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It Helps Me Study, but It's No Magic Pill
Modafinil
Citation:   galvani. "It Helps Me Study, but It's No Magic Pill: An Experience with Modafinil (exp115350)". Erowid.org. Apr 14, 2021. erowid.org/exp/115350

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
100 mg oral Modafinil (pill / tablet)
  T+ 0:00 1 cup oral Yerba Mate (tea)
  T+ 12:00   smoked Cannabis  
BODY WEIGHT: 60 kg
Background:
19M, 60 kg. I have tried the following drugs in the past: alcohol, weed, MDMA, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, kratom, LSA seeds, ritalin. Lately, I've been smoking weed on most days, I'm otherwise quite healthy, I work out nearly every day and I also sleep at least 8 hours nearly every day.

Why I wanted to try modafinil:
A week before this experience, I had the opportunity to try Ritalin XR 10mg. As I’m a really unmotivated student (at least in the last few months, due to online school), I really liked how motivated and productive Ritalin made me feel, so of course I wanted to do it again (or something similar at least). As I can’t get more Ritalin in the foreseeable future, I started researching alternatives and that’s how I found out about Modafinil. A few days later, I received my Modalert 200mg pills that I’ve ordered online.

09:00 - I wake up a little groggy as for some reason I didn’t sleep very well that night. I remember that I’m supposed to take my moda in the morning, but I’m a little hesitant about it, because of all the nasty side effects mentioned on the internet. Anyways, I take half a pill, so 100mg, get out of bed and start my day.

09:30 - This is when I think I start feeling it. It’s a very weird feeling, because it lacks the mild euphoria and other telltale effects of Ritalin (the jaw feeling, constantly having to do something with my arms etc.). I’m into cold training, and it felt very similar to the feeling I get if I instantly drink a coffee after getting out of an ice bath. A calm high plus 100% wakefulness. I also notice that I’m hungry, so I make myself some breakfast (I suspected that I won’t be able to eat anything that day, but in fact my appetite was even higher than it normally is).

10:00 - After drinking my morning yerba mate while reading the news and watching a youtube video, I proceed to study. I made myself a list of things to be done. I notice that as soon as I start doing something, I get instantly engaged in it. For the next 4 hours, I was studying very effectively with frequent bathroom breaks (I drank a lot of water, so that’s probably why, but I’ve read elsewhere that even if you don’t drink water, moda makes you pee a lot, so who knows).

14:00 - This is when I start feeling tired, so I stop studying. Maybe if I were to take another 100mg, I could have continued, but as I did way more than I do on a normal day, I thought that it was enough.

I noticed throughout the day that my mood was slightly better than it normally is, but it was nothing compared to any recreational drugs I’ve tried. Maybe if I took a lot more than I did, it could be euphoric, but honestly I don’t see any recreational value in this substance, so it’s addictive potential seems really low.

Later that day, sometimes for 10 minutes or so, I felt this comedown lethargy and tiredness, but as soon as I did something, I felt wide awake again (which at this point was a little uncomfortable). I am generally very calm the whole day, but I sometimes get worried that I won’t be able to sleep at night (the reports of moda keeping people awake for 24 hours even scared me a little).

21:00 - I meet with a friend of mine, we smoke a joint together, go for a walk, then I go to sleep at around midnight. I don’t think I could’ve fallen asleep without the weed and I didn’t sleep well at all.

Is it worth it?
Honestly, I don’t think it is for me. Of course, it made learning easier and it made my mood a little better. But at the same time, we’re talking about a drug with some potentially nasty side effects (fortunately I didn’t even get a headache, but still) and a drug without studies on its long term effects.

And honestly it did not help me study that much. If I were to go running and meditate before studying, with some caffeine added to the mix, I can get similar results to modafinil without having to take it.
If I were to go running and meditate before studying, with some caffeine added to the mix, I can get similar results to modafinil without having to take it.
This drug is used to treat narcolepsy after all, and it’s probably very effective for that purpose, as it does keep you awake, but it didn't make me as focused as motivated.

Will I use it again?
As I bought 10 pills, I probably will, maybe I’ll try 200mg next time to see if it’s more effective, but I highly doubt I’ll be a regular moda user.

Exp Year: 2021ExpID: 115350
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 19
Published: Apr 14, 2021Views: 2,803
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Modafinil (217) : Various (28), Performance Enhancement (50), First Times (2)

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