My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

I've had a Modafinil prescription for more than a year. I've used fewer than 60 tablets in my whole life.

I needed every single one of those tablets though.

I travel extensively for work and I'm often called upon to be "on" when I arrive somewhere, in their time zone, and/or drive to a final destination when I arrive. Since sleep deprivation is something that has twice almost killed me (or others) while operating a vehicle, I decided to get that prescription and deal with the problem rather than continue to be unsafe.

What I can say is this: Modafinil works. The effect is very subtle but it very clearly eliminates what might be termed "sleep pressure" or the effect of the body trying to FORCE you to sleep. It doesn't actually do anything for your sleep REQUIREMENT.

One nice thing about Modafinil: you can sleep on it. If you take a pill and then have an opportunity to sleep, you can. It doesn't FORCE to to stay awake like other stimulant drugs do.

So it'll keep you from nodding off at the wheel of a vehicle, but won't do anything to help you perform at your BEST when you use it for an extended period of time.

I take it very occasionally (say, once every month or so) and only for a 24 hour period. That kind of on-/off cycle is designed to minimize any side effects and keep me from using it to replace sleep.

On another note: the US special operations community has been using Modafinil (along with other stimulant drugs) to help solidiers/sailors/marines/airmen to overcome the effects of extended sleep deprivation. I've confirmed this directly with members of those communities and their experience mirrors mine. Modafinil is a useful drug, with minimal reported side-effects, that is better than other stimulants because of its low abuse potential and non-euphoric profile.

You should ask your doctor about Intuniv. It's a non-stimulant option only approved for ADHD in children in the US right now, but my psychiatrist has been using it off-label with adults pretty successfully.

In my experience, I've found it to be a very pleasing but subtle option, and when taken with stimulants, reduced some of the unwanted side effects I experienced. The only negative side effect I had from Intuniv was noticeable hypotension, but since I didn't experience much ADHD-related change between doses, I probably could have stepped down to a lower dosage to combat that. I only stopped because I was trying to get pregnant, and once it's okay again, I'll start back on Intuniv most likely :)

There's also Strattera, though I have no personal experience with that.

"Juice" or "being juiced" is a pretty common term for any kind of steroids or performance enhancing substances.

See for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juiced:_Wild_Times,_Rampant_%27...

I've been taking L-theanine with my coffee for a few years now. It has a noticeable positive impact on my ability to focus and think clearly. I also feel a lot more comfortable taking it than other nootropics, because a) it's just a naturally-occurring amino acid, b) I'm not aware of any negative side effects reported from using it.

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