Your Top 20 Modafinil Questions Answered

This is an FAQ for modafinil, meant to answer the most common questions I get personally as well as those aggregated from online search queries. It’s a mix of personal experience, information gleaned from anecdotal evidence online, and objective science. All the objective claims are cited with relevant links to studies in the footnotes. There are also links sprinkled throughout for those who want to dig deeper. Hopefully this helps answer your questions about modafinil!

Important disclaimer: Modafinil is a scheduled substance in certain countries, and may require a prescription to obtain. Please be sure to understand the legalities in your country before ordering anything online.

What’s a good dosage?

Modafinil comes in 100mg or 200mg pills, and a normal dose is anywhere between 100-200mg. The recommended dose for prescribed patients is 200mg, taken once per day in the morning. In my experience, and depending on the individual, 100mg can often be enough for significant cognitive enhancement.

Is modafinil safe?

A systematic review conducted by researchers from Harvard and Oxford assessed all studies on modafinil and cognitive enhancement published between January 1990 and December 2014 in healthy, non-sleep deprived individuals. The researchers published their results in 2015 in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology and found the drug to be safe, with no preponderance for side effects or mood changes. ¹

Is there potential for addiction?

Modafinil is not physically addictive and the chances of addiction are very low. It has been available as prescription medication in the US since 1998, and since the 1980s in Europe, and there are only a few rare cases of reported addiction. ^{2 3}

Psychological dependence may be more common, especially if the drug is taken every day. People report becoming so accustomed to the effects that they find normal waking consciousness unsatisfactory. The same could be said, however, for many consciousness-altering substance.

Are there side effects?

FDA regulations require pharmaceutical companies to list of all the potential side effects of a drug, no matter how small the chances of them occurring. You can see a list of all the potential modafinil side effects on page 3 of the FDA medical guide.

Anecdotally it seems headaches are a relatively common side effect, although this can just be due to dehydration.

How long does it take to kick in?

It takes around 25-45 minutes to kick in when taken on an empty stomach. If taken with food it takes longer to metabolize, and may take 45 minutes to 1 hour to kick in.

How long does modafinil last?

The duration of subjective effects can vary widely between individuals. Some users report the effects lasting as little as 5-7 hours while for others it can last up to 18 hours or more. For me personally, the effects tend to last around 16+ hours. I would guess I am among those more sensitive to the drug, and I also respond well to stimulants in general.

How long does it stay in your system?

The half-life of modafinil is 12-15 hours. That means that after 12-15 hours, half of the amount you took will still be in your system. This is very long half-life compared to most drugs and it’s why people often have trouble falling asleep at night after taking it. One of my top 7 tips for taking modafinil is to take it as early as possible in the morning. You can even set an alarm to wake up extremely early, take the pill, then go back to sleep and wait for it to kick in.

Can you get withdrawal?

Since modafinil is not physically addictive, reported cases of withdrawal symptoms are rare. The consensus in the scientific literature is that there is no withdrawal response to modafinil. ⁴

There is anecdotal evidence online of people suffering brain fog, lack of focus, low energy, or even depression after they stop using it. That being said, these individuals tend to have been taking modafinil consistently for long periods and/or in relatively large doses. See this case on drugs.com and this one on reddit.

Can you develop a tolerance?

Studies have found no evidence for modafinil tolerance developing, even with prolonged use of up to 40 weeks.⁵⁶⁷

However, there are many anecdotal reports online of people developing tolerance with consistent use. See this reddit post for a comprehensive analysis of tolerance including the pharmacology and possible explanations for the discrepancy between clinical studies and anecdotal reports.

Personally I have found that if I take it more than about once per week, I begin to develop a tolerance. The subjective effects start to become less noticeable with the same dosage.

Can you mix modafinil and alcohol?

Generally this is not recommended. If you drink alcohol on the same day that you’ve taken modafinil, you will have a lower alcohol tolerance and get drunk more quickly. However you may still feel more clear-headed and awake than usual, which can be dangerous since you don’t fully feel the effects of the alcohol. People report their head staying clear but “body getting drunk”. Interestingly, some users report less of a hangover than usual, while others report worse hangovers.

