Manufacturer: Sun Pharma, India
Pharmaceutical name: Modafinil
Pack: 10 pills (200 mg)
Modalert is a medication taken orally to enhance wakefulness in individuals experiencing excessive sleepiness. Its effects are akin to caffeine, as both substances encourage alertness by stimulating the brain, thus categorizing them as stimulants. Other stimulants, like dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and sibutramine (Meridia), have a separate effect of curbing appetite. All four of these medications influence neurotransmitters in the brain, which are the chemicals used by nerve cells for communication, but they do so in different ways.
Modalert is prescribed to help increase wakefulness in individuals with excessive sleepiness related to narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (as an additional treatment for the underlying condition), and shiftwork sleep disorder. Narcolepsy is a long-term brain and spinal cord disorder marked primarily by an uncontrollable urge to sleep repeatedly. Shiftwork sleep disorder arises when the regular sleep pattern is disrupted, often due to night shift work.
The typical dosage for Modalert ranges from 200 to 400 mg daily, although there is no evidence that the 400 mg dose provides greater benefits than the 200 mg dose. Modalert can be consumed with or without food.
Modalert can influence the activity of liver enzymes that are responsible for metabolizing (clearing) other medications. This might lead to lower levels of certain drugs, diminishing their effectiveness, or elevated levels of other drugs, resulting in toxicity. Thus, it is essential to closely monitor Modalert treatment when used alongside these medications.
Medications that may have reduced efficacy when taken with Modalert include cyclosporine, theophylline, and hormonal contraceptives such as progestin-only or drugs containing both estrogen and progesterone. During treatment with Modalert, alternative hormonal contraceptives or additional non-drug forms of contraception should be explored, and this protective measure should extend for one month after discontinuing Modalert therapy (due to the lasting effects of modafinil on contraceptive hormones). These interactions occur whether the hormones are taken orally, via patch, or through an implant. The potential interactions between modafinil and alcohol remain unclear.
The most frequently reported side effects of Modalert in clinical trials include headache, upper respiratory tract infections, nausea, nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia, each affecting more than 5% of patients.