A Year on Modafinil: Pros and Cons

[GabeN]

So ever since I heard about this drug and saw Leo's video on nootropics about it I thought to myself "This sounds like exactly what I'm looking for", and I think i was right, here's how it went:

After finally getting my hands on it I was super excited because my current job I work requires me to be focused and awake for long periods of time and I don't like drinking more than a cup or two of caffeine to avoid those afternoon crashes, Modafinil came as a lifesaver for me without a doubt because my productivity skyrocketed and I barely saw any side effects from it, so here are some of the Pros and what I think Cons for this awesome nootropic:

(these are based on mostly 100mg but on days that I didn't sleep that well (4 to 6 hours) I would take 200mg, even 300mg in emergency situations was a lifesaver)

Pros:

1-It gave me that feeling you get when you had a really good night's sleep without being under the influence of caffeine or any stimulant.

2- The feeling of being awake made it much easier for me to focus on my tasks for longer periods, it felt good to focus.

3-It generally made me feel happy and energetic but focused and relaxed too, I always wanted that zen mode of being able to focus without feeling overstimulated.

4- I had really smooth come-ups and come-downs.

5- My memory was doing much better than before meaning it didn't take much effort to remember things that mattered most.

6-I could take it on a daily basis without feeling any noticeable side effects.

7-It goes pretty well with caffeine for me (keep in mind I don't drink much caffeine and I also delay it after 1 or 2 hours of waking up).

8-Long duration, 100mg was enough for me to stay awake and focused for 8 to 10 hours and more.

9-I could work out on it in the morning after taking it though I try not to overtrain.

 

Cons:

1-I realized that I tend to rely on it sometimes to not sleep an extra hour or two that I rather need for my body to recover because I know that modafinil will make it easier to stay awake on less slept hours.

2-In some cases of stressful situations, I did find that it was a bit harder to calm down my anxiety but a bit of breathing well did the trick for me.

3- There aren't many studies that I'm aware of that track the long-term use of it (please share if you do know any).

4- Higher doses did feel like a slight comedown sometimes.

 

These are the Pros and Cons I can think of right now but I can sum it up by saying Modafinil was a true gamechanger for me however i don't know if i will be taking it long term for now, it will probably depend on some different factors like me having focus and wakefulness for good sleep, nutrition and exercise etc, if i can get what i need from these i think i will probably stop using modafinil 4 to 5 times a week and leave it for some special days when i need more focus and energy for now.

 

hope this helps guys and do share your experience if you have any,

cheers.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by GabeN

[Leo Gura]

How often did you take it and did you develop any tolerance?

Thanks for sharing.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Butters]

I've been on and off Moda for about 2 years now. Overal a net positive for me, same pros as OP. 

The only thing is I have a hard time falling asleep at night, even when I took the Moda 16 hours earlier. 

Also developed tolerance for sure. I used to be maxed out with 1/4 pill now I can comfortably take a full pill and get the same effect. 

@Leo Gura how have your experiences been lately, did you develop any tolerance? 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Butters

[GabeN]

@Leo Gura

31 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

How often did you take it and did you develop any tolerance?

Thanks for sharing.

I took it 5 days a week and took breaks usually on weekends (for me it's Fridays and Saturdays), I also didn't use it on days when i was off work/vacation as i didn't feel the need to.

 

I did notice there was tolerance going on when I had a period of about a month or two that i took 200mg almost daily, during that time taking 100mg felt like the modafinil wasn't working as well, but then I got used to 100mg again and it's more than i need, it's probably because i got my sleep going better.  i still keep the 200 mg for days i have less sleep the night before, but in short I personally didn't see a tolerance problem unless you take higher doses and then get back to lower ones.

[Leo Gura]

29 minutes ago, Butters said:

how have your experiences been lately, did you develop any tolerance?

I don't use it.

[OBEler]

I could work 16 hours with small little breaks for eating. 

It is too good but I feel Impotent on the day I take it

And I feel the body waits for a time the next days to rest more

Edited January 20, 2023 by OBEler

[TheSamir]

@GabeN

Thanks for sharing!

Taking modafinil for some time now (3 times / week), I experience generally 2 Cons:

 1. Being much more thirsty and drinking a lot more water.

 2. Waking up tired the next day.

Besides that it works great.

[Schizophonia]

How does he compares to wellbutrin or adderall ? 

[Cireeric]

@GabeN Do you use the original/prescribed version or some of the off-label versions from India? I can be very productive on Moda/Armoda but I notice downsides very fast, like headaches, feeling less social/more robotic/increased social anxiety and feeling down the next day I wonder if its because of possible difference in quality.