Hi guys!
I think this is the right forum for me to post in; I noticed there are a number of Modalert threads in the 'Nootropics' section but I gather that brand and retailer specific threads belong here.
Anyway, I ordered 20 x Waklert (armodafinil) 150mg and 10 x Modalert (modafinil) 200mg for comparison. The supplier was 4nrx, who I believe are United Pharmacies. The price was good and surprisingly the standard free delivery service had my goods arrive in less than 7 days, despite stating 7 to 14 days.
I ordered the Waklert primarily as the cost to supposed active compound ratio was better. I'm sure many of those interested in modafinil will be aware that armodafinil is supposed to be twice the concentration of modafinil due to removing the apparently inactive half of the original mixture. I ordered a pack of Modalert too purely for comparison.
As I got the delivery mid-week, I resisted the urge to try it until the weekend. I didn't want any potential unpleasant side effects at work, nor did I want the possibility of not being able to sleep before a working day. So yesterday I decided to try the Modalert first, as half a tablet should in theory offer less of an effect than half of the Waklert.
I woke at 7.00am and took 100mg of Modalert on what I assume was a relatively empty stomach. I had been out drinking the night before and had a reasonable hangover combined with a lack of sleep (around 5 hours I think). I had breakfast around 8.30am and by this point I was starting to feel something. By 9.20am my heart rate was noticeably quicker and I felt on edge. I got an uncomfortable sensation of pressure around my temples, yet I did feel inclined to organise my day and start my chores. This is not something I am accustomed to whilst hungover; I tend to slob around and put things off. What I couldn't be sure of is whether this motivation was directly down to the compound, or purely myself wanting to take my mind off the almost unpleasant and 'speedy' sensations. You see, the effects were very much like those I experience from too much caffeine; pressure in my temples, elevated heart rate strong enough to feel etc. Not full-blown anxiety but strong enough to be at the back of my mind. It certainly felt like a stimulant, when I was under the impression it should be more subtle than that.
I couldn't be sure if this wasn't all something to do with my hangover. I tend to exhibit mild symptoms like this the day after anyway, but this was certainly pronounced. Also, whilst this tends to disappear mid-afternoon normally, the symptoms remained throughout the entire day. What surprised me was that I still felt sleep-deprivation. My eyes were dark and heavy, with the constant feeling that if I just closed them I would get some relief. There were fleeting moments of complete clarity, but sadly there was no consistency to this.
Around 2.00pm I took the other 100mg of Modalert purely because of the overwhelming sleepiness. Whilst the elevated heart rate had eased off a little by this point - but had certainly not departed - a couple of hours later it was back in full force. There was a little something inside me that enjoyed this state to a certain extent; it was reminiscent of illicit stimulants. I couldn't imagine having to attend work like that though.
After what seemed like a very long day, I settled down to a nice cooked dinner and a bottle of red wine with my partner. I stayed up until around 12.30pm after she had gone to bed, eventually retiring with bleary eyes and a fuzzy head. I should note that the wine was very nice, and although I was very slightly merry, I was a long way off being drunk.
For those of you still with me, I decided to conduct my second test today. After my interesting yet slightly disappointing experience yesterday, I thought it best to try again after a relatively good sleep and I'm pleased to say no hangover. This time I wanted to up the dose slightly so I went with half a tablet of Waklert. This should be 75mg of armodafinil, which in turn should equate to around 150mg of modafinil; 50% more than my initial dose yesterday.
I took the dose upon waking at 8.00am, again on what I would imagine was a fairly empty stomach. By 9.00am I was starting to feel something and by 10.00am the familiar symptoms of yesterday returned in full force. This time I didn't have the hangover to blame, so unless I am victim to myself with a particularly strong placebo effect, I can only attribute this to the compound. I would like to think that over the years I have developed a keen sense for subtle changes in my body and conciousness, but the mind is a powerful thing and can create these very changes after all.
I had a fairly late breakfast at around 11.00am, due to needing a trip to the local supermarket. The slightly unpleasant effects were still there, perhaps lesser now though. I wondered if 2 to 3 hours on this substance without food contributed to the symptoms (think caffeine on an empty stomach). At around 12.30 I had my lunch and started to feel pretty good; my heart rate had settled down to comfortable levels and I felt alert like I'd had a decent coffee without any of the edginess. It's now 5.45pm and my eyes feel heavy as they tend to do after staring at a screen for a while, but I do still feel surprisingly bright. I decided against a second dose in light of how the previous quantities affected me.
A confusing experience in hindsight. From what I had read, I was expecting something different; a stimulant but not in the physical sense with amphetamines or caffeine. However, the effects were very similar to caffeine - certainly for the first five hours or so. I find myself musing over this compound; is it really modafinil / armodafinil? I have never tried the original patented formula. But then caffeine for example tends to last around 3 hours at the most for me and I like my coffees strong. I would expect a fair bit more than 200mg of caffeine in the mugs I drink; not something I could imagine fitting into half of a little tablet like the ones I received in the mail. Besides, caffeine tends to act reasonably quickly for me too. There's a good 2 hours before these tablets really kick in and they certainly last a long time. It is strikingly similar though; as mentioned earlier I do get pressure in my temples with too much caffeine. One more thing to add : I haven't noticed any difference in urine odour over the last couple of days; something apparently characteristic of modafinil / armodafinil.
I've rambled quite a bit here by the look of it. To conclude, I need to experiment a bit more with this. I think smaller doses are in order, a quarter of a Waklert 150mg tablet may be a bit more positive. Perhaps the side effects are a result of too much and there's a sweet spot to be found. Like I say, I'm not sure if I have the genuine article. I should mention that I don't suffer from any conditions that I know of, and purchased this purely to help alleviate tiredness and the lack of motivation experienced with this. I have had excellent results with Piracetam; the correct dose really puts me in "the zone". I am also fond of Aniracetam, as short lived as it is.
I'd love to hear if anyone else's experiences reflect mine with this brand, or any of the tried and tested brands that get prescribed. I also hope this post proves useful or interesting - as unscientific as it is - for anyone considering purchasing this product from this particular supplier. I think I will email Sun Pharma with details from the packaging I have and see if they can confirm that I have their product and not a copy. I don't know how realistic my idea of them investigating is. Either way, this still won't tell me how the original modafinil product compares.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope there aren't too many mistakes, I'm getting hungry and can't face proof-reading!
