ZocdocAnswersCould I take Modafinil?


Could I take Modafinil?

I am a 17 year old high school student, I am highly involved and am talking very rigorous classes.. I have little time to sleep and I often find myself nodding off in class. I try to resist but it is impossible. In the mornings I can't get up on my own, I sleep through alarms or just fall asleep halfway through getting ready. I heard of a drug called modafinil, could this be an option?


I recommend that you schedule an appointment with a sleep medicine specialist. Modafinil is a medication that is classified as a stimulant. We use it in a few different instances. The major indications of modafinil are conditions such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is when a person will have trouble staying awake during the day and will frequently fall asleep. It is also used for folks that have other sleep disorders and have difficulty staying awake during the day. Finally, it is used in people that have significant medical conditions the resultant significant daytime fatigue and they are using it just to get by and to be productive during the day. At your age, I would probably not advocate for modafinil. The first step to figuring out what is causing your fatigue is to figure out whether or not you're getting adequate sleep. Remember that you should always try to get at least eight hours of sleep per night. If you're getting less than that, that then this could be a reason for your fatigue. If you are getting eight hours of sleep, then a sleep disorders such as sleep apnea would need to be looked into. Sleep apnea is worked up using the sleep study which might not be a bad idea in you anyway. To get this workup, you should schedule an appointment with a sleep medicine specialist.

