I just finished using modalert for a week.... it is real, although the effect is very subtle.. I havent tried provigil, but I intend to.... I can only imagine it being slightly better, maybe I get smart on that, because I didnt necessarily notice any increase in focus, except when it was late and when my focus should've dropped, it didnt, it stayed normal.... yesterday I went to a musical festival with no sleep from the night before... without any other stimulants like coffee I was feeling mostly fine all day, and I drove home without a problem even though I had been awake for over 35 hours... I felt ok, body was obviously fatigued, but normally I would be a wreck after that much sleep deprevation... my roommate even commented on how well I was driving, considering he was tired despite having sleep the night before. I think modalert is great for staying awake and alert despite not having slept... maybe if they tested me they'd see a boost of some sort, but it's so subtle, it's like you're not taking anything.... it doesnt elevate my mood, but I also noticed that I havent had any depressed episodes, which I normally do (depression), even during thoughts where I normally get depressed.
I normally have a hard time getting to sleep without drugs, so this stuff isnt great for me, I have a hard time getting to sleep and the week has had it's tole... I didnt sleep a lot, so my immune system dropped...got a coldsore, which normally happens to me under sleep deprivation... this was unnerving though, because I felt fine... it just shows that your body is feeling the lack of sleep... but I was impressed how modafinil kept my brain feeling normal . I can see it being very useful for long drives and situations that require a good working brain. I dont really think people should take it everyday. There were periods where I thought my heart was racing, but that could've been in my head... I was a little paranoid about it all week.
In theory its the same product as Provigil, but in practice it is not so much the truth. The only generic I know of that is pretty much the same as Provigil is Alertec. The other one that is identical is Modiodal which is the French brand name for Provigil and is also made by Cephalon, so in effect Modiodal is just a European brand name for Provigil.
I have heard mixed things about Modalert, and I would not advise you to buy medications from the internet for a number of good reasons. The first is that it is illegal to import a drug like Modafinil which is a controlled the substance. The second is that many drugs from the web are counterfeits and the quality control of medications outside certain countries is not as good. This is especially the case with medications from India. Genuine Modalert should be of good quality but India has weak patent and copyright laws which means there are companies out there which make counterfeit versions of Modalert, so you really do not know what you are getting.
I have used Provigil and Alertec. The only difference is that Alertec only comes in 100 mg doses as in Canada they do not recommend taking more than 100 mg per day. 200 mg is considered the maximum dose. In FDA trials with 340 mg of Modafinil the subjects came down with serious skin rashes known as SJS. I have also had an opportunity to try Nuvigil, it is basically the R enantiomer of Modafinil, the active form, so 100 mg of Nuvigil is like 200 mg of Provigil. I tried if after a very long international flight where I did not sleep for the previous 20 hours, it largely allowed me to function well.
I think in the US where Provigil is expensive, Cephalon is making deals for Nuvigil which is a new version of the drug, so you maybe able to get it through insurance.
As far as ADD and concentration it does seem to have an effect but it is subtle. Its nowhere near as strong as ADD meds such as Adderall or Dexedrine but does not have the effects of those meds.
I took a Nuvigil after my flight arrived around 1PM in the afternoon and was able to go to bed that night and had 8 restful hours of sleep. Pretty amazing because I normally would suffer jet lag for a few days.
Edited by Moddy2012, 07 April 2011 - 04:48 AM.