Modafinil

A wakefulness-promoting agent. Prescription-only in most countries. What follows reports what the label and literature say — it is not instruction.

Effects

• Promotes wakefulness and alertness; reduces daytime sleepiness.
• Does not reliably improve memory or creativity in healthy people.
• Can mask the sense of sleep debt without repaying it.

Uses

• Approved: narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea daytime sleepiness, shift-work disorder.
• Off-label (with a physician): fatigue, some ADHD adjunct use.

Official dose (label)

• The FDA label for Provigil states 200 mg once daily for narcolepsy and OSA, taken in the morning.
• Shift-work disorder: 200 mg about 1 hour before the work shift.
• Label text only — dosing is a physician decision.

Official research

• FDA label — Provigil (modafinil).
• StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf) — Modafinil.
• PubMed — randomised trials and reviews.

Anecdotal research

• Commonly reported as strong for focus on poor sleep, with a harsh comedown and insomnia if taken late.
• Anecdotes are not evidence — leads to check, nothing more.