Modafinil: Difference between revisions

Modafinil is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, shift work sleep disorder and narcolepsy.<ref>Provigal (Manufacturer's Website) | http://www.provigil.com/</ref> However, studies have shown that modafinil may also be useful off-label for alleviating the symptoms of depression,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Fava, M.)), ((Thase, M. E.)), ((DeBattista, C.)), ((Doghramji, K.)), ((Arora, S.)), ((Hughes, R. J.)) | journal=Annals of Clinical Psychiatry: Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists | title=Modafinil augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy in MDD partial responders with persistent fatigue and sleepiness | volume=19 | issue=3 | pages=153–159 | date= September 2007 | issn=1040-1237 | doi=10.1080/10401230701464858}}</ref> bipolar disorder,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Frye, M. A.)), ((Grunze, H.)), ((Suppes, T.)), ((McElroy, S. L.)), ((Keck, P. E.)), ((Walden, J.)), ((Leverich, G. S.)), ((Altshuler, L. L.)), ((Nakelsky, S.)), ((Hwang, S.)), ((Mintz, J.)), ((Post, R. M.)) | journal=The American Journal of Psychiatry | title=A placebo-controlled evaluation of adjunctive modafinil in the treatment of bipolar depression | volume=164 | issue=8 | pages=1242–1249 | date= August 2007 | issn=0002-953X | doi=10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06060981}}</ref> Parkinson's disease,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Vliet, S. A. M. van)), ((Vanwersch, R. A. P.)), ((Jongsma, M. J.)), ((Gugten, J. van der)), ((Olivier, B.)), ((Philippens, I. H. C. H. M.)) | journal=Behavioural Pharmacology | title=Neuroprotective effects of modafinil in a marmoset Parkinson model: behavioral and neurochemical aspects | volume=17 | issue=5–6 | pages=453–462 | date= September 2006 | issn=0955-8810 | doi=10.1097/00008877-200609000-00011}}</ref> seasonal depressive disorder,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Lundt, L.)) | journal=Journal of Affective Disorders | title=Modafinil treatment in patients with seasonal affective disorder/winter depression: an open-label pilot study | volume=81 | issue=2 | pages=173–178 | date= August 2004 | issn=0165-0327 | doi=10.1016/S0165-0327(03)00162-9}}</ref> ADHD,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Biederman, J.)), ((Pliszka, S. R.)) | journal=The Journal of Pediatrics | title=Modafinil improves symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across subtypes in children and adolescents | volume=152 | issue=3 | pages=394–399 | date= March 2008 | issn=1097-6833 | doi=10.1016/j.jpeds.2007.07.052}}</ref> and various other conditions which have fatigue as a symptom.  

Modafinil has also been used as a doping agent by various athletes due to its ability to produce [[Stimulation|physical stimulation]].<ref>https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/clinger-given-two-year-suspension-for-doping</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120122061356/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/news.excerpt/1.html</ref><ref>https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2004/06000/effects_of_acute_modafinil_ingestion_on_exercise.23.aspx</ref> It has recently gained mainstream popularity for its use as a [[nootropic|"smart drug"]] to [[Memory enhancement|improve memory]], counteract the desire or need for sleep, and increase general productivity.<ref>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34632515</ref>

To find out whether a substance is likely to be Modafinil, reagent testing kits can be used. Application of different reagents to the same substance may cause specific colors changes to appear. The expected color changes for Modafinil with their respective reagent tests (Marquis, Mecke, Mandelin, Liebermann and Froehde) are shown in the following image. Exposing substances to reagents may cause a color change which is indicative of the substance under test <ref>{{cite web |url = https://app.testdrugs.info/substances/564|title = Modafinil Testdrugs.info Website|date = September 7, 2022|author = Testdrugs|publisher = Testdrugs}}</ref> . Reagent tests do not guarantee that a substance is pure. To test purity of a substance, consider thin layer chromatography (TLC) or even more elaborate tests like gas chromatography. 

*'''Australia:''' Modafinil is listed as a Schedule 4 (prescription only) drug in Australia and it can be prescribed for sleep apnea and narcolepsy.<ref>{{Citation | title=Modafinil | url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modafinil&oldid=1100020692}}</ref>

*'''Austria:''' Modafinil is classed as NR (prescription only, repeated dispense prohibited) <ref>Rezeptverordnung | https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10010358</ref>