Modafinil

Take care if you have any of the below;

• Any heart problems
• High blood pressure
• Liver problems
• Take oral contraceptives
• Epilepsy
• Anxiety
• History of addictive behaviour

If you fall into any of these categories, consult your doctor before using modafinil. Patient-doctor confidentiality exists for exactly these cases, and even if you are obtaining drugs illegally, your doctor can not share the information.

Cardiovascular

In general, stimulants are not recommended for people with heart problems as they generally increase heart rate; this also applies to modafinil. If you have heart problems and decide to take modafinil anyway, you should monitor your heart rate closely and consult your doctor.

Overdose

Modafinil is a remarkably safe drug. Even though overdose can be incredibly unpleasant (high heart rate, extreme anxiety, jittery, some reports of hallucinations), even people who accidentally took 16,000 mg reported no permanent damage. No deaths from modafinil overdose have been reported. However you should go to the hospital anyway, especially if you have ever experienced any heart issues. Also, there are a number of serious interactions which mean that if you overdose while consuming other drugs (alcohol can be particularly dangerous) you should seek emergency medical help immediately.

Long-term use

Even though modafinil is not a classic stimulant, it carries many of the same cardiovascular risks. For people who suffer from angina or other heart issues, modafinil can worsen these conditions. Anxious people can feel overstimulated and sometimes experience panic attacks due to the raised heart-rate.

Addiction

Even though modafinil is touted as the first “safe and effective” smart drug, there is recent evidence showing that modafinil does have abuse potential. Neuroscientific research has confirmed that modafinil effects brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine , which is involved in reward circuitry . Beyond this, you should keep in mind that anything with any with desirable effects has the potential to cause dependence, particu larly stimulants. Though studies have shown modafinil does not produce physical dependence (heavy modafinil users abstained for two weeks and did not experience any withdrawal symptoms ), there are many anecdotal reports of people experiencing addiction to the hyper-productive and euphoric state that the drug produces, especially in people who have previously been addicted to stimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines.

Other medications and effects on the liver

Modafinil is metabolised (processed) by key enzymes in the liver. Someone with liver problems or anyone taking medications which are processed by those same enzymes could experience unwanted side-effects. For example, the effects of modafinil could last for much longer, and the same for concurrent medication. That being said, the metabolites of modafinil are non-toxic and not psychoactive so though there are risks, they are relatively minor.

Epilepsy

Modafinil, like most stimulants, has been found to lower the threshold for seizure in some epileptics. Counter-intuitively, there is also evidence to suggest that modafinil can boost the effect of some antiepileptic medications .

Skin/Allergy

One of the high profile side-effects of modafinil has been the few reports of severe skin conditions such as Steven Johnson syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

This is extremely rare however for anyone with a known history of skin or allergy problems should avoid taking modafinil for extended periods of time.

Hormonal contraceptives

Modafinil has been shown to lower the blood concentration of hormonal contraceptives such as the pill or implant, making them less effective . This is particularly dangerous in cases of prolonged use of modafinil due to the way in which these hormones work to prevent pregnancy. It is also vital to note that modafinil also reduces efficacy of the morning after pill. Condoms and IUDs (such as the copper coil) are the only forms of birth control not affected by modafinil.

Source: http://www.rxlist.com/provigil-drug.htm