I really like Modafinil - even at low doses

[Intrepid]

I do see why people enjoy modafinil now

I'm up at 4am most days, but I hate taking caffeine or other stimulants because it makes me jittery and overstimulates the CNS if you have a low stimulant tolerance

I don't get that feeling with modafinil. There's no jittery or "wired" feeling, but it does wake you up and provide a clean, focused energy and feeling, as well as cognitive benefits

It's also really helpful for gym performance too, especially on those early morning days where you're dragging a bit. Feels like you could train for 3+ hours if you really wanted to.

Overall, I'm impressed.

 

[aljowa]

As someone who has extensive experience with Adderall and modafinil, I have to say I prefer modafinil in most cases. And to be as precise in the comparison as I can, I'm comparing a 30mg extended release adderall vs 300mg of modafinil, which are my go-to doses for each substance when I partake in them. Full disclosure, I've experimented with up to 50mg of adderall daily (30mg extended release in the morning, 20mg instant release in the late afternoon) and 400mg modafinil (single dose in the morning).

While it doesn't provide the raw stimulation of a substance like adderall (which is unsurprising, since amphetamines are pretty much unmatched in that regard), modafinil provides a much more subtle, smooth effect that feels more like organic energy and wakefulness.

I like to look at it like this: while certain stimulants like adderall, caffeine, etc, are typically defined by the feeling or energy boost they give you, modafinil is more defined by what you don't feel. Modafinil just keeps fatigue away for me; I feel fresh, like I just woke up from a good nap, except that feeling is constant for 8 - 10 hours. I also get a bit of a mental sharpness effect, but I personally feel that this is very subtle.

The thing I haven't experimented with yet, but has been tempting, is to try a combination of adderall and modafinil to see how they compliment each other, and if there is a synergistic effect between the two. Perhaps somebody who has experience with this could chime in, I'd be interested to hear their personal take.

 

[Ghoul]

I do see why people enjoy modafinil now

I'm up at 4am most days, but I hate taking caffeine or other stimulants because it makes me jittery and overstimulates the CNS if you have a low stimulant tolerance

I don't get that feeling with modafinil. There's no jittery or "wired" feeling, but it does wake you up and provide a clean, focused energy and feeling, as well as cognitive benefits

It's also really helpful for gym performance too, especially on those early morning days where you're dragging a bit. Feels like you could train for 3+ hours if you really wanted to.

Overall, I'm impressed.

As someone who has extensive experience with Adderall and modafinil, I have to say I prefer modafinil in most cases. And to be as precise in the comparison as I can, I'm comparing a 30mg extended release adderall vs 300mg of modafinil, which are my go-to doses for each substance when I partake in them. Full disclosure, I've experimented with up to 50mg of adderall daily (30mg extended release in the morning, 20mg instant release in the late afternoon) and 400mg modafinil (single dose in the morning).

While it doesn't provide the raw stimulation of a substance like adderall (which is unsurprising, since amphetamines are pretty much unmatched in that regard), modafinil provides a much more subtle, smooth effect that feels more like organic energy and wakefulness.

I like to look at it like this: while certain stimulants like adderall, caffeine, etc, are typically defined by the feeling or energy boost they give you, modafinil is more defined by what you don't feel. Modafinil just keeps fatigue away for me; I feel fresh, like I just woke up from a good nap, except that feeling is constant for 8 - 10 hours. I also get a bit of a mental sharpness effect, but I personally feel that this is very subtle.

The thing I haven't experimented with yet, but has been tempting, is to try a combination of adderall and modafinil to see how they compliment each other, and if there is a synergistic effect between the two. Perhaps somebody who has experience with this could chime in, I'd be interested to hear their personal take.

Modafinil is what caffeine would be if you were designing it from the ground up.

It's no adderall, true, but adderall "borrows" energy (and health imo) from the future that must be paid back with interest. Moda just gently returns you to where you were to begin with.

Since duration is dose related, I'll adjust accordingly, taking more at a 4AM wake up than 9AM. For me that's 250-400, roughly.

 

[Jaxino]

Hello Meso
I really enjoy Modafinil. Clean energy and wakefulness. No sides. A bit hard to get in my part of the world. So I am a bit sparesome with it. Just tried 25mg. Worked well. 50mg did too.
Is the normal 100-300mg dose overkill, if you are just looking for a boost, and don’t have any medical conditions?
What are your experiences?

50mg when dieting is really useful.

I use 100-200 if I have long days at work, like a long trip etc

 

[aljowa]

It's no adderall, true, but adderall "borrows" energy (and health imo) from the future that must be paid back with interest. Moda just gently returns you to where you were to begin with.

This is an excellent illustration of the comparison between the two, couldn't have phrased it better myself. I feel much more comfortable using modafinil regularly long-term than I do using adderall regularly long-term. Something in the back of my mind just intuitively tells me that consistent amphetamine use over a long period can't be great for me physiologically, whether it be altering dopamine sensitivity or other unknown effects that I'm ignorant about (although I could be wrong, I'm not super well-versed in the scientific literature in this regard). Granted, I'm using these pretty much purely as PEDs, so obviously someone who has a medical condition that is alleviated by an amphetamine derivative medication may receive benefits from them that far outweigh any potential long-term detrimental health effects (especially if the effects are negligible). I do technically have a diagnosed medical condition that warrants adderall usage, but it's a bullshit diagnosis that I got just so I could get a prescription, lol.

 

[aljowa]

Modafinil is what caffeine would be if you were designing it from the ground up.

