Modafinil is a drug developed for helping to manage narcolepsy and related conditions, such as shift work sleep disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.
It's become well known for its long lasting effects, lack of euphoric high, and lack of crash experienced with most other stimulants ranging from coffee to amphetamines. Its most attractive quality is its ability to enable users to operate normally on very little sleep, and puzzlingly does not leave the user sleep deprived, and needing to 'catch-up' on sleep after. As a result it has found itself hugely popular for those needing to skip sleep, from long distance truckers, to students who need study all night before a big exam.
Modafinil seems like a dream come true for so many in a 24 hour world where cheating sleep is the next best thing to cheating death. But what is the catch? There must be a catch, right? Well, actually thus far in the life of modafinil there appears to be none. Side effects are rare and mostly only mild, and one side effect is weight loss which further fuels its namesake as a wonder drug. Also, unlike almost all other stimulants there is almost no risk of developing a dependence on it.
The only thing unclear are the possible long-term effects, as althougth Modafinil was first developed in the 1970s by French scientists, it has only been prescribed to patients since 1994 when it was released on the French market under the brand name Modiodal. This makes it impossible to know for sure how safe Modafinil is in the long-term.
The potential for Modafinil is huge, and I would not be the least bit surprised to see it becoming a household name in the next 5-10 years time. The biggest question mark hanging over its promising future is the morality of its use. Imagine a world where most university students are using Modafinil to fuel their brains and limit their need for sleep, and by choosing not to also use Modafinil you would be putting yourself at a disadvantage. The same point can be made by countless other scenarios. Would popular use of Modafinil result in bosses expecting even more hours from their employees? As the spread of this 'wonder'drug becomes increasingly inevitable it seems more and more likely we'll know the answers to questions like the one above in the not too distant future.
