Viagra for the brain
Modalert © (Provigil), a prescription medication used to treat sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea, is being used by individuals without such problems to stay alert and attentive throughout the day, according to an ABC News report.
MODALERT©
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| MAXIMIZE HAPPINESS |
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| MODAFINIL |
Provigil is being used by a number of highly successful individuals in the United States, who prefer not to be named, to maintain wakefulness throughout the day. Known as “Viagra for the brain,” Modalert © (Provigil) is keeping busybodies working successfully for hours without sleep, according to ABC News.
“People have used it to try to get an edge at studying at school. It’s becoming like Ritalin where people are taking it that don’t have anything. But they’re using it to try to increase their alertness,” Dr. Philip Gehrman, Ph.D., CBSM, clinical director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Huffington Post.
MODAFINIL
Modafinil is an eugeroic drug. It is approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea.
Other potentially effective, but unapproved uses include the treatment of depression, bipolar depression, opiate and cocaine dependence, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and disease-related fatigue, as well as fatigue that is the side effect of another medication.
Modafinil, the active ingredient in Provigil, is of the class of medications termed “wakefulness promoting agents.” According to the National Library of Medicine, the drug alters the natural chemicals in the region of the brain associated with sleep and wakefulness.
“I could not do this without Provigil. You know, it just wouldn’t be the same,” a lobbyist who wakes each morning at 5 a.m. to exercise before work said. “It’s amazing. . . . I just don’t get . . . why more people don’t know about it.”
“[Provigil] can be the difference between I’m just making it through the day to I had the best day of my life,” according to Dave Asprey, an executive of a billion-dollar Internet security firm.
But when Asprey discontinued use of the medication for a short period, he began to experience withdrawal symptoms. “I’ve noticed that my speech is very slightly altered,” he said. Despite this, Asprey added, “I would like to really live during those years when I’m alive. I’d like to be fully alert, fully focused, and fully present all the time. Provigil helps me do that.”
Experts caution taking the drug long-term, as there has not yet been any research on this specifically.
http://www.collegenews.com/article/provigil_viagra_for_the_brain
WRITTEN BY:
Scott Hixson
Provigil: “Viagra for the brain?”
The wakefulness medication used to treat narcolepsy and sleep apnea is being abused by those without such disorders
July 19, 2012
Retrieved on November 27, 2012
By Ashok Koparday
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