Reports do vary, and it seems that if you’ve taken modafinil in the morning and drink later that night you can more or less get away with it without any serious adverse effects. But it is not recommended to take it and drink alcohol at the exact same time or even within a few hours of one another.

For more detail see this post on Examined Existence.

I found one study on the interaction between these two substances, at the UCSF Pain Clinical Research Center, but it was terminated before completion and there are no findings to show. It’s not clear why this is the case.

How about snorting it?

Snorting ritalin or adderall is common for studying or going out at night. Snorting modafinil is less common, but not completely unheard of.

There are several firsthand accounts of snorting on Erowid. See Wow It’s Amazing, Not So Useful for Studying, Precision Attention, Workaholic’s Drug of Choice.

The general consensus seems to be that snorting produces the same effects as oral ingestion but perhaps with faster onset. I’ve never snorted it myself and I don’t see much reason for doing so.

What is the cost of modafinil?

Generic modafinil costs around $1-2 per pill, and you generally get a better price the higher quantity you buy. Generic modafinil is available from High Street Pharma.

Why is it not working for me?

“Bad batch”

It’s possible you got a bad batch of modafinil and the pills are actually faulty. This is unlikely if you buy from a reputable source, but it can happen.

Modafinil non-responders

Some people may be non-responders to the drug due to variation in genes. The COMT gene is responsible for degrading dopamine in the brain, and a particular SNP (individual variation within a gene) may be what determines, at least in part, an individual’s responsiveness to modafinil. You can read more about that here.

Can modafinil cause anxiety?

Modafinil has strong stimulant-like effects, and overstimulation can cause anxiety. Personally I’ve experienced anxiety from modafinil a few times, and it’s always been from a dose that was too high. Once when I was younger and inexperienced I took four 100mg pills to pull an all-nighter at university and experienced some of the worst anxiety of my life. I was literally pacing around outside trying to calm down. Not recommended! Stick with 100-200mg.

Are there interactions with other drugs?

There are a number of modafinil interactions listed on drugs.com, but I can’t vouch for the reliability or legitimacy of the information on that website.

One important interaction is that modafinil may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control. If you take other medicines, you should check with your doctor about possible interactions. Read more about that in the FDA guide.

Personally I haven’t experienced any adverse interactions between modafinil and other substances. I don’t take any substances regularly except drinking coffee. I haven’t combined it with alcohol and don’t intend to. Oddly, if I smoke weed on it I get quite a noticeable psychedelic effect, almost like I’ve taken a mild dose of mushrooms or LSD.

Can it cause headaches?

Based on the anecdotal evidence online, headaches from this drug are not uncommon. A simple cause may be dehydration: be sure to drink enough water if you take modafinil!

Some find taking choline helpful for alleviating the headaches. There can also be different kinds of headaches related to modafinil use. See this comprehensive article for more information.

Can it cause weight loss?

Modafinil suppresses the appetite and may lead you to eat less than usual, which can cause weight loss.⁸ Personally I would not recommend using it for this purpose, as no pill is a healthy or sustainable way to lose weight. If you want to get lean or lose weight, see this post and this post.

Can you mix modafinil and caffeine?

Generally speaking caffeine adds to the stimulating effects of modafinil, as it is a strong stimulant itself. Personally I like this combination, but it varies widely between individuals.

If you already respond well to caffeine, it’s reasonable to expect that you’ll like the combination with modafinil. If you don’t, you probably won’t. Finally, I would recommend caution if you already know you are sensitive to stimulants.

How does modafinil compare to microdosing psychedelics like LSD?

I wrote about how microdosing LSD can improve energy levels, mood, creativity and productivity. How does this compared to modafinil? Microdosing, in my experience, is definitely lighter and less intense. You can also microdose more frequently than I would recommend taking modafinil.

In my experience, microdosing LSD does much more for creativity as well as actual enjoyment of life. Modafinil is more about pure productivity and grind. Microdosing is also good for a variety of activities like socializing, walking in nature, or whatever you like doing, while modafinil is really only good for working or working out.

Related articles you might like:

7 Tips to Get the Most from Modafinil

13 Thoughts on Modafinil: Pros & Cons of the Magic Pill