Despite LiveWello’s report on Modafinil response, saying I “might have an increased response to modafinil, due to AG genotype for rs1128503 compared to people with other genotypes. Other clinical, genetic or environmental factors may influence this outcome.”
Just the opposite is true. At the standard dose of 200mg, it has no effect on my alertness, wakefulness, cognition, mood or any other expected (typical) responses. Curious, after a few days of nothing, I increased to 400mg with similar lack of effect-- on up to 600mg and then 800mg with no noticeable effect on alertness/wakefulness. Considering it is specifically for this and seems to work fantastically for most those who use it, my complete lack of response is baffling to me.
Can anyone offer any possible explanation or suggest an area to look towards to find out why this drug just does not work for me at seemingly any dose? I stopped at 800mg as this was the upper end for clinical trials, at which it became “intolerable” for most respondents.
Btw- this is not due to tolerance, as there was no response from the first time I ever took it. I have also tried Nuvigil (the isolated active isomer of the drug) with the same result.
Thoughts? It has me stumped. I can take 600mg-800mg of this stuff and sleep like a baby right away, or if I take it then try and wake up an hour later, it is no easier.
My genetics says I am supposed to not have much response to it, but when I was prescribed modafinil, It got me pretty high. Colors got bright. I was on depakote for my epilepsy and they gave me modafinil to help me think, the Depokote kind of killed my short term memory, Genetically, I found I cannot detox any of the anti-epileptic meds I was prescribed, so it matches pretty good with all the problems I had. I was taking two five hundreds of modafinil three times a day though, that was a high dose. Maybe it had to be high to work, they kept increasing it till it actually worked.
I would say if you’re considering it, see if you can get a trial pack from the doctor which some have (for either Provigil— but most surely they will only have Nuvigil trial packs, which is the same thing, but “better”). Yeah right. “Better” because they no longer fill half the pill with the non bioactive/prodrug form like they did in Provigil. Almost like they knew their patent would expire and they would need to come up with a “better” form of the same drug, hmm? Drug evergreening its best/worst. Gotta love big-pharma.
Get the sample pack and see what happens. It doesn’t need to build up so you’ll know for sure by time the 7 day trail pack or whatever is up. Either it’ll work or it won’t— pretty clear cut. I mean I can take like 5 of them and go right to sleep with no problem. BUT— I will say this— although I can fall and stay asleep easily on large doses of modafinil, according to my Apple Watch and a very accurate sleep app, it WRECKS my deep sleep when I do take it. As in, I can sleep 8 hours as usual but get ZERO hours of deep sleep vs. my usual 2-3 hours when I don’t take it.
So, for me, it keeps me right in the rotten middle: it doesn’t keep me awake, alert or help with concentration, BUT it almost fully deprives me of quality/deep sleep so that the next day I will feel like garbage and can’t concentrate anyhow. So that makes it useless. Especially for the absurd cost.
Speaking of– I know for me, it took many hours on the phone with my insurance company to even get them to approve paying for it. No surprise. I see why: I’m Rx’d 600mg a day and it’s anywhere from $600-1,300 USD a month cash pay! Wtf?! No wonder the healthcare system sucks in the US; everyone is trying to bend everyone else over as far as possible. $1,300 for what effectively is a placebo pill for me? No thanks. (And we know it costs them mere pennies per pill, if that, to make…)
I will also say this— do your own homework on this, because it’s probably not the same gene SNP… but I also find that Ritalin/Concerta is largely ineffective for me also. Surely better than modafinil but not night and day unless it’s a very high dose.
On the contrary, Adderall always worked amazingly for me. Too amazingly… to the point where I developed a bad habit. No good. Off of everything now and just doing what I can to get by… but I certainly hope you have better luck with things.
Thank you for sharing your own experience on that. It IS helpful. Also, Adderall (Adderallxr) and Vyvanse work much better for me than Concerta as well. I was never given the opportunity to try Ritalin because of that fact. However, I believe I have an allergy to a filler in Adderall xr, so Vyvanse it is.
Also, Adderall (Adderallxr) and Vyvanse work much better for me than Concerta as well. I was never given the opportunity to try Ritalin because of that fact. However, I believe I have an allergy to a filler in Adderall xr, so Vyvanse it is.