Comment · Fri, September 13, 2013 · Ceretropic
Does Anyone Else Experience Modafinil Effect Inversion with Sustained Usage?
Original post in this thread
Brukhar1 · 2 points
Disclaimer, this is anecdotal and simply based on my experience. When I first start taking modafinil after not taking it for awhile, the effects are exactly as advertised. Little bit of fuzzy head feeling first day, can't sleep for the life of me the first night, still feel refreshed the next day once it kicks in, appetite suppression, increase in cardiovascular performance when running, the works.
However, after several weeks of sustained use (4-12 weeks), at some point, the effects seem to reverse. Instead, modafinil will make me want to get more sleep, my appetite will return ravenously, and my cardiovascular performance will drop.
Now, normally, I'd chalk this up to tolerance. But when I cold turkey off modafinil, my appetite subsides back to normal levels, sleep returns to normal (no more/no less required), and my cardio performance picks back up although not to the same level as when modafinil is fully working for me.
Any one else experience this type of effect?
I know we've discussed the potential for tolerance or loss of efficacy over time before and a lot of people advise that modafinil is best used intermittently. Interestingly, it's not so much a loss of effica…
What they were answering
Brukhar1 · 1 points
Well certainly the effects of modafinil can be altered when taking things that tinker with liver enzymes, and modafinil itself alters the effects of some other drugs in the same manner. But those effects are largely acute, ie, you take piperine and the modafinil effects are heightened pretty much right away. Whereas the effect reversal phenomenon occurs weeks down the line.
I think the impressive aspect of modafinil is the breadth of things it can treat, and the complexity of the mechanism of action, particularly with it increasing the synergy across neurological systems. That, combined with the relative lack of side effects, makes it interesting more than the cognitive enhancement does.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
The effects are acute, but could create lasting changes in the expression of those enzymes in response to the induction. The implications of that are varied, as it affects so many enzymes.
I would agree that it's impressive with the breadth of its actions. If nothing else, to give us some insight into the mechanisms that lead to those effects.