Guide for Modafinil dosing
Modafinil is a substance used as a basis for antinarcoleptic medications that are also taken for other disorders associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
The medication is often used off-label by people who want to boost their productivity, do not get enough night sleep, suffer from chronic fatigue, jet lag, are sensitive to weather changes and become sleepy, ADHD, and so on.
The medication can be officially prescribed by doctors only for three conditions: narcolepsy, sleepiness disorder caused by shift work, and obstructive sleep apnea. In such cases, doctors provide the patients with instructions on the dosages. But people who get the pills for off-label uses have to guess and adjust the dosages without any help.
In this article, we are going to solve this problem based on the most popular Modafinil formulations available at RXShopMD.com
Types of Modafinil available at online drugstores
The first type of this wakefulness-promoting medication is Modafinil which is available under multiple different commercial names including Provigil, Modalert, Modapro, and others. This is the medication developed in 1994 which provides the effect for 8-10 hours. The second type is a slightly modified Modafinil which is called Armodafinil. It is also sold under a variety of names, for instance, Nuvigil, Artvigil, Modavigil, and others. The difference of this medication from the initial medication is its longer time of effect, i.e. one dosage provides the effect for 10-14 hours.
Differences of Modafinil and Armodafinil dosages
Besides the above-mentioned differences of the medications, the dosage of the active substance per pill of Armodafinil is smaller: one pill of Modalert contains 200 mg while Artvigil has only 150 mg and provides the same effect even for a longer time.
Lowest, average, and highest daily dosages of Modafinil and Armodafinil
Where to buy Modafinil online?
Many people prefer buying Modafinil and other medications online because they can get the products much cheaper than at their local drugstores. But you need to be cautious to receive the qualitative medication and not a placebo.
Here are the perks of buying Modafinil online:
What dose of Modafinil should I take?
Both medications are taken by one pill a day in the morning or maximally two pills, one in the morning and another one before noon around 6-7 hours after the first pill. The dosage depends on the purpose you want to achieve with Modafinil or Armodafinil.
1) ADHD, chronic fatigue, and shift-work sleep disorder. The regular dosages for these disorders are 200 mg of this drug or 150 mg of Armodafinil before breakfast except for sleep disorder associated with shift-work. In this case, the daily dose is taken prior to starting the shift. If the dosage is insufficient, it can be raised to 400 mg of Modafinil or 250 mg of Armodafinil. It is possible to take the dosages separately: one pill is taken early in the morning and another one before noon.
2) Modafinil use as a smart drug.
A) Use of smaller doses of Modafinil. When medication is used as a smart drug, it is implied that it is not used for any condition in which excessive sleepiness is as unbearable as in narcolepsy. Thus, the dosages can be lower than the usually prescribed ones. The range of dosage is between 50 to 400 mg for Modafinil and from 50 to 250 mg for Armodafinil.
The dosages below the regular prescribed ones are commonly referred to as microdosing. They offer a weaker effect but it can be sufficient for cognitive function enhancement in people who don’t suffer from any sleepiness disorders and are in a normal weight range. Besides, using microdoses is safer as it less likely to cause any adverse reactions and also allows saving on the pills additionally as instead of one pill a day a half or a quarter of it is used a day.
If you want to use generic Modalert as a mild to moderate cognitive function enhancer, for instance, as a safer and more powerful replacement of caffeine, you should buy 100 mg pills as they are easier divided into two halves than the 200 mg pills divided in 4 parts.
Usually, the pills have a crease that allows cutting or breaking them into equal parts.
If the generic product comes in capsules, then the powder contained in them can be divided into approximately equal dosages and mixed with any drinks. Armodafinil is a more powerful formulation so 50 or 75 mg of it will have a stronger effect but still less pronounced than the whole pill.
The smaller dosages can be used once a day or twice a day, for instance, one in the morning and another one at noon.
For whom the Modafinil microdosing can be suitable:
- People who want to use it as a smart drug.
- People who try the medication for the first time should try small doses to see how they tolerate the drug.
