24 replies to this topic

[snazzhands]

Just adding to the body of experiences on here already. Modalert 200mg tablets arrived today, it was around 2pm and I have to work early tomorrow so didn't want to take a full tablet and have trouble sleeping. Broke the tablet in half and half again for a dose of 50mg.

My profile: Teacher, working with children and adults, have always been a massive procrastinator and often very sleepy/unmotivated during the daytime, but very motivated/creative in the evenings. I think students value me for my creativity and enthusiasm, less so for my thoroughness... Found school extremely easy and boring, aced all exams with minimal work, got quite arrogant and lazy in college/uni, one of those types! Now I feel left with no work ethic and an utter aversion to non-creative work which really hinders me in my job. I exercise a lot and regularly, but my diet is very up and down. Looking to nootropics to enhance creativity and focus (aren't we all). Drawn to modafinil to combat sleepiness and help with the huge amount of banal admin work I should be doing but currently am constantly behind on.



Experience today:

Onset period: 1 hour to feel anything, started to feel a little 'different', then 30 minutes later feelings of alertness and energy arrive. Not manic, just productive feeling.

Effect on productivity: Got loads of house jobs done and a bit of banal work. Felt like I actually wanted to do things like sort out the rubbish, gardening, going through paperwork etc. I even did some marking of my students' work - Normally I avoid this particular aspect of my job and when I do it I find it incredibly hard to carry on for longer than 15 minutes or so as it bores me so much - today I managed to do it for about an hour before feeling like chucking it in the shredder. Didn't quite get the 'tunnel vision' that others have reported but this is a low dose.

Effect on sleepiness: As this is what modafinil is designed for, I was expecting it to stop me feeling sleepy and it was very effective! Normally going out in the sun makes me exhausted - not today. Haven't yawned since I took it, which again is unusual for me.

Effect on interactions: Perhaps a bit over-talkative with my girlfriend, then a bit short with her, nothing drastic though, but I had to focus a bit to have a normal two-way conversation instead of a monologue!

Effect on creativity: Nothing useful. I don't feel like it would go well with the most creative aspects of my work, but will give it a whirl at some point to see.

Tapering off: It's now 8:30pm and it seems to have tapered off somewhat - I'm still feeling quite alert and this is a well-thought-out bit of writing for me, but I'm not feeling the same 'drive' I did earlier. Also a tiredness is creeping back, I keep feeling like I'm about to yawn and then not yawning.

Overall: A great experience, looking forward to seeing the impact it has when I'm not working from home (tomorrow). I'll probably be taking it 2 or 3 days a week. I'm surprised that 50mg did actually have quite a strong effect overall - definitely comparable to caffeine in terms of energy and motivation. Will stick to that dose this week, try 100mg next week and see if it makes me twice as productive.

[8bitmore]

Thanks for the report, great that you responded so well to low dose - I will be interested to hear update regarding future low doses (50mg) and whether they are equally efficient for you as compared to your first go!

[soulfiremage]

I'd be tempted to stick to 50mg foras long as you can.
I'm a very long term user of this, I started for similar reasons and psych profile is not so far apart either.

If you get further snappy episodes, break it for a few days and try again see if it comes back. It can hyper focus your attention both in a useful way and a non useful way, so it's better to be focussed on stuff you want to get sorted as the effects come on.

To get real value out of it in your life, in a balanced way, definitely keep to 50mg if its having this affect. Takes a long long time to be tolerant but it eventually does occur if the dose is upped. A break negates this somewhat.

[chemicalambrosia]

Nice report. Where did you order the modalert from?

[snazzhands]

Today's update:

Despite feeling as if the effects were wearing off, I struggled to get to sleep and had a very disturbed night, waking up constantly throughout the night. This is not necessarily down to the modafinil as I often have this kind of night's sleep the day before returning to work after a break. However the modafinil definitely didn't help. I wouldn't recommend taking it after noon!

Dose: 50mg at 6 am

Onset: Not really sure, the effects weren't as noticeable as I wasn't thinking about it as much. I cycle an hour to work and I wasn't completely knackered when I arrived!

Main effects: Well given that I didn't have a good sleep and what I'm normally like after such nights, I hardly feel tired at all. Very little yawning all day and the ability to focus on things. Nothing incredible, just like I'm feeling productive and normal. The effects on interactions aren't as noticeable as I am a very different person at work anyway, I treat interactions very logically. I suppose I was a bit more assertive and more clear with my expectations of people.

