ABC News: Stay-Awake Pill May Get Wider Approval
ABC News: Stay-Awake Pill May Get Wider Approval
This story is related to the USA, but I still found it particularly interesting. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering widening the indications for the prescription of the drug Modafinil, which was previously limited for us in Narcolepsy (at least officially).
Now I’m surprised this drug hasn’t got more wider press in recent years, considering it’s potential uses. Modafinil is a tablet that helps maintain wakefulness and alertness for prolonged periods, yet without any rebound tiredness the next day, and without any major serious side effects. It is not a stimulant like caffeine or amphetamines. Longer term side effects or physiological addiction have not been reported to date. So it’s a pretty safe drug that enables people to remain awake and alert and productive longer – you can begin to imagine the possibilities. Shift-workers, truck-drivers, sleep deprived parents, stressed out cramming students, or just regular people who want to make better use of the 24 hours God has given them each day. I believe the US military has used this drug for soldiers in the field.
The doctors quoted in the above article do raise some legitimate concerns about ethical concerns with this drug, the potential for mis-use and “cultural addiction” but it seems to me to be only a matter of time before the drug becomes more widely available, even in spite of this.
Now’s the time for me to come clean. I have tried this drug a couple of times and I like it. Unlike overdosing on caffeine it has no discernible effect on the body. You don’t feel “wired” or anything. You simply just don’t feel tired. The times I tried it I was awake and alert, busy and productive well past midnight. The only side effect I noticed was that around 2am I began to experience a mild headache – nothing too severe. Eventually when I did decide to go to bed I was able to fall asleep with no trouble, and I woke up the next day after only a few hours sleep feeling normal. There was no rebound tiredness or jet lag in the days that followed. I’m the sort of person who gets frustrated if it gets to 10:30 or 11 at night and I feel tired and unable to keep doing things, and I’m also the kind of person who tries to do many more things than I can fit within my week, so this medication has immense appeal in terms of having a more productive life. I don’t think you would want to take it everyday, or for extended periods, as the long term data is just not there, but for intermittent use I don’t see a problem with this tablet. The biggest difficulties at present (particularly here in Australia) would be high cost and limited availablity.
It will be interesting the observe what happens with this drug over the next few years.
Categories : Medical News, Medicine, Personal | 1 Comment