- People sensitive to this drug, for instance, who develop insomnia in the intake of a whole pill. - People who want to take the pills for long periods of time.
B) Use of regular dosages of Modafinil for cognitive functions enhancement.
People who want to use this medication off-label, i.e. as a cognitive function enhancer, can also use the whole 200 mg pill a day, the dosage that is prescribed for the approved uses. This dosage is the most widely used since its effectiveness and safety have been proven with over 25 years of use. We would advise starting from the lower dosages if you hadn’t used generic Modalert before and if you tolerate the drug well, then you can start taking 200 mg a day.
The equivalent of this daily dosage of Generic Nuvigil is 150 mg of Armodafinil.
Advantages of Modafinil 200 mg dosage:
- Provides pronounced wakefulness-promoting and cognitive functions enhancing effects.
- It is the most tested and proven to be safe dosage. - It is easy to take as you don’t need to divide the pills.
- It is the most frequently produced and sold dosage per pill which can be found online.
C) Use of high dosages of Modafinil as a cognitive function enhancer.
The highest safest dosage of Generic Provigil that can be used a day is 400 mg and for Armodafinil it is 300 mg. Worth noting that it is not advised to double dose Armodafinil as it already is more potent than medication and the high dose is more likely to cause such side effects as insomnia and headache.
Who can take the high dosage of cognitive function enhancers?
Such dosages are used in three cases:
- People who suffer from severe form of narcolepsy when they cannot stay awake for the whole day with a single pill.
- People who developed tolerance to the medication and the usual dosages do not work as good as they used to.
- People with excessive body mass for which only the larger amount of the medication is effective. Please note that in all of these cases it is still highly advised to start the use of the medication from the regular dosages to see how your body tolerates it and only if the regular dosage is not sufficient but you don’t have any adverse effects, you can gradually increase the daily dosage till the effective. If a smaller dosage is effective, do not try to raise the dosage to the maximum one.
Possible adverse reactions related to the use of Modafinil
This Drug is rarely related to any unwanted effects except for insomnia which can occur if the pill is taken in the second half of the day. Other possible negative effects are headache, indigestion, and loss of appetite.
The likelihood of adverse effects is minimal when the dosage of 50 mg is taken and is the highest with the intake of 400 mg daily dosage.
To prevent or eliminate side effects, start using the medication from the lowest dosage, drink sufficient water, take the pills only in the morning, and minimize the intake of coffee and other caffeine-containing beverages.
When you should go to a doctor
Very rarely, the use of the medication can cause allergy, in this case, the use of Modalert must be immediately discontinued and if severe allergy developed, medical help sought.
Other negative effects can include anxiety, psychosis, and other mental disorders which are temporary but the use of the medication must be discontinued.
Recommendations for dosage regimen for first-time Modafinil users
With such medications as Modafinil and Armodafinil, it is better to start the intake with the smallest dosages and then gradually raise them till the optimal level within the established norms. Following this recommendation helps to identify how your body reacts to the medication, maybe you can stick with the low dosage or you are intolerant to it and develop an allergy, and so on.
Some people may need higher dosages than others due to the peculiarities of their liver enzymes production. Practically all medications are metabolized in the liver but the time they are fully metabolized, reach the blood flow, and are washed out from the body differs from one individual to another. For instance, for some people a cup of caffeinated coffee can provide sufficient wakefulness-promoting effect for the whole day while others metabolize caffeine so fast that the effect lasts for only around 40 minutes.
If you have slower liver metabolism of Provigil, you will enjoy the sufficient effect from a lower dosage longer. Besides, if you plan to take the pills every day, the medication will accumulate in small amounts in your bloodstream which will minimize the need of higher dosages.
Dosage adjustment recommendations for Modafinil
Conclusion
As you can see from this guide, Modafinil and Armodafinil are quite safe and popular medications that rarely cause any adverse reactions but have multiple positive effects.
To improve your productivity, and even motivation to get things done, buy Modafinil and use it without any fear. But remember, to avoid developing any negative effects, start from the low dosage and take the higher one only if the minimum dose is insufficient and you don’t have any side effects related to the drug.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)
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