How Modafinil Improves Daytime Sleepiness

How Modafinil Improves Daytime Sleepiness

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Modafinil promotes wakefulness and treats excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and shift work sleep disorder. It does not treat the underlying sleep disorders, so other treatments for those conditions should be continued.

It Increases Circadian Rhythms

Buy Modafinil Australia promotes wakefulness and increases performance on a range of cognitive tasks compared with placebo in waking adults. However, it does not cause the subsequent recovery sleep that occurs with traditional stimulants.

The effectiveness of modafinil for enhancing cognition, brightening mood, and increasing motivation has also been demonstrated in other groups such as patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, myotonic dystrophy, and jet-lag treatment.

In a study that examined c-fos expression in the brain of cats, modafinil, but not amphetamine or methylphenidate, increased activity in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO), a region of the hypothalamus known to promote waking. This area provides inhibitory GABA-ergic input to neurons mediating cortical arousal.

In studies involving subjects with SWD, modafinil significantly reduced the neurobehavioral impairments associated with prolonged periods of waking at adverse circadian phases, without affecting subjective alertness or sleep parameters. In one study, participants were randomized to receive 400 mg of modafinil taken in two doses in the morning and afternoon or placebo on the first night of each shift.

It Increases Alertness

Modafinil is a wake-promoting agent used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness in neuropsychiatric conditions such as narcolepsy. It acts to enhance vigilance by increasing the levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and histamine in the brain, while decreasing the release of GABA.

The pharmacological properties of Modalert 200 mg are similar to those of stimulants such as amphetamine and methylphenidate, but it does not cause the adverse side effects associated with these drugs. In addition to its alertness-enhancing effect, modafinil has also been shown to improve learning in the context of chronic circadian misalignment.

In a 12-week study, modafinil improved objectively measured wakefulness on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), and reduced sleepiness scores on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale compared to placebo. In addition, 65% of patients treated with modafinil experienced improved clinical condition for fatigue compared to 35% of those who received placebo.

It Increases Memory

Modafinil increases memory functions by blocking the action of histamine and acetylcholine in brain regions responsible for attention, inhibition and learning. It also increases the concentration of dopamine in these regions.

It is thought that this effect on histamine and acetylcholine is why modafinil improves alertness in patients with excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy and shift-work sleep disorder. This was demonstrated in two randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled studies by the US Modafinil in Narcolepsy Multicenter Study Group (Billiard et al, 1994; Broughton et al, 1997).

A single dose of modafinil 200 mg significantly improved performance on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test and on the Stroop Interference Task, compared to placebo and was superior to 600 mg caffeine.

It also reduced errors and missed responses in a simulated night shift, as well as mistakes, accidents and near-accidents during the commute home in narcolepsy patients taking modafinil 200 mg daily for 4 weeks. This improvement in alertness and performance was accompanied by a reduction in the number of reported nap episodes and time spent sleeping during the day.

It Reduces Fatigue

In some cases, patients with sleep disorders are unable to benefit from behavioral therapy alone and require pharmacologic intervention. Persistent and severe daytime sleepiness that interferes with quality of life and poses significant health risks may benefit from a wakefulness-promoting drug such as modafinil or armodafinil.

Modafinil (Provigil) is a wakefulness-promoting agent that improves the ability to stay awake and increase alertness. It blocks the dopamine transporter, thereby increasing the amount of dopamine in presynaptic neurons. This is important for restoring normal sleep-wake cycles in patients with shift work sleep disorder or narcolepsy.

A University of Rochester study found that the drug reduced fatigue and improved information recall in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This is a problem known as "chemobrain," and it can make it difficult for cancer patients to complete routine tasks or take medication as prescribed. The researchers used modafinil, a nonamphetamine stimulant with low potential for abuse and addiction. They reported success in patients with a variety of tumors and treatment regimens.

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