How DOES Modafinil Work, Exactly?

“How does Modafinil work? It’s not METH is it? I don’t want to become a junkie!!!!” No, it’s not, so stop panicking. Modafinil is a safe, lab-tested, FDA approved therapeutic drug. It improves your quality of life and helps with chronic tiredness, narcolepsy, ADHD, shift-work sleep disorders and mood disorders. There are minimal side effects. It’s not a street drug. It’s not cut with all manner of crap and filler, and it’s not gonna wreck your health. Or your relationships, finances, or turn you into a gibbering, incapable mess.

Modafinil’s exact mechanism is still under debate but scientists believe it works by increasing dopamine in the brain, which is the body’s (neurotransmitter) reward hormone. Anytime someone performs an action they associate with “good”, they release Dopamine in their body. Comfort eating, a lottery win, hearing a favorite song. You get the idea. Dopamine is a mild stimulant that increases connections and interactions between neurons, because it makes your brain work more efficiently along paths associated with “good”.

Modafinil blocks receptors that remove dopamine from the brain, allowing you to feel “good” (positive, uplifted, energetic, and enthusiastic) for the entire day. The brain reacts to this change by producing extra serotonin, and increasing nor-epinephrine. The former can help the brain produce NEW neurons. This helps it to stay fresh and functional. The latter heightens alertness and is responsible for the increase in wakefulness that Modafinil users benefit from. Modafinil elevates Glutamate levels in the body. This plays a huge role in long-term creativity and new connections, which helps old brains learn new tricks.

There is complexity to Modafinil’s modus operandi, and these are the most relevant points for the average person.

Unlike street drugs, it is safe, effective and non-addictive. Researchers still don’t know everything there is to know about the human brain and many drug interactions. Do you enjoy hard science and like to follow the latest neuro-scientific research? How does Modafinil work is a question where the exact answer has subtleties that are still being uncovered!