Tapering off: I still feel awake, 9 hours after taking it, though the general motivation to sort things out has gone (I am looking at a messy office and pile of work and can't be bothered to sort it out right now) and sleepiness is perhaps settling in a little.

Conclusions: The headline today is that I should've been absolutely knackered and falling asleep in the classroom, but just felt 'fine', all day. Nothing grand or beast mode, just fine. I feel like it would be perhaps a bit more effective to take a bit later on, say 7:30, as then I'd have a bit of extra focus and energy into the afternoon which is when I need it most. I'm also interested to see how it affects me at work after a good solid night's sleep. I'll definitely be sticking to 50mg for now as it seems just right. Could save me a huge amount of money!

I do normally respond to quite low doses of things. I'm not sure if there's some kind of additional placebo effect in my brain, but when things work, I nearly always need less than other people to achieve the desired affect. For me, for now, this works.

[JohnD60]

good report. I had an initial strong and positive experience with it at first, but over time it just became progressively less effective for me.

[norepinephrine]

^ Under what kind of time frame are you talking?

[xks201]

Care to PM the source? I have found adrafinil online but the dosing requirements are higher.

[snazzhands]

Update on day 3

Dose: 50mg at 11:30am

Onset: Again, not as noticeable as I wasn't thinking about it. Hotter weather today, which I feel has made the positive impact less effective, however I did get a slightly better night's sleep.

Main effects: I was getting very sleepy when I took it, and am not anymore. It's now 4 hours later (apparently around the peak of its effects) and I feel quite motivated to work, though I still have a slight fog and tiredness, perhaps from the heat, perhaps from getting used to the modafinil. I have noticed that I am nowhere near as friendly to people at work, but I am also responding less negatively to things that annoy me. Kind of a neutralisation of emotions. A similar thing has happened with my cycle commute - normally I either absolutely love it or rue the day that I decided not to bother with a driver's license. Yesterday, having taken the modafinil before I set off, I just sort of rode in, without thinking about it.

I will take it again tomorrow and then break for the weekend. On Monday I will try 100mg as I work from home, so that any possible unwanted effects will only be noticed by my girlfriend! If the effects are too pronounced I will go back to 50mg on Wednesday, if it seems to be beneficial without being over the top then I may boost my dosage.

[JohnD60]

^ Under what kind of time frame are you talking?

The strong reaction only lasted a few doses. The increased energy declined over about a month, but during that time I was very red eyed and tired looking, I was just able to stay awake longer. I still take 50-100 mg once or twice a month, in hopes that it will trigger the super alert, but calm, reaction I had during the first few doses, It has not happened again, but I do experience some extra energy by taking the intermitent doses.

Edited by JohnD60, 06 June 2013 - 09:28 PM.

[maxwatt]

Look into thyroid issues, and MTHFR polymorphism. If you have the MTHFR gene. enzy,matic conversion of folic acid or folinic acit to the active methyl form is inadequate, and you would benefit from supplementing >= 800 mcg of methyl-folate.

[snazzhands]

Today's update:

Dose: 50mg at 6am, followed by 25mg at 11:30

Summary: Similar effects to previously, I thought I'd experiment with topping up half way through the day and it has worked very well. I have a very busy day on Fridays, with areas of my job that are quite stressful and need me at my most vigilant, and I haven't felt tired at all and quite motivated. Again, no beast mode effects, the top up just seems to be keeping me going and I'll see what I'm like in a couple of hours. I can tell that my body is getting tired, as I think the modafinil has been messing with my sleep, so will definitely take a break over the weekend. I haven't slept as well or for as long as usual in the last few nights - however it could be returning to work nerves after a break, so I will see how this changes next week, when my sleep would normally have returned to normal.

Looking forward to Monday to see what effect 100mg has on work from home. I think I will need to plan for it in advance as I do seem to get very focused on whatever happens to be in front of me - I've been using the apps Omnifocus and 30/30 to help me stay on-task this week, so will use them again.


