Modafinil is a drug used to treat people with narcolepsy or other sleep disorders who struggle to stay awake. Your doctor may also prescribe this drug if shift work disturbs your sleep schedule and you find yourself drowsing off during your waking hours.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the drug:
What Is Modafinil (Provigil)?
Modafinil is a medication prescribed to help people with sleep disorders stay awake and feel more energized. It comes as a tablet that you swallow.
What Is Modafinil (Provigil) Used For?
The FDA has approved Modafinil for people who have extreme daytime sleepiness due to:
- Narcolepsy, a condition that makes you very sleepy during the day and can cause you to suddenly fall asleep
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This condition stops your breathing for short periods and wakes you up many times during the night, though you may not remember this. OSA leads to poor sleep and daytime tiredness.
- Shift work sleep disorder. This is another condition that makes you feel sleepy during your waking hours. It can happen when your body’s normal sleep routine gets disrupted because you work late nights, early mornings, or shifts that often change from one time of day to another.
Modafinil doesn’t cure or treat any of these conditions. Instead, it helps you stay awake and cope with the intense tiredness caused by sleep disorders. If you have sleep apnea, keep using your other treatments while you take this medication. This includes using your continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, if your doctor has prescribed one.
Modafinil works best when you get 8 hours of sleep a night and practice good sleep habits, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time each day.
How Does Modafinil (Provigil) Work?
Researchers aren’t 100% sure how the drug works. They think modafinil leads to a chain of events that raises your levels of dopamine and other neurotransmitters. These brain chemicals carry messages between cells in your brain and other parts of your body. Higher levels of them help you feel more alert and awake.
How Long Does Modafinil (Provigil) Take to Work?
Like most medications, how quickly it kicks in can vary from person to person. Many things can affect how long it takes for you to feel its effects. These include your age, weight, overall health, and how serious your sleep disorder is. Most people start to feel its effects 30 minutes to an hour after they take it.
What Are the Most Common Side Effects of Modafinil (Provigil)?
The most common side effects of modafinil are:
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- A runny or stuffy nose
- Diarrhea
- Back pain
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Dizziness
- Stomach pain
As with any drug, serious side effects are possible, but they happen rarely. Go to the emergency room or call your doctor right away if you have:
- A serious rash
- Swelling, especially of your mouth, tongue, or throat
- Fever
- A racing or weak pulse
- Any trouble breathing
These could be signs of a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This condition is a medical emergency. You need treatment to stop it quickly.
Does Modafinil (Provigil) Cause Weight Loss?
One of the possible side effects of modafinil is a loss of appetite, which may lead to a small amount of weight loss. But the FDA has not approved the drug for this use.
Is Modafinil (Provigil) a Stimulant?
Modafinil is a stimulant that acts on your central nervous system. But it’s not a traditional stimulant like amphetamine drugs. Unlike other stimulants, like caffeine, it shouldn’t make you feel jittery or cause your energy levels to crash a few hours after you take it.
Is Modafinil (Provigil) Addictive?
For some people, this drug can be habit-forming, addictive, or both. Like other stimulants, it can affect your mood, your thinking, and your feelings. You could have withdrawal symptoms if you stop modafinil suddenly.
Tell your doctor if you have a history of, or are concerned about, alcohol, drug, or stimulant misuse. These things can make you more likely to become dependent on modafinil. Your doctor may want to check on you more often or prescribe a different drug.
Who Shouldn’t Take Modafinil (Provigil)?
This medication isn’t right for everyone.
Certain medications and supplements, including over-the-counter treatments, can interact with modafinil. So make sure your doctor knows about everything you take before you start this drug. Among the drugs it can interact with are opioids, high blood pressure medicines, and antipsychotics (treatments for schizophrenia and other mental health conditions).
If you have liver or kidney problems or are 65 or older, it may not be safe for you to take modafinil. Or you may need a smaller dose. The drug isn’t FDA-approved for anyone younger than 17.
Tell your doctor if you’ve ever had:
- Heart problems, such as a mitral valve problem, heart attack, or other heart issues
- Chest pain or an irregular heartbeat when you use other stimulants
- High blood pressure
- Mental health or mood disorders. Some people with a history of mental health issues had mania (periods of abnormally high energy and mood), delusions, hallucinations, or thoughts of suicide and aggression while taking modafinil.
If you use a type of birth control that uses hormones to prevent pregnancy – including pills, a patch, a ring, or some IUDs – ask your doctor whether you should switch to another method. Modafinil can make hormone-based birth control less effective.
If you have a history of addiction, talk to your doctor about the risks of taking modafinil.
Is It Safe to Take Modafinil (Provigil) While Pregnant or Breastfeeding?
Researchers and doctors don’t know whether modafinil is safe during pregnancy, or if you can pass it to your baby through breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the risks of the drug if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant or start nursing.
Is There a Generic Version of Modafinil?
Modafinil is available as a generic, which may be sold under several different names. Provigil is the brand-name version of the drug.
How Much Does Modafinil Cost?
How much you pay out-of-pocket for the drug depends on whether you have insurance, your insurance plan, your deductibles, and more. It also depends on which dose you’re prescribed and how often your doctor tells you to take the medication.
Without insurance, a month’s worth of 200-milligram generic modafinil tablets generally costs between $600 and $800. But coupon codes could lower your cost to about $30.
With insurance, including most Medicaid prescription plans, people usually pay between $12 and $30.
Provigil, the brand-name version of modafinil, is more expensive. Before insurance, it costs $1,500 to $3,000 out-of-pocket for 30 pills, depending on the dose. But most people won’t pay that much.
