Dooga16 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Hello, I am a 21 year old student with depression. This causes me to have difficulty staying away and be rather fatigued. My psychiatrist prescribed Modafinil to help with this issue. There may be a mild sleep apnea, but I am being tested later for that. Regardless, my circumstances are as follows. I'm studying for a French exam. I work best under pressure, and the exam is tomorrow afternoon. I take 400mg Modafinil daily. However, I can adjust this, within reason. For every hour of sleep I sacrifice, I gain time studying. Should I ensure I get 8 hours sleep? Should I get six for some extra studying? I am best off sacrificing sleep altogether? Aside from the side effects of increasing Modafinil, what (if any) effect will it have on tolerance of the medication? Chances are I'm just going to go to sleep as normal. I have some time to study tonight and tomorrow, regardless of what amount of sleep I decide upon. However, the more I study the better I might do. Or more importantly, the more confident I might feel (I have low confidence in my French abilities). My doctor allows me to be flexible with stimulants/modafinil type things (I don't take stimulants anymore). However, my main concerns are (increasing tolerance, I want my dose to stay where it is) and how it will benefit/harm my French scenario. I'm not concerned with side effects. I'm also not interested in taking stimulants (aside from caffeine) as they are no longer in drug plan, which has two new antidepressants since the last time I took the stimulant. Anyway, I know this forum is really cool. That's why I joined. This is my first topic. Don't be too hard on me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I don't think you are really supposed to go higher than 400 m.g. of Modafinil a day. And, provided you don't think you are going to FAIL your exam, I'm not sure more studying and less sleep would be the best idea. You'll probably do better on the exam if you are properly rested anyway, and last minute cramming on no sleep doesn't really confer that much benefit, if you ask me. Maybe you can join a tutoring program at your school to learn better study habits. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooga16 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 I don't think you are really supposed to go higher than 400 m.g. of Modafinil a day. And, provided you don't think you are going to FAIL your exam, I'm not sure more studying and less sleep would be the best idea. You'll probably do better on the exam if you are properly rested anyway, and last minute cramming on no sleep doesn't really confer that much benefit, if you ask me. Maybe you can join a tutoring program at your school to learn better study habits. Anna Yeah, I ended up studying about an hour longer and then going to sleep. Yeah, I'm not sure how to approach study habits. I feel like I know the formula, but I can't implement it. I had good study habits at the start of the year, but they slipped away from me when my depression got worse. I'll look into some things, though. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehygon Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Losing sleep effects different people in different ways. Some people claim to be less effective at their daily lives, when in reality they are not. Some people claim no difficulties, and are in fact impaired. I'm sure there is a middleground as well. Your situation is really dependent on your own experiences with sleep loss. If you don't feel ill effects from not getting enough, you may be ok. Honestly, considering you have a problem with depression, I would aim for a healthy amount of sleep (8ish hours) rather than what would benefit your study time. Be aware that 'cramming' doesn't work as well as repeated periods of studying which total the same duration. If you find yourself in a hurry to get through the material and it's the day before, I'd go with normal sleep hours over studying. You say you don't feel confident in your french abilities, so I'd say when the exam is getting close, your anxiety will go up, and cramming wouldn't help much at all. And I could be wrong, but I think in biopsychology I was told sleeping actually helps reinforce memory. In summation, break up your study time. Do a few hours, take a break, and go back to it. Being rested before an exam is better than walking in half cocked, despite medication. I really wouldn't forgo sleep period; despite the fact that it isn't obvious, your body does sleep for a reason. Either way, I wish you luck on your exam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodos Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Modafinil is not a substitute for sleep. Get the sleep you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 We have accumulated almost 100 years of scientifically valid study on how the brain learns organizes and recalls information. Pet scans, fMRI and other cosmic foriegn rays now let us see where thinking and memory is going on. You can take the newest or the oldest drugs to stay awake in orderder to read, review, make notes or color with crayons. However, until you actually sleep your brain cannot fully organize, consolidate and store the information for recovery. I had a discussion with my sleep doctor (internist) about the stay up/sleep dilemma and he said that it is better to get 8 hours of good sleep and wake up refreshed with a clear head to tackle the exam than to stagger in bleery and befuddled with facts. I figure he might have some experience and success at taking exams. a.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayteana Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Modafinil will make it easier for you to stay awake if that's what you choose to do. However, it doesn't make your mind sharper. You will still get all the other effects of being sleep deprived. Your best bet is to get as close to eight hours of sleep a night as you can get. Your mind needs the rest to best sort out and process the studying that you do. Save the Modafinil for use during normal daytime hours - that's where it will do you the most good. ~ May Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooga16 Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Just thought I'd update. I appreciate the advice and information. It will also help me for the future. I had no idea I can't just substitute modafinil for sleep and maintain performance. Anyway, the French exam wasn't perfect, but I don't get along with French. I suspect I passed. I didn't break down from stress after the exam, and I finished all the questions. I didn't take any extra medication. I'm glad I didn't. I did time my second dose for the exam, but I would've done that anyway. I vary my dose time in the afternoon as it is. In terms of sleep, I did decide to get about an hour less sleep. However, that wasn't a system shock as my sleep patterns vary +/- 2 hours. Had some caffeine mid afternoon, but I was decaffeinated by exam time. Well, I wasn't on a "caffeine high," but it was probably in my system, of course. Now it's on to other topics of interest. Apparently sleep deprivation can help depression, but I suspect that means mental performance goes down while mood improves. That might explain why I want to stay up later. I prefer the night because I'm tired and feeling better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John87 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Hi all!! Does anybody know about quality of Provigil (Modafinil, Modalert) at My Canadian Pharmacy like: [removed link] Is it safe to buy modafinil online??? (I'm going to buy modafinil online here) Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Typically canadian prices are cheaper for meds. We don't encourage/endorse/discuss buying meds without a prescription from an online pharmacy on the boards here, so I can't comment specifically on that particular place, sorry, other than to say that if you are buying from a non reputable pharmacy without a prescription, you do run the risk of out of date meds, meds that are fakes, or other issues. You are much better off buying your meds from somewhere reputable, even if it is overseas, that will only do so with a prescription. The prices seem suspiciously low, that said, modafinil is now generic in some countries. If you do go that route (which I'm not going to recommend) I highly suggest checking the packaging, identifying the pills using a pill checker to try and make sure it is what it is (though really good looking fakes can be made) and whatnot. It is still risky. As far as the laws go, importing I think up to 3 months personal supply of overseas meds is illegal, but not really something that gets prosecuted. More than that, you can run into legal issues. You aren't supposed to do it, but if the government agencies catch your package (which sometimes happens) they will return it to the sender at the border and send you a letter indicating you were trying to import medications from overseas which is not legal, and that they have been returned to the sender. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. Some places will not refund your costs, or reship your medication either. So you do run the risk of not getting it, anytime you import a med from overseas. Isn't provigil generic here, or going generic soon? Won't your insurance co pay for it? Sometimes a prior auth or an explanation letter from your doctor will take care of it. Or sometimes docs are willing to provide a prescription to you to send to an overseas pharmacy that requires one, if you explain the issue. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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