Review: The last 3 days have been very productive. At these low doses, modafinil seems to be less about how I feel than how I don't feel. I have barely felt tired at all, and when working I haven't felt an excruciating urge to stop and do something else, as always happens usually (it is a real internal battle). I haven't got angry or stressed at any point. Also I haven't felt particular enjoyment in anything I've done, though I feel pleased with what I have achieved this week, in hindsight, which actually to me is more rewarding. I couldn't imagine lack of enjoyment being a good long term effect, though.

[snazzhands]

... knackered today. Alcohol really brings out how tired you actually are on this stuff, so had a very short Friday night!

[snazzhands]

Update:

Dose: 100mg, at 6:30am

Effects: Right now, I've got some serious jitters and a tense jaw, and can't maintain focus on anything. I occasionally get a bit light-headed and have to stand up and walk around. For now I'm having to play computer games to distract me from the weird side effects, hoping it wears off gradually so I can take advantage of some enhanced focus later in the day! I had a bath earlier and put some Ralgex on my sore legs, which I have never used before, and came out in a dark red rash across my neck, legs and sides, and immediately got paranoid that it was a reaction to the Modafinil... then realised that it was all the points where I'd put my hands after using the Ralgex and it was more likely a reaction to that. The rash has reduced now but it totally freaked me out! Tomorrow I will dose 2x50mg spread across a few hours as the 'peak' effects of 100mg are too much for me.

[norepinephrine]

Ashwagandha, theanine or bacopa could help with the jitters. I generally like to keep all on hand as an antitode to overstimulation and restlessness.

[snazzhands]

100mg first day reflection: Today was a non-starter. Too much stimulation in too short a time, combined with the rash which I've concluded was DEFINITELY from the Ralgex, and associated paranoia, made me completely lose track of what I was supposed to be getting done. I will plan tomorrow more thoroughly, possibly with a little table covering what I'm doing at what point in the day, and see if that helps.

I have some theanine so I'll see how that helps tomorrow as well.

[snazzhands]

Well I have now been taking modafinil pretty regularly, for over a month now (where has the time gone?). I have come to the conclusion that breaking each 200mg pill in 4 and taking one 50mg dose in the morning and then up to 2 more throughout the day is a perfect level for me. Some days 50mg is enough. Others I'll have 150mg spread out from 6am-12 noon. To avoid getting over tired without realising, I make sure to have 2 days off and get some quality sleep in.


Things it definitely helps with:

Energy levels (obviously)
Perception of exhaustion during and after my cycle to/from work (I think you need to be careful not to push yourself too hard when exercising on modafinil)
Vigilance and attention to small details
Motivation
My out of control sweet tooth


Things it sometimes helps with:

Getting boring work done
Motivation to talk to people
Tackling difficult conversations


Things it definitely doesn't help with:

Trying to get to sleep some nights is impossible, particularly if I've had 150mg that day. But, I'll wake up 4 hours later and pop some more and not feel too bad the next day.
My relationship with my partner. I am much more focused on work and she has noticed this, so I have to remind myself that it's important that we spend time together every day.



Negative side-effects:

A bit of worry about all this 'SJS' paranoia that people have.
Chewing my tongue a little/slight jaw tension at times (this has gradually tapered off)
Feeling of dehydration/sore throat - related to SJS paranoia.
Occasional dizziness and depersonalisation (though I used to get this occasionally anyway, so might not be the modafinil)



I'll stop updating this thread as I think I've basically figured out its effects on me and don't think there would be anything to add that would be useful to anyone else later on, unless there is some long-term effect that crops up later.

Hope people find this informative and useful if they are considering modafinil for themselves.

[Erstwhile]

Thanks for the log. I'll be starting a course of modafinil soon and this has been very informative for me.

[snazzhands]

An update:

Eye problems

I carried on taking modafinil for the rest of July. As the summer went on my eyes started getting itchy which I thought must be due to hayfever or possibly the modafinil. Around early August I had to sand my floors which was exhausting - so I thought why not take a bit more modafinil and get it done quickly, then get a few good nights sleep afterwards?

Unfortunately my eyes became more and more irritated, which was exacerbated by the dust, culminating in pink eye on the left side. I went to a nurse who gave me antibiotic drops, but they had no effect. The doctor referred me to the eye clinic and I was put on steroid drops for iritis. The eye improved massively at first but is not completely better - it is now mid-October, roughly 2 months later. The doctor is adamant that it is nothing to do with the sanding dust as iritis is an immune reaction to something within the body - I didn't mention the modafinil as I didn't think he'd be particularly happy.

