD are psychostimulants known as amphetamines. These amphetamine based stimulants include the previous mentioned Dexedrine and Adderall (which is a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine). Ritalin is another commonly prescribed medication. It is a stimulant as well, but is considered a phenethylamine and piperidine based stimulant.
While traditional ADHD stimulant medications have been seen to work effectively for improving symptoms of ADD and ADHD, these drugs are considered last resorts for most parents and individuals who are worried about the high risk of serious side effects related to Adderall and Ritalin.
There is a known increased risk of heart and psychiatric problems, as well as the potential for drug abuse with these medications. Because of these side effects, many people are interested in trying Ritalin and Adderall alternatives. While Provigil does have stimulant-like effects, the incidence of heart related side effects is considered significantly lower than with traditional amphetamine and methylphenidate stimulants.
While research has shown the Modafinil should be considered a viable alternative to traditional ADHD medications, it has not been approved as an on-label use. While there are some doctors that will prescribe Provigil to their patients with ADHD, and these prescriptions are entirely legal, many people are still unable to get Provigil. This is primarily due to the fact the off-label uses of drugs are rarely covered by insurance providers, and the high cost of Provigil makes it difficult for most people to afford without assistance.
However, there are effective Provigil alternatives from the class of nootropic supplements that can be used as an alternative for people who cannot get a prescription, or those who cannot afford it if insurance does not cover it.
Natural alternatives involve stacking supplements and/or herbs in order to create a cocktail which works with your individual neurochemistry. Almost all ADD/ADHD stacks will include a Fish Oil supplement to provide omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies show a combination of Fish Oil and Evening Primrose Oil improved hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and the ability to think clearly.
Zinc deficiency was noted in children diagnosed with ADD. Supplementation of Zinc, in addition to traditional ADHD therapy, showed improvement in hyperactivity but not in the ability to pay attention.
A basic nootropic stack which may help with ADD symptoms is Piracetam, Citicoline (or Alpha GPC) and Fish Oil. These three nootropic agents work together synergistically.
Piracetam increases blood flow and oxygen uptake throughout the brain region while increasing the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine. The Choline supplement provides additional material which can be converted into Acetylcholine, and fish oil helps to balance all of these processes out.
The end result is often a brain which runs cleaner and more efficiently while being a much cheaper alternative to Modafinil and Provigil.
Modafinil Alternatives For Cognitive Enhancement
Provigil is extensively used as a nootropic drug by various different people in challenging fields, including college graduate students, Wall Street bankers, and Silicon Valley executives. Similarly to people who use Provigil for ADHD, these people take Modafinil for its effects on focus, concentration, attention, and memory.
There have been reviews of the research done using Modafinil for cognitive enhancement, and the trends seen across many studies is that Modafinil is able to increase certain types of memory, specifically episodic memory (concerning specific events) and working memory (short term memory that controls behavior and reasoning).
Other reviews have found that Provigil works to improve focus and so-called executive function relating to how attention is controlled in the brain. A byproduct of better concentration is better memory and learning capacity.
In a double-blind study on sleep-deprived doctors and nurses in a hospital environment, Provigil was found to improve certain mental measurements related to sharpness and clarity of thought.
This result is one of the reasons why Provigil and Modafinil in general are seen as smart drugs that can improve certain intelligence scores.
One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study using healthy volunteers tested the same individuals while taking a placebo versus Provigil on a comprehensive set of neuropsychological tests designed to test memory and attention.
It was found that when taking Modafinil, performance was enhanced on tests of visual pattern recognition memory, digit span, stop-signal reaction time, and spatial planning. Additionally, participants reported feeling more alert, attentive and energetic while taking the Provigil.
Despite all these benefits for cognition, it is incredibly difficult to get a prescription written for Provigil for nootropic purposes. Some people will instead turn to the “gray market” and buy generic Modafinil online from online pharmacies without a prescription. However the legality or this is murky at best, and the safety/purity of these products is suspect.
Therefore if you are interested in using Provigil for cognitive enhancement but cannot legally get a prescription, we would recommend looking for alternatives known as nootropics.
There are a few tried and true nootropic drugs which work to boost concentrative ability while enhancing other cognitive functions at the same time.
The racetam family of drugs continues to be the most widely used cognitive enhancers worldwide. With nearly five decades of usage, and multiple studies to support their effects on cognition, they are the backbone of most nootropic users stacks.
Piracetam is the parent drug of the other nootropic racetams. It is non-toxic and has few potential side-effects.
Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, Noopept, Pramiracetam and Phenylpiracetam are all used for improving memory consolidation, enhancing learning ability and boosting your concentration. Each of the racetam family members has specific unique effects and all of them can be cycled with the others to prevent tolerance from occurring.
Provigil vs Adrafinil
For those wanting all the benefits of Provigil but unable to get a prescription or to afford the price tag on it, there is another alternative, Adrafinil. Adrafinil is a benzhydryl sulfinyl compound that has a very similar molecular structure to Modafinil. The only difference is that Modafinil lacks a hydroxyl group that Adrafinil has on its terminal amide.
Adrafinil is considered the prodrug to Modafinil (Provigil). After it is ingested, Adrafinil is metabolized in the liver, and broken down into its component parts. The primary active component of Adrafinil is in fact Modafinil.
In fact, the French company who developed Provigil first developed and manufactured Adrafinil. Testing to determine Adrafinil’s mechanism of action led to the discovery of Modafinil. They ceased production of Adrafinil only after they were able to produce Modafinil (Provigil) directly.
Adrafinil is available to buy in the USA without a prescription through many reputable online smart drug shops and, if purchased in bulk powder form, averages less than fifty-cents per dose. This makes it significantly more cost effective per dosage compared to the average Modafinil price.
Due to how it is processed in the liver, it is believed that Adrafinil may elevate levels of hepatotoxic enzymes, which may lead to liver toxicity. Therefore it is recommended that it not be used on a frequent or continuous basis. Instead, if used infrequently, the incidence of side effects is greatly decreased.
Adrafinil is considered a good alternative to Provigil for those acute situations when you need an extra boost, and the other nootropic supplements discussed previously in the article may not be strong enough.
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Article last updated on: April 12th, 2018 by Nootriment