Modafinil
Why is this treatment prescribed?
Modafinil is used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by narcolepsy (a situation that causes excessive daytime sleepiness) or shift work sleep disorder (sleepiness during scheduled waking hours and issue falling asleep or staying asleep during scheduled sleeping hours in individuals who work at night time or on rotating shifts). Modafinil can be used together with breathing gadgets or different therapies to prevent extreme sleepiness caused by obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS; a sleep disorder in which the affected person briefly stops breathing or breathes shallowly many times throughout sleep and therefore would not get enough restful sleep). Modafinil is in a class of medications called wakefulness selling agents. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the area of the mind that controls sleep and wakefulness.
How should this medicine be used?
Modafinil comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is often taken as soon as a day with or without food. If you are taking modafinil to deal with narcolepsy or OSAHS, you’ll most likely take it within the morning. If you are taking modafinil to treat shift work sleep disorder, you’ll probably take it 1 hour before the beginning of your work shift. Take modafinil on the identical time each day. Do not change the time of day that you just take modafinil without speaking to your doctor. Discuss to your doctor if your work shift does not begin at the identical time every day. Follow the directions in your prescription label fastidiously, and ask your physician or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take modafinil precisely as directed.
Modafinil could also be behavior-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or take it for a longer time frame than prescribed by your doctor.
Modafinil might lower your sleepiness, but it surely will not remedy your sleep disorder. Proceed to take modafinil even for those who really feel well-rested. Do not cease taking modafinil with out speaking to your doctor.
Modafinil shouldn’t be used rather than getting enough sleep. Comply with your doctor’s advice about good sleep habits. Proceed to use any breathing units or different treatments that your physician has prescribed to treat your situation, particularly if in case you have OSAHS.
Different makes use of for this medicine
This medicine could also be prescribed for different makes use of; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
What particular precautions should I observe?
Before taking modafinil,
inform your physician and pharmacist if you are allergic to modafinil, armodafinil (Nuvigil), or some other medications.
inform your physician and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you might be taking. Make sure to point out any of the next: anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) corresponding to warfarin (Coumadin); sure antidepressants corresponding to amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and zumba01 trimipramine (Surmontil); certain antifungals akin to itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); diazepam (Valium); certain medicines for seizures corresponding to carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital, and phenytoin (Dilantin); monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, together with isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate); propranolol (Inderal); selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) akin to citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); and triazolam (Halcion). Many other drugs might also interact with modafinil, so you’ll want to tell your doctor about all the drugs you take, even these that do not appear on this list. Your doctor may have to alter the doses of your drugs or monitor you fastidiously for side effects.
inform your doctor if you happen to drink or have ever drunk massive quantities of alcohol, use or have ever used street drugs, or have overused prescription medicines, especially stimulants. Also inform your physician if in case you have ever had chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, or different coronary heart issues after taking a stimulant, and if you have or have ever had high blood pressure; a coronary heart assault; chest pain; a mental illness such as despair, mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood), or psychosis (difficulty thinking clearly, communicating, understanding reality, and behaving appropriately); or heart, liver, or kidney disease.
you must know that modafinil could decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives (birth control drugs, patches, rings, implants, injections, and intrauterine devices). Use another form of birth control while taking modafinil and for 1 month after you cease taking it. Talk to your physician about types of contraception that can give you the results you want throughout and after your remedy with modafinil.
inform your physician if you are pregnant, plan to change into pregnant, or are breast-feeding. Should you develop into pregnant while taking modafinil, call your doctor.
if you’re having surgery, together with dental surgical procedure, inform the physician or dentist that you’re taking modafinil.
you need to know that modafinil could have an effect on your judgment or thinking and may not utterly relieve the sleepiness caused by your disorder. Don’t drive a automobile or operate machinery until you know how this treatment affects you. In case you averted driving and other dangerous actions because of your sleep disorder, don’t begin performing these actions again without talking to your physician even in case you feel more alert.
be aware that you need to avoid ingesting alcohol while taking modafinil.