I really have no idea if this is due to the modafinil or something else, but it seems a likely candidate. I went back on the modafinil when term started again and it was around that time that the recovery seemed to plateau. I've stopped taking modafinil this week and hopefully the iritis will go away eventually. Unfortunately the only way to really test whether it's a reaction to modafinil would be to wait until the iritis is gone for a while, start back on modafinil and see if it comes back!

Off modafinil I don't really miss it. I wasn't getting that much more done and was never up for the whole staying up all hours with minimal sleep thing, given that I cycle 25 miles a day and need the physical recovery. In fact the Doc seemed pretty surprised that I had iritis given my good health and fitness - I couldn't find anything on the net showing an inverse relationship but not everything is on there....

To be honest I probably will do the stupid thing and try modafinil again once the iritis has recovered - at that point I'll update this little log.

[Brainy]

@ snazzhands yeah, thanks for the log! i might start splitting up the doses like you to make it last a bit longer! Again great log!
@ xks201 I get my last shipment from http://www.brainenhancingdrugshq.com. cheers

[Mr Matsubayashi]

After 5 days modafinil irritates my eyes and modafinil combined with exercise causes my eyes to become blood-shot. There were also a few incidents of pigment dispersion from my iris.

The more annoying thing was that after the initial euphoria I would feel fatigued, the feeling coincided with eye troubles. If I stopped taking modafinil I felt like crap for a few days.

Something was being depleted? Build up of metabolites? Histamine levels? Loratadine and curcumin did not resolve those symptoms.

Curcumin did resolve the small sores that developed on my tongue.

Until I can resolve these issues modafinil will be taken in single doses as needed.

Eye problems

I carried on taking modafinil for the rest of July. As the summer went on my eyes started getting itchy which I thought must be due to hayfever or possibly the modafinil. Around early August I had to sand my floors which was exhausting - so I thought why not take a bit more modafinil and get it done quickly, then get a few good nights sleep afterwards?

Unfortunately my eyes became more and more irritated, which was exacerbated by the dust, culminating in pink eye on the left side. I went to a nurse who gave me antibiotic drops, but they had no effect. The doctor referred me to the eye clinic and I was put on steroid drops for iritis. The eye improved massively at first but is not completely better - it is now mid-October, roughly 2 months later. The doctor is adamant that it is nothing to do with the sanding dust as iritis is an immune reaction to something within the body - I didn't mention the modafinil as I didn't think he'd be particularly happy.

I really have no idea if this is due to the modafinil or something else, but it seems a likely candidate. I went back on the modafinil when term started again and it was around that time that the recovery seemed to plateau. I've stopped taking modafinil this week and hopefully the iritis will go away eventually. Unfortunately the only way to really test whether it's a reaction to modafinil would be to wait until the iritis is gone for a while, start back on modafinil and see if it comes back!

Off modafinil I don't really miss it. I wasn't getting that much more done and was never up for the whole staying up all hours with minimal sleep thing, given that I cycle 25 miles a day and need the physical recovery. In fact the Doc seemed pretty surprised that I had iritis given my good health and fitness - I couldn't find anything on the net showing an inverse relationship but not everything is on there....

To be honest I probably will do the stupid thing and try modafinil again once the iritis has recovered - at that point I'll update this little log.

[xks201]

Sounds like you were allergic to it. Lol

[tintinet]

I've just received samples of modafinil & armodafinil. I've tried adrafinil recently to good effect- good focus & alertness without bothering my sleep much. Took 300 mg early AM. Probably try 50 mg modafinil tomorrow AM.

[Brainy]

A little update: I have been on and off modafinil for almost 2 years now. This stuff is really working. I mostly use armodafinil or modalert. I started at about 50 mg and was doing 300mg at some point but I would recommend to stay on a low dose. Even starting at 25mg/day would be good. I actually wrote a post about it, you can check it out here: http://www.alexforti...nal-experience/

 

Let me know what you think

 

Cheers

Edited by Brainy, 06 August 2015 - 03:59 AM.

[tintinet]

Seems to work for me also. I usually take 100 mg on the way to work and another 100 mg about 1/2 way through the work day. Helps me focus and usually keeps me in positive mood.