Modafinil
Cognitive · Wakefulness-promoting
Also known as: Provigil
Tier B+
Bottom line
Read Off Label grades Modafinil as B+ (7.4/10) based on strong evidence, med-high benefit magnitude, and a low-med-risk safety profile.
Battleday & Brem 2015 reviewed ~24 studies; benefits most consistent on tasks requiring sustained attention and executive function.
Studied, labeled, or reported-use context: 100-400 mg PO once daily morning — Rx; not individualized guidance.
If you were testing this on yourself
Two properties decide whether an n-of-1 experiment is readable and recoverable. These describe the experiment — they are not a judgment about whether to run it, and nothing here is a recommendation.
Can you undo it?
Reverses on stopping
Reversible, with mild withdrawal at most. The rare serious risk is dermatological — Stevens-Johnson syndrome — which is not dose-titratable and not something monitoring catches early.
Can you tell if it worked?
Readable — Same day
Sustained-attention tasks, hours of productive work, subjective wakefulness.
What would fool you It is strongly noticeable, so blinding is impossible and the subjective read is inflated. Evidence for enhancement in the well-rested is much weaker than for sleep-deprived states — testing it while under-slept measures a different thing.
What the evidence says
Battleday & Brem 2015 reviewed ~24 studies; benefits most consistent on tasks requiring sustained attention and executive function. Minor US Schedule IV scheduling. Popular off-label cognitive enhancer among knowledge workers and military. Reduces sleep pressure markers.
Mechanism
Weak DAT inhibitor; complex orexinergic, histaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic effects; promotes wakefulness with lower abuse potential than amphetamines
Studied, labeled, or reported dose & route
100-400 mg PO once daily morning
This records doses and routes described in studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use. It is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety; context changes with indication, formulation, health history, monitoring, and other medicines.
Citations
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Common questions
- What does the evidence show about Modafinil's effects?
- Read Off Label rates the evidence for Modafinil as Strong and the benefit magnitude as med-high, producing an overall grade of B+ (7.4/10). Battleday & Brem 2015 reviewed ~24 studies; benefits most consistent on tasks requiring sustained attention and executive function.
- What safety findings are reported for Modafinil?
- Modafinil has a low-med risk profile in the database. Low-Med (headache, insomnia, rare but serious SJS/TEN; mild dependence potential) Legal status: Rx (Schedule IV US).
- What doses or routes are reported for Modafinil?
- 100-400 mg PO once daily morning This is context from studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use; it is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety.
- How does Modafinil work?
- Weak DAT inhibitor; complex orexinergic, histaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic effects; promotes wakefulness with lower abuse potential than amphetamines
This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.