Modafinil – What You Can ACTUALLY Expect (It’s Not Like Limitless)

I have had a prescription for Modafinil for a few years now, and I have quite the thorough experience with the stuff to say the least.

Before you jump to the conclusion that I have (or faked having) ADD/ADHD symptoms to get a prescription, let me preface this by saying that Modafinil IS NOT a drug prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder symptoms.

Contrary to popular belief, Modafinil is a “Wakefulness Agent” prescribed for those with Narcolepsy, Severe Sleep Apnea, or Shift Work Sleep Disorder.

I have an extreme case of Sleep Apnea, and went to the doctor and straight up told them about it, and got a Modafinil prescription in less than 60 seconds.

So what exactly is a “Wakefulness Agent?”

A wakefulness agent does exactly what it sounds like it does.

It helps you stay awake.

This is why Modafinil is prescribed exclusively for those with Narcolepsy, Shift Work Sleep Disorder, or Sleep Apnea.

Narcolepsy is a condition where you have a tendency to fall asleep throughout the day at any given moment.

The other two conditions are both conditions that lead to extreme daytime sleepiness as well due to poor amounts (or quality) of sleep.

You can read more about that in my Sleep Apnea article.

Modafinil is prescribed to keep individuals with these conditions awake and functional throughout the day so they can still live normal and productive lives.

Modafinil WILL Make You Much More Productive (Sort Of)

The mechanism by which Modafinil makes you much more productive is MUCH different in my opinion to how it is described by many online reviewers.

Some of whom I have actually started to question if they have ever even actually taken Modafinil because their “experience” seems to differ so vastly from mine.

Will you be euphoric, more intelligent, focused like you’re a fucking Terminator who was sent back in time to get tons of work done and become rich and successful?

No.

But, you will be more productive (indirectly), and I will explain why later in this article, with a very good example of exactly what a day in the life on Modafinil vs. off Modafinil is like.

What Does Modafinil Feel Like?

The most accurate way I can describe Modafinil is that it is like Caffeine on steroids, without the anxiety and jitters.

The number 1 way I can tell that Modafinil is working is that when nighttime rolls around and I’m usually starting to yawn and doze off on the computer while I’m working, I can plow through for another several hours (or all night and into the morning sometimes) without being tired.

That, coupled with the fact that my appetite gets slightly suppressed, are the ONLY notable effects you really feel from Modafinil.

You don’t really “feel” anything, you are simply awake.

The only time I “feel” Modafinil in a definite way is when I take more than I should and take 400mg+ in a 24-hour period.

When I do that I start to get ridden with anxiety and it takes an hour or two for that anxiety to subside.

*TIP IF YOU GET ANXIETY FROM MODAFINIL: Taking L-Theanine with Modafinil I have found is a great way to curb the anxiety, and it further aids your mental focus and concentration (can be substantial if you’re a good responder).

I usually take around 400mg L-Theanine depending on what I need to get done that day and what my anxiety level is like.

If I stick to my prescribed 200mg Modafinil dose I am anxiety-free every single time though.

Modafinil IS NOT Comparable To NZT-48 From Limitless

No, it’s not some magical drug that will unlock your brain like its’ purported to by many of the individuals out their claiming it is like NZT-48 from the movie Limitless.

Modafinil IS NOT like Adderall.

Modafinil IS NOT like NZT-48.

Modafinil IS NOT a pro-social drug for hitting on women.

Modafinil IS NOT a focus agent.

The literal purpose of Modafinil is to keep you awake, and that’s essentially it.

An indirect benefit of being completely awake and alert is being able to focus and concentrate for far longer periods of time, however, Modafinil will not enhance your focus to some inhuman level where you are like a robot pumping out quality work.

You will still get just as distracted as you were before you took Modafinil, you will just be awake now.

The trick is to learn to harness your “awakeness” and manage your time better.

Time Is Life’s Most Precious Commodity, And Modafinil Gives You More Of It

The main benefit I see in Modafinil that enters the scope of every generic review you see out there, is that Modafinil will indeed be able to make you more productive.

The reason for this though is that you will have more hours in the day that you are capable of being productive, not that the drug itself makes you more productive.

When you ingest Modafinil, you don’t have an efficiency switch that flicks on in your brain that suddenly makes you a work horse, rather, you can sleep less, and work more at a higher level of function because you are fully awake and alert during those additional hours.

Fighter Jet Pilots And Business Executives Using Modafinil For An Edge

If you don’t already know, Modafinil is widely used by fighter pilots to stay sharp while flying.

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/how-fighter-pilots-stay-sharp-20131205

It is also supposedly used by plenty of business executives to consistently work 20-hour workdays.

https://techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/how-many-of-our-startup-executives-are-hopped-up-on-provigil/

These are perfect examples of what Modafinil can do, vs. what it cannot do.

These individuals aren’t taking Modafinil because of some giant spike in their intelligence or creativity it will provide, rather, they use it because it keeps them awake for longer periods of time.

The end result is getting more work done at a high quality level.

Productivity In A Day On Modafinil Vs. Off Modafinil

Here is a good example of how Modafinil affects productivity for me in particular. I will break down my typical day as it would play out if I took Modafinil vs. if I didn’t take Modafinil that day.

Off Modafinil:

9:00 a.m. – Wake up

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. – Answer emails, workout, run errands, go to work, I start getting hazy and tired around 10:30 p.m.

11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. – Continue working while starting to slightly doze off

12:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. – Continue trying to work while intermittently falling in and out of sleep (not really getting anything productive done at this point)

2:00 a.m. – Realize my work quality is starting to go to shit because I’m half asleep so I go to bed

On Modafinil:

9:00 a.m. – Wake up

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. – Answer emails, workout, run errands, go to work

11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. – Continue working

12:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. – Continue working

2:00 a.m.-3:30 a.m. – Continue working

3:30 a.m. – Start dozing off a bit and decide I should go to bed because at this point I will need to take more Modafinil to maintain high quality work and then I will be pulling an all nighter (I typically do this once a week to get tons of shit done in one go), or I’ll just go to bed.

So, as you can see, on Modafinil I go to bed around roughly the same time, but I have many more hours that are actually productive hours at a 100% level of focus and alertness.

Even if I did go to bed at 2:00 a.m. on Modafinil, I still get about 2.5 hours more hours each day to work with that are at a higher level of productivity, with 100% full mental capacity.

Whereas by 2:00 a.m. off of Modafinil, I am running on fumes and just typing gibberish while I drool on myself and fall asleep on my keyboard.

How To Dose Modafinil:

Typically Modafinil is prescribed in dosage increments of 100 mg or 200 mg.

Personally, my prescription is for 200 mg per day to treat my Sleep Apnea.

Taking more than 200 mg I find is where you start to get the anxiety side effect from Modafinil.

In Conclusion:

Modafinil is a great drug for productivity, staying awake, and being completely alert.

It is prescribed exclusively for those with major sleep disorders, but the benefits that could be experienced from Modafinil for anyone taking it are evidently universally applicable to anybody who needs to focus for longer periods of time, and get more work done (who doesn’t honestly).

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