Would you mind expanding on what you mean by this? Do you mean this as a hypothetical thought experiment? Like, if you were to design the "ideal" caffeine substance, it would behave like modafinil? Or do you mean that they share a similar chemical structure at a fundamental level? Sorry if I'm reading too much into your words, lol. You may have just meant it as a throw-away comment.

 

[Ghoul]

Would you mind expanding on what you mean by this? Do you mean this as a hypothetical thought experiment? Like, if you were to design the "ideal" caffeine substance, it would behave like modafinil? Or do you mean that they share a similar chemical structure at a fundamental level? Sorry if I'm reading too much into your words, lol. You may have just meant it as a throw-away comment.

Long duration.

No tolerance (once you reach a stable dose).

No "shakes", visual disturbances, or the other negative effects from the high caffeine doses required after tolerance develops.

No diuretic effect increasing urination.

No withdrawal symptoms.

More pronounced cognitive enhancement.

Various long term protective effects on the brain.

I still enjoy coffee. but no long "need" coffee.

 

[aljowa]

Long duration.

No tolerance (once you reach a stable dose).

No "shakes", visual disturbances, or the other negative effects from the high caffeine doses required after tolerance develops.

No diuretic effect increasing urination.

No withdrawal symptoms.

More pronounced cognitive enhancement.

Various long term protective effects on the brain.

I still enjoy coffee. but no long "need" coffee.

Ah, ok, yeah, that's kinda what I thought you meant. As in modafinil providing all of the positive effects of caffeine to an equal or greater degree, with virtually none of the side-effects.


On an unrelated side note, I believe you are the one who posted a lot of interesting information in a thread I was reading through about a week ago regarding the efficacy of long-term clen use and the myth of needing to take breaks to preserve the majority of the physiological benefits. That was a great thread, and coincidentally everything you were posting was in-line with this video I watched about a month back on the subject (
View: https://youtu.be/WIokB3tr-kw?si=EL9YZ35QA3XGQIj-
). Very helpful information, just wanted to give you some props for that.

 

[xrayphoton13]

I really wanted to like modafinil. It made my throat so itchy and voice hoarse day 1 and sides for worse for me as I kept trying it thinking it was unrelated. Definitely not acid reflux like ghoul mentioned. I've had that many times. I gave it to my wife and she enjoyed it for a week but then it started happening to her too. Maybe it's the brand. It's modvigil 200. So I guess I'll stick with caffeine for now

 

[Intrepid]

So i took 200mg modafinil/day for about 4 weeks. Towards the end I just wasn't really feeling it as much. I'd still get that clean, alrert energy but it just felt more effective within the first week or two I took it.

The last 5 days, I haven't taken any at all, and to my surprise, my workouts have actually gotten better without it.

0 sides or withdrawal symptoms when stopping it which is always a plus.


I still like the compound, but maybe it's more effective when cycled. Taking a break for now

 

[Ghoul]

So i took 200mg modafinil/day for about 4 weeks. Towards the end I just wasn't really feeling it as much. I'd still get that clean, alrert energy but it just felt more effective within the first week or two I took it.

The last 5 days, I haven't taken any at all, and to my surprise, my workouts have actually gotten better without it.

0 sides or withdrawal symptoms when stopping it which is always a plus.


I still like the compound, but maybe it's more effective when cycled. Taking a break for now

While there's no tolerance, in the sense of continuously having to increase the dose to achieve the same effect, like an amphetamine or caffeine, the production of enzymes that metabolize Moda increase in response to using it, and break it down more quickly.

This upregulation hits its limit pretty early, a month or two. and then metabolization no longer speeds up.

So what you describe is standard for regular use. Often there's one dose increase by the prescriber, and then people stay on the same dose for years without any further drop off in effectiveness.

 

[Intrepid]

While there's no tolerance, in the sense of continuously having to increase the dose to achieve the same effect, like an amphetamine or caffeine, the production of enzymes that metabolize Moda increase in response to using it, and break it down more quickly.

This upregulation hits its limit pretty early, a month or two. and then metabolization no longer speeds up.

So what you describe is standard for regular use. Often there's one dose increase by the prescriber, and then people stay on the same dose for years without any further drop off in effectiveness.

Yeah I figured if anyone knew why it would happen, It would be you.

I'm a big fan of modafinil now. I'll probably just end up cycling it as I probably don't need it as often as I was taking it (ed). I'll probably just keep it to the days i have massive projects to work on, or the days I'm dragging butt and need a little pick me up in the gym

Edit: looks like my post is awaiting moderator approval. I don't think i said anything that bad?

 

[Ghoul]

Yeah I figured if anyone knew why it would happen, It would be you.

I'm a big fan of modafinil now. I'll probably just end up cycling it as I probably don't need it as often as I was taking it (ed). I'll probably just keep it to the days i have massive projects to work on, or the days I'm dragging butt and need a little pick me up in the gym

Edit: looks like my post is awaiting moderator approval. I don't think i said anything that bad?

Hey whatever works for you, it's so safe, and easy to jump off and on (moreso than caffeine) experimenting to find what works is risk free, with only some lost sleep being the worst case scenario.

I'm at the point I carefully calibrate my dose based on waking time, a mix of Modafinil and Armodafinil, and the timing is so reliable at this point it wears off right before bedtime.

I also go a little higher if I have an exceptionally challenging day ahead.

Tiny 50mg Armodafinil tablets on a 200mg Moda "base" are handy for dialing in the perfect amount of afinil for the day.