Can Modafinil Treat Sleep Disorders Effectively?

Modafinil Australia (Provigil) helps people with conditions such as narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome, and shift work disorder improve their sleep cycles so they can stay awake during the day. It’s also believed to enhance cognitive function.

It does not replace good sleep habits and should not be taken for recreational purposes. Only use this medicine as directed by your doctor.

Narcolepsy

People with narcolepsy have extreme daytime sleepiness that affects their daily activities and often interferes with school, work and social life. The condition also causes a variety of other symptoms, such as mental fogginess, memory problems and sudden episodes of falling asleep, called “sleep attacks.” These episodes usually last only a few minutes but can occur anywhere at any time.

Trying to fight the sleepiness with medication or lifestyle changes is difficult. These medications can cause unpleasant side effects, and they do not always fully restore a person’s alertness to what it was before the sleepiness began.

Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting medication that works by affecting brain chemicals that regulate sleep and wakefulness. It is similar to stimulants such as amphetamine and methylphenidate, but has a different chemical structure. It belongs to a class of drugs known as CNS stimulants. In two large trials, modafinil significantly improved wakefulness and decreased narcolepsy symptoms, including cataplexy, in patients with moderate to severe narcolepsy.

If you have narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about how modafinil can help you. Do not take modafinil with certain medications, such as antidepressants and some heart medicines, unless your doctor says it is safe.

Also, be careful driving and operating machinery until you know how the drug will affect you. Side effects of modafinil can include chest pain, trouble breathing or uneven heartbeats. These can be serious and require medical attention.

Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing stops and starts repeatedly during sleep. The condition can be caused by a physical blockage of the airway or by signaling problems in the nervous system. People with obstructive sleep apnea can experience restless sleep, loud snoring, and daytime sleepiness. In some cases, it can lead to serious health problems.

Modafinil (Modawake 200) is a wake-promoting agent that increases alertness by affecting certain brain chemicals involved in sleep and wakefulness. It has a molecular structure that is chemically unrelated to and pharmacologically distinct from central nervous system stimulants like amphetamines and methylphenidate. It has been shown to improve wakefulness in studies in animal models of narcolepsy and sleep-disordered breathing.

Two recent studies have assessed the effectiveness of modafinil in treating residual excessive sleepiness in CPAP-treated patients with OSA. Kingshott et al11 and Pack et al12 performed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 157 patients (mean age 42) who had been diagnosed with OSA, had evidence of residual excessive sleepiness on the MWT, MSLT, and ESS, and had a CPAP compliance rate of at least 70%.

Both studies found that patients treated with modafinil experienced fewer episodes of residual sleepiness than those treated with placebo. However, mean sleep latencies did not normalize with modafinil use. Other objective and subjective measures of sleepiness, including quality of life, cognitive function, and diary data showing proportionally fewer mistakes, accidents, or near-accidents on the commute home, improved with modafinil treatment.

Shift Work Disorder

Working night shifts, rotating shift schedules or non-traditional work hours can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms regulate sleep-wake cycles by influencing when the body produces the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Working irregular shifts prevents people from getting enough restful sleep and causes them to feel fatigued during the day. This condition is referred to as Shift Work Disorder (SWSD).

Diagnosing SWSD requires an evaluation of your sleep habits and a thorough examination of your symptoms and work history. Your Aurora Sleep Medicine Centers provider may ask you to keep a sleep diary and track your sleep and wake patterns over several weeks. He or she might also conduct a sleep study to measure brain activity, heart rate and other physiological factors during sleep.

The most effective treatment strategies for SWSD are to make changes at home and at work, if possible. This includes establishing a regular sleep schedule and sticking to it, even on days off. In addition, you can try to avoid light during sleep and use earplugs or white noise to block out distractions.

Sleep specialists can also provide cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and help you find a healthy eating pattern that can improve the quality of your sleep. In many studies, modafinil has shown positive results in reducing sleepiness and improving mood. It has been found to be safe and well-tolerated in the long term.

Other Conditions

Modafinil is a psychostimulant that has a unique waking effect and can improve sleep cycles to help with narcolepsy, shift work disorder and other conditions. It is known to enhance alertness and reduce fatigue, as well as boost mood.

It is believed to interact with chemicals in the brain that act like adrenaline and increase dopamine activity. It has also been shown to be less likely to cause side effects such as excess locomotor activity, anxiety and jitteriness than traditional stimulants [1].

It has been found that modafinil increases extracellular levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in certain rat brain regions, including the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) and dopamine transporter, and that this is related to its wake-promoting effect.

It has been shown to bind weakly and selectively to the a1-adrenergic receptor and to a1-adrenergic inhibitory sites in the hypothalamus, and that its waking effects are not blocked by the a1-adrenergic antagonist dexmethylphenidate or by administration of an a1-adrenergic blocker such as clonidine.

However, some patients may experience heart problems when taking modafinil, especially those with a history of chest pain or other cardiovascular diseases. It may also cause high blood pressure and tachycardia.

Those who have a heart condition such as mitral valve prolapse or left ventricular hypertrophy, should be monitored closely by their healthcare providers. Also, modafinil can worsen tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and can increase the risk of angioedema.