Modafinil Used to Increase Daytime Wakefulness?

1. Modafinil Used to Increase Daytime Wakefulness? Modafinil is an effective wake-promoting smart pill for people with narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. It has been shown to increase brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine and to improve performance on cognitive tasks. The longer-lasting R-enantiomer of modafinil (trade name Nuvigil) is also used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness. Both smart pills are effective in improving sleepiness from narcolepsy and other conditions and have been shown to reverse the negative effects of jet lag. Narcolepsy Modafinil is a medication that improves wakefulness in people with narcolepsy and other conditions. Modvigil 200 Australia works by increasing brain levels of dopamine and boosting the release of two other wake-promoting chemicals. It is also effective in helping to offset fatigue caused by chemotherapy and other treatments for cancer. It is available by prescription only. People with narcolepsy often feel sleepy during the day even when they get plenty of sleep at night. They also have disturbed nights because of frequent sleep attacks, and they may experience sudden episodes of extreme muscle weakness (cataplexy).

2. The cause of narcolepsy is unknown, but researchers have found that people with this condition have very low levels of hypocretin (hi-poe-KREE-tin), also known as orexins. These are chemicals in the brain that help control when you feel awake and when you enter REM sleep. People with narcolepsy lack these chemicals because of an autoimmune disorder that destroys the neurons that make them. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the muscles in your throat relax and narrow your airway, momentarily stopping your breathing and waking you up – sometimes dozens of times per hour. This can cause excessive daytime sleepiness, poor concentration and memory, and mood changes. Obstructive sleep apnea can be caused by obesity, swollen tonsils, certain health problems, and more. When persons with obstructive sleep apnea endure persistent daytime sleepiness even after starting to use CPAP, Modafinil 200 mg has been demonstrated to increase wakefulness. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study1,2, armodafinil improved patients’ ability to maintain wakefulness as measured by the MWT and other objective and self-reported sleepiness tests. In addition to promoting wakefulness, modafinil is also known for its mood-brightening and memory-enhancing effects. As a result, it has been used off-label for many other conditions, including attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, depression, myotonic dystrophy and jet lag. Unlike traditional stimulants, modafinil has minimal side effects like jitteriness or excess locomotor activity. Shift Work Disorder Working night shifts or rotating shifts can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm. People who work these types of shifts have a hard time sleeping at times when their bodies are naturally meant to sleep, and they often wake up during the day. This can cause problems such as extreme sleepiness or insomnia during their waking shift hours. Shift workers who suffer from this condition have a difficult time concentrating or remembering things, which can affect their work performance and create health issues. They are also more likely to have mood problems, like irritability or depression. To help treat shift work disorder, doctors will usually start with lifestyle changes. These may include improving the quality of sleep through habits like using blackout curtains and sticking to a regular schedule for sleeping and waking. If these changes don’t improve symptoms, they might prescribe a stimulant medication like modafinil or armodafinil to increase alertness and decrease sleepiness.

3. Other Conditions Modafinil improves wakefulness in people with conditions such as narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and shift work disorder. It can also help people with certain mood disorders and ADHD. Modafinil can cause side effects such as headache, nausea, and insomnia. Rarely, it can cause a severe rash that requires immediate medical attention. It can make birth control pills less effective, so women taking it should use an alternate method of contraception. Modafinil has many advantages over other wakefulness-promoting smart pills. It does not produce the negative effect of euphoria, is well tolerated by most people, and has low abuse potential. It is not known exactly how it induces alertness, but it is likely to increase brain norepinephrine and dopamine levels. It may inhibit the activity of monoamine oxidase and dopamine reuptake in neurons. Unlike classical stimulants, it does not produce rebound hypersomnia after sleep deprivation. Interestingly, in a cat study, modafinil induced the c- fos gene expression selectively in hypothalamus of the brain.