No one gets adequate sleep nowadays and everybody has to work harder. Coffee is at times not enough. There is therefore a temptation to use pharmacology to think more quickly, longer and smarter.

Modafinil would be one of the medications which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating narcolepsy. "I feel like a well oiled machine five days a week on five hrs a night," one person who uses modafinil posts on Reddit.

Nobody study has found that modafinil makes individuals think better.

"What we don't understand is the way in which this medication works on the brain," said Ahmed Mohamed, a psychiatrist on the University of Nottingham in Malaysia. In a little study published in the latest issue of PLOS One, Mohammed discovered that instead of increasing cognition, the modafinil really appeared to slow volunteers down.

A lot of scientists think that modafinil could help boost other aspects, attention span, or memory of cognition, but no such scientific studies have been performed in humans and in rats. One fascinating study from 2005 discovered it did not help individuals with IQs above average.

The Drug and Food Administration first authorized modafinil (brand name Provigil) for excessive sleepiness as a result of narcolepsy in 1998. Physicians have recommended the drug off label for everything from MS to anxiety since that time.

Mohamed enrolled sixty four healthy volunteers, of which half consumed modafinil, and another half took placebo. After that he'd all students take reading and sentence completion assessments.

Anti Aging Hormone Could Make you Smarter Shots - Health News Anti-Aging Hormone Could Make You Smarter The 2 groups finished the tests equally well - but individuals in the group who received modafinil took a little longer to reply to the questions. This indicates that the drug may slow you down without making you smarter, "Mohamed said.

Even though the results are preliminary, they make sense, since modafinil was created to boost wakefulness, says UCLA associate professor of Psychology Larissa Mooney. "people would be much more aware when they take it," she stated. That doesn't always imply they're doing better.

There's debate over the number of individuals actually use modafinil or psychostimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall as a brain booster, although some professionals including public health and drug researchers officials are worried.

Mooney adds psychiatric patients are asking more about the medication more frequently nowadays. And we're seeing a rise in requests for prescriptions to boost performance.

She said scientists continue to be not certain how modalert impacts developing brains yet, however stated that it may be a great option for young individuals.

Additionally there are unwanted unwanted side effects which can happen. An FDA advisory panel recommended that the FDA not approve modafinil as a treatment for kids with ADHD as it seemed to have caused Stevens Johnson syndrome in some individuals, and the recommendation was made in 2006.

"Provigil is suggested to enhance wakefulness in adult patients," says Doris Saltkill, a spokesperson for Teva Pharmaceuticals. She mentioned the company suggests the drug for absolutely no other purpose.

Author: Dr. Mevan Nandaka Wijetunga, MD
Specialities: Cardiovascular Disease Condition Treatment: Atrial Flutter, Cardiomyopathy, Cerebrovascular Disease, Heart Disease, Stroke, Vascular Disease